9 Techniques To Boost Local Visibility for Multilocation Healthcare Businesses
The healthcare industry is among the most significant contributors to the US economy. Hospitals and medical clinics maintain a consistent inflow of patients, irrespective of the state of the economy. It’s no wonder many businesses choose to operate their medical facilities and offer healthcare services in various locations.
Having multiple locations amplifies the need for strategic local marketing to attract patients and drive engagement for each facility individually.
With over 900,000 healthcare entities across the US, it’s crucial to differentiate your practice to attract new patients and increase revenue streams. Utilizing potent digital marketing techniques is an excellent approach for broadening your outreach and scaling your healthcare practice.
How To Boost Your Healthcare Business’ Local Visibility
You must employ a multifaceted strategy to optimize local visibility for your multilocation healthcare business. Below are some effective techniques that can dramatically improve how your business is perceived and found in local searches:
1. Optimize your Google My Business (GMB) listings
Google My Business (GMB) is considered the cornerstone of local SEO efforts, serving as the digital storefront of your healthcare facility. With its help, you can manage how your business information appears across Google, including Search and Maps. It’s an essential tool for any healthcare business aiming to boost local visibility.
Each location must have its own GMB listing. This allows you to target local audiences more effectively and ensures patients find the correct information for the location nearest to them. Make sure all the information presented is accurate and current.
Ensure your address matches precisely with the address listed on your official website. Provide a phone number to make it easy for patients to contact you. Also, indicate when your facilities are open, and make updates for holidays or special occasions as needed.
To further enrich your GMB profile, regularly update it with high-quality photos and bios of your facility, staff, and any special equipment or services you offer.
2. Develop location-specific landing pages
A professional website is essential for any business, especially in the healthcare industry, where trust and credibility are paramount. Healthcare is a highly sensitive and personal issue. People generally prefer facilities they know and trust, and one of the most effective ways to build that trust is to maintain a strong local presence.
Individual landing pages for each healthcare business location can offer unparalleled advantages in your local SEO strategy. A well-optimized, location-specific landing page acts as a mini-website for that particular location. These pages should provide all the necessary information a patient may need to choose your facility.
Additionally, it signals to search engines that you provide services in a specific geographic area, improving your local search rankings.
Consider incorporating location-specific keywords naturally within the content to make the most of your landing page. For example, your healthcare facility is in New York. Keyphrases like “best pediatric care in NY” or “New York emergency services” can help you rank higher in local search results.
You can also include a Google Map widget that marks the specific location, making it easier for patients to find you.
3. Leverage local keywords
Local keywords are incredibly important for any business looking to improve its local SEO. They are especially crucial in the healthcare industry, where the choice of a facility can be a pressing, immediate need. Local keywords signal to search engines that your healthcare facility is relevant to people searching for medical services in your area.
Identify the terms your audience will most likely use when searching for healthcare services. Use tools to find high-value local keywords. Examples might include “urgent care in [your city],” “[your specialty] doctor near me,” or “[specific treatment] in [your neighborhood].”
Once you have a list of potential local keywords, the next step is integrating them organically into your online content. Incorporate local keywords in the text describing the services offered at each location. Make sure the integration is natural and contextually relevant.
While it’s essential to include local keywords, it’s equally important not to stuff them unnaturally into your content. Search engines are sophisticated enough to identify keyword stuffing and may penalize your webpage for it. Integrate these keywords in a way that adds value to the reader and feels organic within the page’s context.
4. Implement schema markup
Schema markup provides search engines with contextual information about your business, making it easier for them to display relevant data in search results. Use it to specify essential details like business name, address, phone number, and working hours for each location.
5. Encourage online reviews
Online reviews are the modern word-of-mouth and can significantly impact your healthcare practice’s reputation. Encourage satisfied patients to leave feedback on your GMB listings. The more positive reviews you have, the higher you’ll appear in local search results, leading to increased visibility and credibility.
How important are reviews for building patient relationships?
A significant 34.7 percent of patients consider their doctors’ online reputation extremely important, a proportion higher than in any other field. Additionally, nearly 60 percent of patients have chosen a doctor due to favorable online reviews.
After a patient’s appointment, send a follow-up email thanking them for their visit and gently encourage them to leave a review.
Use in-office signage to remind patients that their feedback is valued and that they can share their experiences online.
6. Create localized content
Generate content that speaks directly to local healthcare issues or news. Whether it’s a blog post about a health fair in the area or a guide to seasonal allergies specific to your location, such targeted content will boost your local visibility and authority.
7. Engage in social media
Social media serves multiple functions in the healthcare sector, with several innovative applications. These include advancing medical research and healthcare practices and fostering community engagement for health-related causes. You can also use social media to facilitate offline healthcare services and events.
Your local clinic can share valuable content, respond to inquiries, and build relationships with followers. These strategies will help foster a sense of community and trust around your healthcare brand.
8. Invest in online advertising
While you should focus on local SEO to boost long-term local visibility, investing in ads provides immediate results. They’re great when you’re promoting a new service or product.
Google Ads and Facebook Ads offer robust geotargeting features. You can narrow your audience to a specific locale, ensuring your ads are shown only to potential patients in your service areas.
9. Partner with local businesses
Community outreach via partnerships with local businesses can significantly boost your local visibility. Participate in health fairs, sponsor local events, or offer free health check-ups in partnership with local organizations.
Improve Local Visibility
Healthcare businesses with multiple locations can significantly boost their local visibility by adopting these techniques. Each tip offers a unique advantage in capturing local audiences, so a multifaceted approach is crucial. Incorporate these best practices to ensure each location shines in its own right.
