Are you an allied health practitioner wanting to attract new clients in your local area but unsure where to focus your marketing efforts?
A strong online presence is crucial for reaching potential clients, and that’s where search engine optimisation (SEO) comes into play.
In essence, SEO is the practice of enhancing your website or online content to improve its visibility and ranking in search engine results. The more visible your website becomes, the more organic traffic it attracts and the more people find your practice.
But how can you leverage SEO for a small practice?
You don’t need to be a professional SEO consultant to boost your online rankings, but it will take some time and effort.
In the words of Viola Eva, Founder of Flow, “The reality of SEO is the reality of any endeavour: it will take strategic, consistent, and sufficient efforts to rank well”.
To help you get started, we’ve listed a handful of effective strategies to assist you in harnessing the power of SEO to improve online visibility and grow your health practice.
In this article, we share the following local SEO tips for allied health practices:
- Claim and Improve Your Google Business Profile
- Conduct and Implement Local Keyword Research
- Ensure Consistent NAP Information Across Online Directories
- Start Local Link Building and Citations
- Improve Your Website for Mobile and Local User Experience
Let’s get into it.
Local SEO Strategy #1
Claim & Improve Your Google Business Profile
A great place to start your SEO efforts is to claim and develop your Google Business Profile (GBP).
It’s vital for your practice to have a complete Google Business Profile listing, as it showcases essential information about your practice, such as contact details, opening hours, and reviews, making it easier for potential clients to find and choose your services.
With a professional and up-to-date GBP listing, you can establish trust, attract more local clients, and stay ahead of the competition.
Feeling unsure of how to claim and update your GBP listing? Check out our step-by-step Google Business Profile guide.
Reviews
A handy GBP feature is the customer reviews functionality.
If reviews are appropriate to your type of practice, encourage clients to review your services and make a point of responding to the reviews promptly. Check out our Complete Guide for Managing Google Reviews in Healthcare.
Important note from our Legal Eagles: We know you know this, but we need to say it anyway. The information in this article is general in nature and is not legal advice. The laws, regulations, and professional guidelines relating to the use of reviews and testimonials can vary across jurisdictions, and health professions. If you’re unsure of the rules that apply to you, your professional association is often a good place to start.
Posts
Use Google Business Profile posts to connect with existing and potential clients. With this feature, you can create and promote offers, announcements, and events.
It may sound a bit like social media, but there’s a key difference. GBP engages with people who are actively searching for your services – so lean into that!
Local SEO Strategy #2
Local Keyword Research
This is one of the most effective SEO strategies for driving traffic toward your practice’s website. If you know how to employ this strategy well, it’ll streamline much of your SEO journey.
Step 1: Identify Relevant Local Keywords for Allied Health Practices
When it comes to local keyword research, allied health professionals must identify the keywords that resonate with their local audience.
Hone in on the specific words and phrases people in your area use when searching for healthcare services like yours, and run Google searches using those keywords to determine which ones yield the most results.
Step 2: Incorporate Keywords Naturally into Website Content & Metadata
Once you’ve identified your most popular keywords for local searches, the next step is to incorporate those keywords into your website content and metadata.
What does that look like?
Work keywords into your website copy and blog articles with a high degree of frequency, but make sure that the keywords fit in naturally with the rest of the text.
Remember, the goal is to make your content easy for search engines to understand while maintaining a user-friendly experience.
Step 3: Improve Page Titles, Headings, & URLs for Local Search
An often overlooked part of incorporating keywords into your content is to include well-crafted and keyword-dense titles and headings.
Consider incorporating location-specific keywords into your URLs; this helps search engines and users better understand the local relevance of your content.
Step 4: Use Location-Specific Landing Pages or Service Area Pages
Use location-specific landing pages or service area pages to enhance your local search presence further.
These pages can be designed to target specific locations or areas you serve, allowing you to showcase your expertise in those regions and increase your chances of appearing in relevant local search queries.
You can capture the attention of potential clients in those areas and boost your local SEO efforts by tailoring the content on these pages to address each location’s unique healthcare needs and preferences.
Local SEO Strategy #3
Consistent NAP Information Across Online Directories
NAP stands for “name, address, phone number”.
This may seem obvious but don’t underestimate the importance of maintaining your NAP information across online directories where your health practice is listed.
It signals to search engines that your business is legitimate and trustworthy. Inconsistent or outdated NAP citations can confuse both search engines and clients, leading to missed opportunities and a negative impact on your local SEO efforts.
Conduct regular audits of your online NAP citations and correct any discrepancies or outdated information.
This also applies to online reviews.
Managing online reviews across different platforms is also part of maintaining consistent NAP information. Encourage your clients to leave reviews (if appropriate for your practice) and promptly respond to any feedback. Monitor reviews across various platforms, including social media, review sites and healthcare-specific directories.
Local SEO Strategy #4
Local Link-Building & Citations
Local link-building and citations play a crucial role in local SEO strategy for allied health practice as it improves your visibility and authority in local search results.
Basically, local link building is the process of building contextually and/or locally relevant links to a business website.
Backlinks act as votes of confidence for search engines, indicating that your practice is trusted and valuable within the local context. This helps to build professional alliances and drive traffic to your site, which will help your website rank more highly.
Seek out opportunities for collaboration and community outreach, such as partnering with local businesses, non-profits or participating in local events. By engaging in these activities, you can naturally generate link opportunities while strengthening your ties with the local community.
What about citations?
Ensure that your practice is listed accurately and consistently across directories, making it easy for potential clients to find and contact you. Citations consist of your practice’s NAP information and other relevant details.
Monitoring and managing online mentions and references is another critical aspect of local link-building and citations.
Keep an eye out for any mentions of your practice on the web, including mentions on websites, blogs and social media. Look for outdated information or incorrect details, such as an old address or phone number, and contact the respective sources to provide updated information.
Local SEO Strategy #5
Improve Your Website for Mobile & Local User Experience
This local SEO strategy is crucial in today’s digital landscape.
Start by ensuring your website has a responsive and mobile-friendly design, allowing users to access your content seamlessly across different devices. It’s also a good idea to optimise website loading speed to reduce bounce rates.
Implement clear and concise call-to-action (CTA) buttons, such as “Book Appointment” that can link directly to your practice’s Zanda Client Portal.
Include location-specific information and maps on your website to facilitate easy navigation for local visitors. By providing clear directions and making it simple for users to find your practice, you enhance the local user experience.
Pro Tip:
Software like LocalFalcon allows you to track and monitor your local rankings for key terms in search results across a geographic grid. This provides valuable insights into how you’re performing in local searches, which can help to inform your local SEO strategies.
Implementing these 5 local SEO tips for allied health practices can help to enhance your online visibility and success.
By claiming and optimising your Google Business Profile, conducting local keyword research and optimisation, ensuring consistent NAP information across online directories, engaging in local link building and citations, and optimising your website for mobile and local user experience, you can attract more local clients and establish your practice as a trusted and authoritative resource in your area.
Start implementing these strategies today and watch your practice thrive online.