Keywords are words and (more often) phrases that people use when conducting searches on Google and other search engines. The foundation of SEO campaigns is keyword selection, so many people ask: Why are keywords so important for your medical website? Well, to have a solid healthcare SEO foundation, you need to be able to be found by new patients..and constantly! To do that, you'll want your medical website to rank highly (i.e on the first page) in search results. Which means you need to put serious effort into your SEO plan which includes researching and choosing the best SEO keywords for your medical website.

But we're getting a head of ourselves here. The importance of keywords to SEO is huge on several fronts and choosing the best SEO keywords is a whole process in itself. So to help you out we broke down how to choose the best SEO keywords for your website in this blog. Let's take a look! 

What is keyword research?

Keyword research and selection is a crucial component of every SEO strategy. It’s where you have to come up with an extensive list of keywords that you would like your medical website to rank for. 

To obtain such a list there are 3 basic steps. 

• First: Website owners need to dig into their target audience and search engines. 

• Second: You'll need to research what search terms your prospective patients will type into Google when they're looking for a particular product or service in your niche. 

• Third: Write down what you've found and then use this list as a basis to create content that will attract more high-quality traffic to your  website. From there, you can choose the best SEO keywords for your medical website.

Keyword research is never finished: repeating it regularly is essential to keeping your SEO and website strategy up-to-date, and ensures that you're ranking high over your competitors. If you need help with any of this, Modfxmedia is a premier medical marketing agency that can help take the stress away! 

Why you should be thoughtful when choosing the best SEO keywords for your medical website.

1. To rank highly in search engines

SEO for medical takes work! More than half (61 percent) of marketers cite improving SEO and growing their organic presence — i.e., search results based on keyword relevance — as their top inbound marketing strategy according to HubSpot.

Chances are when you conduct a Google search, you don’t look past results on the first page. Well, prospective patients take the same approach when looking for a provider. So if your practice does not rank high enough, they’ll never even come across your website.

2. To properly market your practice

You can’t expect your medical practice to show up in search results for terms not included in your healthcare SEO strategy. Therefore, it’s important to really think about what you want your practice to be known for and choose your SEO keywords accordingly.

Keywords do not need to perfectly align with search terms — i.e., [cosmetic dentistry jacksonville, fl] — in order to rank. Focus on readability. As long as they include where you’re located, what you treat, and what makes your practice unique, you’re golden!

3. To attract your target patient base

The keywords you choose are going to be what draws prospective patients to your doctor website. When a prospective patient needs a provider who offers certain services in their area, there’s a good chance they’re going to get online and search for someone. To get those prospective patients you'll want to tailor your selections to fit your ideal audience- that way your practice appears in their search results. 

Questions doctors should to ask themselves when choosing their SEO keywords 

To dig a little more into "how" to research and choose the best SEO keywords for your medical practice, here's some questions you should be asking yourself. 

Hint: Don't think like a business owner, think like a prospective patient!

Which services are most performed or requested?

Your patients should always come first, and that includes when you're optimizing your practice website. Think about the symptoms, conditions, and needs of those who seek your care, and use this to create a robust healthcare SEO strategy.

Choose keywords that fit these syntactic formats:

I do/perform ____.

I provide _____ service(s).

I treat _______ symptom(s).

Your practice will be displayed to patients searching for these keywords, related keywords, or questions containing these keywords, making prospective patients more likely to find and contact you over your competitors.

Which services are most profitable?

As a doctor, your goal is to help people, but your practice is also a business that needs to remain profitable to stay open. Keep this in mind when choosing your target SEO keywords for your website for doctor services.

From a business standpoint, it makes sense to dedicate extra space on your website to services that add the most to your bottom line. When searching online for providers, prospective patients seeking these services will come across your practice and are likely to reach out to make an appointment.

Which services do you want your practice to be known for?

You provide a myriad of services, but a select few are the cornerstone of your practice. Choosing the right healthcare SEO terms will help patients seeking these services and search engines find you.

Before selecting keywords for your SEO strategy, think long and hard about the niche you aim to carve out. When you’ve decided on your SEO strategy and the direction you’d like to take your practice, you’ll be equipped to choose keywords that support your mission.

Need help carving out a robust SEO strategy for your medical practice? Reach out to ModFXMedia for a quote! 

Are your healthcare SEO terms patient-friendly?

After spending years in the medical field, you use clinical terms in conversation without thinking twice. The problem is, most patients don’t speak doctor lingo.

Remember this when choosing SEO keywords for your website, because complex terms probably won’t get you much traffic. For example, patients are more likely to search for [high blood pressure] than [hypertension].

Of course, some patients are more informed than others. If your target patient base is familiar with high-level medical terms, it’s perfectly fine to incorporate them into your keyword strategy.

Final thoughts

Everyone strives to be at the top of any search result, and though SEO, and the right keywords will definitely help to establish your ranking, it is not a set-it-and-forget-it situation. Constant attention to your audience, refreshment of your content, and the implementation of some established technical guidelines are the only way to increase your visibility and rank high. That's why you need to work with professionals instead of trying to do all this yourself!

If you don’t have the time or expertise to handle this initiative on your own, consider working with external healthcare SEO experts at Modfxmedia. We have a proven track record of elevating doctor websites in search results and helping them smoke their competition!

We provide SEO solutions for businesses wanting to expand their online presence, increase leads and grow their revenue. So when you're ready to work with an agency who has the very best search marketers using the most cutting edge techniques and technology, then schedule your FREE strategy call with us by clicking here or call us directly at (904)673-7587.

From carefully selected keywords, to on page and off page SEO, content creation, and everything in between, ModFXMedia has got what you need! 

While you’re here check out another one of our blogs about "How Hiring A Medical Marketing Agency Can Help Your Practice".

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