On-page SEO plays a significant role in the success of a page as it helps inform Google that your information is relative to what patients are searching for.
There are many elements to on-page SEO for physician websites: content format, metadata, keyword optimization, and more.
In this post, I’m going to try and simplify a solid on-page SEO strategy that any doctor will be able to incorporate.
Format Content for Patients and Google
“No one can serve two masters…” When it comes to formatting content, you do need to aim in the middle between patients and what Google wants.
The best way to do this is to break up the text in your pages. This helps both the patients and Google scan your content.
Here are three ways to accomplish this.
1. Use H2 Tags
This is a long-proven strategy for on-page SEO. Simply put, this is when you use titles to break up the different sections of content. Not only can you insert keywords into the titles, it makes scanning the content easy for both the Google robots and the patients.
On-page, it will look like this:
Pro Tip: You can also use H3 tags (smaller headings) to subdivide a section further.
You’ll notice I’m using this same strategy on this very post as well.
2. Use Short Paragraphs
If a patient sees a long paragraph, they are much less likely to actually read it. It may sound silly, but they feel instantly overwhelmed and will quickly leave that webpage or even your site, causing your bounce rate to go up. This then sends a negative ranking signal to Google and may cause your site to drop in the rankings.
Because you don’t want to go through all the effort of creating great content to have that happen, it’s best to limit your paragraphs to just 2-3 sentences.
Additionally, this also looks better on mobile devices, which the majority of all patients are now using for health-related searches.
3. Use Bullet Points
Bullet points are very useful for on-page SEO because they allow you as a doctor to summarize information and also draw attention to that information. A reader’s eyes will naturally gravitate to bullet points.
Another helpful strategy can be to have bullet points listed directly above a call to action (CTA), such as a Schedule Appointment button. This draws the patients in and increases the chances of them scheduling an appointment.
It’s not an easy task to create content that ranks well in Google and drives patients to book appointments. But if you follow these steps above, you will be on your way to success.