Have you ever wondered how some websites seem to always pop up as the first result when you type an organic search into Google? You might think these businesses are popular on search engine results pages (SERPs) because they offer the best goods and services over their competitors located in the same area. While this might be true in most cases, believe it or not, ranking high on a search engine isn’t as simple as creating and launching a website for your business. One of the best ways to ensure your plastic surgery practice ranks high on SERPs is to increase online traffic to your website by implementing an effective search engine optimization (SEO) strategy, creating a free business profile using Google My Business (GMB) to register your practice on Google Maps, and maintaining your website’s usability consistently.
There used to be a time when you could just pull out your trusty phonebook to look up and find a business that provides the services that you need. As technology continues to advance, the yellow pages have now become obsolete as most people pick up their phones or open their laptops nowadays to access the internet to search for new service providers in their area, and the mass majority of consumers want both quality and convenience from those providers.
If you don’t want your practice to fall behind its local competition, then consider evolving and expanding your business strategy to include a strong SEO that highlights any specialized procedures that your practice offers, along with its physical location. Registering your practice on both Google My Business and Maps signifies to SERPs that it is a legitimate place of business, which will ultimately drive new users directly to your website and increase its visibility online.
If your website doesn’t have a strong online presence that ensures it will always come up at the top of every organic search result relating to your practice, chances are users won’t see it because it will have a lower SERP ranking. When you use Google’s My Business tool in your SEO strategy, you’ll be able to improve your rank by giving your practice its own digital footprint, making it easier for users to find it online. GMB is a free device that allows you to design an individual business profile to list your plastic surgery practice on Google Maps, where you can link important information related to your practice, including its address, phone, and website. All you have to do is make an account. Here are three main ways you can use Google’s business tools to optimize your SERP ranking:
After you’ve created your personalized business profile on GMB, you will need to make sure that your practice’s website is verified with Google. You can do so by logging into your GMB account and following an easy step by step process. When your practice appears at the top of any organic search result with a blue checkmark next to its name, it indicates to users that you own and operate a credible business that people trust. This allows you to manage and update your practice’s online presence, which will help you maintain a steady flow of online traffic to your website while also improving your SERP rank.
As a plastic surgeon, you specialized in your field for a reason. What better way to bring in new patients and set you apart from your major competition than to display those special services and procedures that only your local practice provides. This can be done by writing a detailed business description, inserting backlinks, inbound links, or keywords, and adding interactive visual aids (e.g. photos and videos) that would appear on your GMB business profile. The more information your profile provides, the more likely users will click on your website (which you can track using GMB) to learn more about your practice.
If you’re a seasoned plastic surgeon, then you probably understand how it can often be difficult to attract new clientele to your business. Sure it is possible to rely on more traditional methods like doctor referrals, taking out ads in the paper or on television, and patient word-of-mouth to bring in new clients, but if you want to stay ahead in a modern society you’ll need to slightly change your marketing strategy—and patient reviews are a perfect place to start. Reach out to both your most satisfied patients and the patients you have really good relationships with by email and ask them to write a personalized review for you. These reviews are essential to building a successful online presence for your practice, as they directly affect your five-star SERP ranking, and are displayed right on your GMB business profile for everyone to see.
The best way to enhance your online visibility, as well as establish your authority and credibility as a plastic surgeon, is to verify your practice on both Google Maps and My Business. An SEO strategy focused on optimizing your website based on your practice’s location and online presence will help your website receive a high rank in every organic search result.
If you need help with creating the perfect SEO to boost your plastic surgery practice’s online presence, contact us today to schedule your first consultation. Our team of experts can design an SEO strategy personalized for you, that will lead you down the path towards digital success.