Like it or not, Google’s algorithms have a massive impact on your business. SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, is the art of getting your page to rise in the rankings. What does good SEO for plastic surgeons look like, and how can you get it? Today, Crystal Clear Digital Marketing shares four powerful ways to improve your SEO.
4 Ways to Get the Best SEO for Plastic Surgeons
SEO for plastic surgeons is actually easier than it is for other medical professions. Inherently, people are eager to show off the product of your work as a plastic surgeon. Where and how they highlight your work is key to getting the highest search rating possible. While each of these ideas will help your site’s ranking, combining them is the key to a successful SEO strategy.
1. Your Website
Your SEO begins with your website. A poorly formatted website will not rank well. Using any modern website builder or platform such as WordPress will prevent any technical issues from hindering your site. But your content also matters.
Product Pages
For each service that you offer, there should be a corresponding page. This way, when someone searches for that specific service, there’s a page for Google to suggest. Each page you add to your site increases the possibility of people finding your practice.
If you have a blog attached to your site, you can also address the various questions or concerns that people may have with a particular procedure or treatment. For example, people often search for the recovery time for a surgery. If you have a page about that, then people might get their information from you.
People are also more likely to share a page when it deals with a specific need. Having specific product pages leads to more shares and clicks. That, in turn, tells Google to list your site higher.
Accurate Information
Avoid clickbait titles and over-promising. When you give accurate information, there is a greater chance that Google will use your page’s text for its quick answer feature. When you ask a question and Google immediately provides an answer, it takes this information from a site it trusts.
It’s also extremely important for your website to contain up-to-date contact information and business hours. If not, you’re going to miss out on major local SEO opportunities.
2. Local SEO
If you do not have a Google My Business account set up, you absolutely must. Local SEO has become more important than ever before. Not only do you want to be the first option when people search “plastic surgeon”, but you also need to be number one in your area.
Local SEO searches include the phrases “near me” or specific town or city names. People often make these searches on their phones or when driving on Google Maps. Google will present two or three “top options” for local searches, and getting on that list can make or break a business.
You can use SEO tools like Georanker to see how well you rank with specific area terms. If you aren’t the highest-ranking option in your area, there are some things you can do to improve your local SEO.
Business Details
Local SEO for plastic surgeons demands accurate business details. Office address, phone number, operating hours, and photos are all mandatory. Listings with photos are far more likely to be put in Google’s top 3 local recommendations.
If you have multiple offices or locations, be sure that each one is registered with Google. This is especially important if you’ve recently expanded or if you have moved.
Localized Pages
You can improve local SEO by going to your website and adding pages that use the keywords of your local area. Whether it’s your town or county name, creating a page with this keyword will help your business’s search ranking. You can talk about the community or how your business is filling a crucial need in the area.
3. Social Media
Another way you can improve your search ranking is to put social media to work for you. One of the biggest factors in raising your website’s ranking is to get links to it from other sites. Links to your site create traffic. When traffic increases, Google takes notice.
Your business should have accounts on all the major social media platforms. But how do you use them to enhance your SEO for plastic surgeons?
Social Media Suggestions
Use Twitter to communicate tidbits of information and share links that you find interesting. It can also be a helpful customer service tool. Get the front desk to keep it open at all times and respond to clients quickly.
While Facebook’s market share has declined among younger people, the primary demographic for plastic surgeons still use it fervently. You absolutely need to keep your Facebook page up to date with periodic posts and photo uploads.
Paying for Visibility
You can always pay social media sites to promote your pages or pump a particular post. The investment is minimal, but the effect it produces can linger for several weeks or months. Think of it as the spark that gets the motor turning.
The same goes for Google. If you are having trouble getting your page ranking up, consider a short marketing run where you pay for that top ad spot. Being seen for a while will make your name stick in the minds of your potential clients.
Using Instagram
When it comes to SEO for plastic surgeons, Instagram may very well be one of your best tools. Encourage your clients to post before and after pictures and to mention your office. Get permission to use their photos in your own posts as well.
Offer discounts and special offers to those who sign off on social media promotion. Court people in your area with large follower counts. Getting a mention from a powerful influencer can have your phone ringing off the hook and your inbox overflowing.
4. Reviews
The fourth cornerstone of good SEO for plastic surgeons is directly related to the service you provide. Your service must be top-notch for reviews to be effective, but it should already be top-notch if you intend to stay in business for long.
Nevertheless, great service means nothing if no one knows about it. Reviews, especially for surgeons, are unfathomably crucial to your success.
Why Reviews Matter More in Plastic Surgery
Plastic surgery, unlike most forms of surgery, is often elective. It also tends to be done for aesthetic purposes. This drastically changes how people search for a plastic surgeon.
When you break your leg, you don’t pull up your phone and look for a review of the best trauma surgeon. You call an ambulance and head to a hospital, happy to get treated. That simply isn’t the reality for plastic surgeons.
Your potential clients are going to read every review and compare numerous practices before making their first call or consultation. If you do not have reviews from actual patients about your services, few people are going to trust you.
How to Get More Reviews
Start by making sure you have an active account on popular review platforms like Yelp. Your details there need to be up to date and match those on your website. Crystal Clear can even suggest platforms you might not have heard of!
Although Google can pull up Yelp ratings, it prefers to use its own measurements. A business with more Google reviews can get a higher local ranking than others. Encourage your clients to leave reviews on Google Maps.
Remember to Remind
While you can certainly create incentives for your customers to leave reviews, often a simple “please” is enough to get people to do it. Text and email reminders can also be quite useful. Just consider how Amazon sends you that reminder email about a week after you receive your order.
Make your reminders personal, not just boilerplate copy and paste emails. When your customers feel that you value their honest opinion, they are more likely to leave a positive review.
Making Your Ranking Rise
These are just some of the ways that you can improve your SEO and increase your visibility to potential clients. The key to raising your search ranking is a thorough plan of action that incorporates all of these ideas and more. You need meaningful, engaging content and people to manage it for you.
But what if you aren’t the most tech-savvy person in the world. Does social media drive you mad? You run a business, and that’s what you should be focusing on.
Make Your Practice Stand Out
If you’d rather leave SEO, social media, and content up to the professionals, then call Crystal Clear Digital Marketing today. Not only can we optimize your website and improve your search ranking, but we can also streamline several aspects of your business. Our proprietary software and tailored marketing practices for practitioners of all types are sure to deliver results. Contact us and see what Crystal Clear can do for you.
