When you want to find information on the internet, where do you go? Most people turn to a search engine like Google, Bing, or up-and-comers like DuckDuckGo.
Search engines are websites that allow users to type in keywords and phrases related to what they are looking for and then return results from across the internet. But how do these search engines work?
In this blog post, I will discuss the basics of how search engines crawl and index websites and how physician websites are ranked in search engine results pages.
Why this is important for doctors to know
For doctors, it’s important to know that 81% of patients perform an online search before scheduling an appointment. This means that if your website is not optimized for search engines, you could be missing out on a lot of potential patients.
How does Google crawl and index websites?
Google uses a program called Googlebot to crawl and index websites. Googlebot is a software that follows links and visits websites. As it crawls the web, it builds an index of all the words it finds on each website.
How does Bing crawl and index websites?
Bing also has a program that crawls and indexes websites called Bingbot. Similar to Googlebot, Bingbot follows links and visits websites. It also builds an index of all the words it finds on each website.
However, they recently began moving to a new open protocol called IndexNow, which is pretty exciting. I’ve written previously on it here.
What factors influence how a website is ranked in search results?
There are many factors that influence how a website is ranked in search engine results pages (SERPs). Some of these factors include the quality of the website’s content, the number of inbound links to the website, and the website’s loading speed.
How can you get a page indexed faster?
If you want to get a page indexed faster, there are a few things you can do. First, make sure that your website is well-linked. Second, submit your website to search engine directories like Google My Business and Bing Places. Finally, create a sitemap and submit it to search engines. Fourth, take advantage of IndexNow. If you use WordPress, Microsoft even created a plugin that you can use to make it easier.
How can you optimize your website for better visibility in search engine results pages?
There are many ways you can optimize your website for better visibility in SERPs. Some of these include creating keyword-rich content, optimizing your website’s title and meta tags, and creating backlinks to your website.
If you follow these tips, you should see an improvement in your website’s visibility in search engine results pages. However, it’s important to note that SEO is an ongoing process – it’s not something you can do once and then forget about. In order to maintain your website’s ranking, you need to continuously monitor your SEO and make sure that you are making changes as needed.
I hope this blog post has given you a better understanding of how search engines work so that, as a doctor, you can take this information and implement it into building your personal brand.