A plastic surgeon needs an online presence to thrive in the digital age. With many patients finding doctors through the internet, a plastic surgeon must ensure potential future patients can discover them online.
A local search engine optimization (SEO) strategy can help in this capacity. With local SEO, plastic surgeons can attract online traffic from parts of the world their future patients might reside in.
What is Local SEO?
When users perform searches on Google (or other search engines), Google’s algorithm delivers results that hopefully align with a user’s intentions.
Ranking high in search results is important for a website. According to Forbes, 71 percent of Google search results clicks happen on the first page of results.
SEO involves optimizing various factors to boost a page’s chances of ranking high when users perform relevant searches. Local SEO specifically focuses on ranking high when users perform searches related to specific geographic areas.
How Plastic Surgeons Can Benefit from Local SEO
Plastic surgeons can only treat patients in their regions. Thus, a local SEO strategy can play a major role in a plastic surgeon’s success. Specific advantages local SEO offers to plastic surgeons include:
Optimizing Marketing Spending
An SEO strategy that drives a lot of traffic to a website isn’t necessarily a successful strategy in all situations. For a local business, online traffic is only valuable if it comes from local sources. A plastic surgeon in New York doesn’t benefit much from a lot of online traffic if most of the people visiting their website live elsewhere.
Prioritizing local SEO involves targeting an audience consisting of users who may actually become paying customers. With a local SEO strategy, a plastic surgeon can spend money on marketing strategies that can potentially result in profits.
Forging a Connection With Patients
One element of a local SEO strategy may involve adding local references to online content. Even a plastic surgeon’s blog could cover stories unrelated to the topic of plastic surgery from time to time. For example, a plastic surgeon might also cover other heath and beauty events in their area.
If a plastic surgeon’s online content has a local slant, it may resonate more with potential patients. It’s easy to understand why a patient may prefer seeking treatment from a plastic surgeon who feels like a neighbor.
Improving Reputation
Improving online reviews is another potential benefit of a local SEO strategy. Quite simply, part of a local SEO strategy can involve urging happy patients to leave positive reviews across various platforms. The more positive reviews a plastic surgeon has, the easier it will be for them to attract more patients.
Local SEO: The Importance of Trusting the Process
Be aware that even a strong SEO strategy doesn’t necessarily deliver results overnight. When implementing a local SEO strategy, don’t assume you’ll see immediate changes in your online traffic.
SEO is a marathon, not a sprint. What’s most important is taking advantage of it now. With a local SEO strategy in place, a plastic surgeon can be confident their online presence is helping them succeed.
Main Street ROI offers local SEO services to plastic surgeons and various other local professionals and businesses.
