Search Engine Optimization for
Gastroenterology Practices
How incorporating a strategic SEO campaign can take you to the next level.
Summary
SEO for gastroenterology practices involves optimizing your website to rank highly for search terms that match the treatments and procedures you specialize in.
Google, Bing, and the other search engines have a singular goal — to accurately answer the searcher’s request in as little time as possible. The algorithms that drive these engines weigh various factors to determine if your website is relevant to the query, is trustworthy, and if it deserves a high ranking in organic search returns.
Gastroenterology SEO Basics
Effort Meter
Your Available Options At-a-Glance
- Generating New Patients: Very Effective
- Do It Yourself: Very Difficult
- Typical Cost: $500 - $3,500/month
MyAdvice has been executing successful SEO campaigns for over 20 years, continually adapting to changes in the market and Google’s algorithms. We have proven solutions and a veteran team ready to recommend strategies that will help your practice become more successful online and offline. Â
Did You Know ... ?
75% of internet users never scroll past the first page of search engines
Source: HubSpot
Components of a Successful SEO Strategy
Content Optimization
Is your site an educational resource for prospective clients?
We ask that all of our clients, no matter the field, provide us with original content on your treatments and procedures. We then take this content and optimize it to move your practice up on the search returns. If you don’t know where to start, we recommend writing down your top 5 procedures, answer the top 5 frequently asked common questions your patients ask and the top 3 benefits for each procedure.
Content optimization is a continuous process of analyzing and adjusting the content on your website to expand your reach and improve the user experience. Keywords, a variety of media types, and organized website code are just a few factors that Google looks at while analyzing website content. There are many other components to content optimization, such as keyword research, proper HTML coding, URL structure, image file names, and outbound/inbound linking.
It can be daunting, but MyAdvice’s Power Suite products provide you with tools to help with content optimization. Depending on your package level, data is regularly collected from content audits and turned into helpful insights to develop your content strategy. This allows you to always have a plan of action to improve your SEO efforts.Â
Google is constantly evaluating and reviewing the websites that appear within search queries. Once your site has been evaluated, it then highlights the relevant content for particular searches so that it can measure the degree of relevance and value by looking at how long a user stays on your site and engages with your content. The longer they stay on a page, the more relevant that page appears, and the higher you will rank for those search terms. This also increases the overall likelihood of converting those visitors into leads.
Slice of Advice
Not sure what content to add to your site? Think about Frequently Asked Questions, benefits of your product or service, what to expect, testimonials, videos, and photos.
Link Building
Strong, relevant content is just one aspect of a successful SEO campaign. Your site also needs a way to signal to search engines that you are a trustworthy source of information. You can accomplish this through effective link building - the process of getting other websites to link back to your website.
High-quality content and link building are the two most important signals used by Google to rank your website for search.
Keep in mind that these links should be high-quality and naturally obtained.Â
Here’s a helpful checklist when determining the quality of an inbound link:Â
Domain authority
How authoritative is the site that links to you?
Coding of the link
Does the HTML code of the link tell Google that the site trusts you?
Subject relevance
How relevant is the site to your market/specialty?
Spam score
How trustworthy is the site that links to you?
Anchor text
In what way is your site mentioned, and where on the website does the link appear?
A good rule of thumb is if a user would benefit from the link, and the site that links to you is well-liked, then it’s a high-value link.
Link building can be extremely time-consuming and cause unnecessary headaches. We understand this and offer a solution. Depending on the level of your package, we will perform link building efforts for a certain amount of time every month. These efforts ensure relevant and trustworthy links back to your site.
Did You Know ... ?
74% of consumers trust a local business with reviews that are positive.
Source: Bright Local
Reviews
Online reviews have become a crucial factor in the gastroenterology sales funnel.
Reviews are often the first impression a potential patient has with your practice.Â
While reviews are helpful for potential patients, the quantity and frequency of reviews of your business can also affect your online visibility. Having a profile with a lot of consistent reviews shows Google that your practice is popular and frequented often, which is rewarded by making you more visible in search results.
You need positive reviews to convert website users to patients. This is a typical patients’ first impression of your practice. You can respond to reviews and generate reviews from patients for free.
Generating and responding to reviews needs to be a standardized routine in your gastroenterology practice’s front office. Many practices have realized how challenging it is to be vigilant enough to know when a new review comes in and requesting reviews is difficult without a clear process.
MyAdvice’s complete Review Power platform eliminates this difficulty by allowing you to request reviews from patients that visit your office with ease, notifies you of any new reviews, and helps you quickly respond to comments. Having all of this in one dashboard creates a streamlined process of managing your online reputation.
Did You Know ... ?
68% of consumers would stop using a local business due to incorrect information in online directories.
Source: BrightLocal
Local Directory Listings
Local business directory listings are another way to improve your online visibility.
These establish your authority, meaning you appear in more searches and therefore getting found more often. Not only that, but these directories provide additional links to your website
These directories serve as resources to connect gastroenterology practices with potential patients.
Whether your business is listed on maps, apps, search engines, directories, or social networks, you need to ensure your practice’s information is accurate and consistent everywhere.
MyAdvice’s software is designed to ensure all of your business data is correct across all directories.
