Googled Your Clinic Lately? Not Where You’d Like To Be?
It’s no secret that ranking at the top of Google is the best way to get New Patients online.
But, you don’t have to be an SEO expert to improve your rank!
5 Hacks To Put Your Practice At The Top Of Google & On The Map:
(infographic at the bottom)
1. Make A Google My Business Account (today!)
You are a local business.
Therefore, Google MyBusiness is the key to people finding you in their geographic location. How your online profile is setup determines what information is showing on Google Maps & certain local searches.
Having an up-to-date, full profile on Google My Business can land you ABOVE articles & other search results:
Google MyBusiness Best Practices:
- Include plenty of pictures of your clinic & update these regularly.
- Include business hours & contact information.
- Fill out long descriptions which include conditions you treat.
- List many services such as back pain, shoulder pain, physical therapy, and any specializations such as laser or aquatic therapy.
- Make sure each of your locations has a full profile.
- Make sure you are in as many relevant categories as possible
2. Add An F.A.Q Section & Steal Google’s Questions (here’s how:)
Google’s #1 goal is to answer people’s questions.
So, if you answer people’s questions Google will favor you.
A variety of new features now display snippets of questions & answers right on the search page – and they pull that information from website text! Including an FAQ section makes your page more likely to appear higher or in featured snippets.
Need FAQ ideas? Search for terms such as “physical therapy [your city]” or “what is physical therapy?” then find the PEOPLE ALSO ASK section:
Then, include these questions on your webpage with 1-2 paragraph answers.
3. Leverage YELP, Facebook, Bing, & Apple Maps (and about 100 others…)
In addition to your website, you need to think about how your practice appears on local business listings such as Yelp, Waze, Apple Maps, and many more business listings.
In this search, Yelp made up 2 of the top 5 results:
Improving your Yelp & other listing profiles can get you on the first page of Google faster than typical SEO work (which can take 6-12 months).
Note: There are 100’s of apps and websites similar to Yelp. Appear on as many as possible for best results or using a “Listing Distribution Tool” to manage all of them from one place.
Here’s an example:
4. Build Trust in Your Practice By Generating NEW Reviews (& always reply!)
Reviews, like bread, go stale.
In fact, 77% of users don’t trust reviews older than three months.
What’s more, data shows Google reviews with replies are the 2nd or 3rd most important factor in local rankings! Your practice needs to generate reviews regularly, and reply to them personally.
PRO TIP: Train your patients on what to say. Reviews & replies that include keywords like “physical therapy” or “back pain” are the most valuable!
5. Stop Focusing On Being #1 For “Physical Therapy” Searches (exclusively)
Yep. I said it.
Nationally, as little as 20% of potential patients actually search for the term “physical therapy.”
And if they do, it probably means they already know they need it.
What does that mean?
It means this will be the hardest keyword for you to beat competitors on, AND you can reach a much bigger audience by ranking for terms such as back pain, shoulder pain, sciatica pain tips:
These are the things most people search for because it’s how they feel! Most people don’t know what PTs do, but if you attract people to your website based on what they feel, you can then explain how PT helps those things. In addition, there will be much less competition for these terms making it easier for you to stand out.
The best way to rank for these additional keywords is having condition-specific pages on your website, in your menus, and by blogging regularly about these topics.
Why Google Rank = New Patients
Getting to the top of Google is vital for being Discovered Online, and Building Trust (the first 2 steps of the Ultimate PT Marketing Funnel™). Use these strategies to get there faster, or schedule a consult with our experts to learn more!
Download The 5 Google Hacks Infographic:
