Top 5 Reasons Why Healthcare Professionals Need SEO

Nov. 24, 2009 - PRLog -- Sure your practice has a web site. But is it working for you, bringing you new patients? How does it rank on the search engines like Google? If your site doesn’t appear within the first two pages of the search engine results, prospective patients may never come across it. But they will find your competition. So how can you thrust your web site to the top……..with search engine optimization (SEO)!

SEO is the process of modifying various components of your website to improve its ranking on the major search engines like Google, Yahoo and Bing. Yes, you can purchase a sponsored listing (Pay-Per-Click) to appear in the search results, but first you want to take a look at the factors that can improve your “organic” or natural search engine ranking.

Still not sure whether your healthcare practice needs SEO? Consider these five compelling reasons:

1. Website Traffic - At one time, you could build a website and visitors would come. But the Internet has become far too competitive for that. Your website still has to impress prospective patients, but first it must appeal to the search engines.

Studies show that 91% of search engine users don’t click past the first page of search results. Your own experience using search engines probably confirms this. So if your site isn’t one of the top 10 for its main keywords, it might as well be invisible.

85 percent of all clicks resulting from a search go towards the organic or natural listings with the remainder towards paid ads (Pay-Per-Click ads).

SEO will help improve your ranking on search engines. As soon as your website hits page one or page two, you’ll see an increase in qualified web traffic, and new patients are sure to follow.

2. Qualified Leads – Someone who finds you through an online search is specifically looking for your services. You see, SEO doesn’t just bring more traffic; it delivers visitors with a genuine interest in what you have to offer.

These prospects are qualified leads, and without SEO, there’s a good chance they wouldn’t have found your practice.

3. Higher Returns on Your Marketing Dollars – Where are you spending most of your practice’s marketing budget these days? Yellow Pages?  Ads in your local newspaper? Direct mail?

Sure those are viable marketing methods, but they’re all based on the premise that prospects will see your name and remember it should they ever have a need for your services.

By contrast, a well-ranked website is working for you 24/7. No matter when someone needs your services, they can go to a search engine like Google and find you.

Additionally, SEO costs less than those other forms of advertising, and it lasts a lot longer too. That newspaper or magazine with your ad may now be sitting in the recycle bin, but your optimized website is still at the top of the rankings, telling prospective patients about your leading practice.

Once you’ve successfully optimized a keyword phrase, it can remain in the top 10 search results for months, sometimes years, continually delivering qualified traffic to your site.

4. Build Your Brand - SEO gives you a chance to differentiate your practice from others and become a leader in your niche. Perhaps your Miami practice specializes in “cosmetic surgery”. SEO can help you stand out in this field so that when someone searches for a “Miami cosmetic surgeon,” your practice is the one that appears on top of the search results.

In fact, you may even be able to grow your practice beyond local boundaries. If you have a truly unique niche, you can use SEO to gain ranking and attract patients from all over the country and the world.

5. Referral Power – Think of a search engine as an excellent third-party referral. If you website appears in the top 10 “natural” search results of Google, your practice will be perceived as a trusted resource. It’s instant visibility and credibility. And it provides exposure to potential patients, reporters seeking someone to interview, quality vendors and other professionals who could become referral sources for your practice.

Search engine traffic can make (or break) your healthcare practice. But the online marketplace for healthcare services is crowded. Healthcare Professional’s websites must compete aggressively to attract attention.

The good news is that SEO can make a powerful and measurable difference. It’s surprisingly affordable and yet can provide more exposure than any other form of marketing. So what are you waiting for? The faster you implement SEO, the sooner new clients will be stopping at your door.

Whether your goal is to increase your number of patients or to sell healthcare products, SearchXcel a leading SEO firm will design an SEO campaign that fits your budget and drive qualified visitors to your site that will help your business succeed.

Want to know how your practice’s website measures up? Let our team of SEO professionals review and analyze your website at no charge, and we'll create a detailed proposal with advice on how to enhance your search engine presence and overall web exposure.  Contact SearchXcel today for a Free Ranking Report! (877) 400-0252, info@searchXcel.com

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SearchXCEL is a leading edge Search Engine Optimization (SEO) firm headquartered in Florida with offices in California, offering expert SEO services to clients of all sizes in the United States and throughout the world.