Nearly 70% of all digital traffic starts with a local or organic search. Today, search engines drive 300% more organic traffic to websites than social media marketing. With search engine optimization (SEO), you can direct more people to your optometry practice.
Not sure if you want to invest in SEO for optometrists to boost your online presence? Read on to discover why SEO matters, and how you can leverage it to grow your practice!
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Why It Matters
If your optometry practice’s website doesn’t appear on a search engine result page (SERP), patients won’t find your practice. They’ll find other practices on the first page of results instead.
Developing a strong SEO marketing strategy can help you build your online presence. More people will find your practice online, leading to the below benefits!
Build Your Online Presence
Your brand will need to appear in front of someone multiple times before they become aware of your business. With SEO marketing, you can appear in search results for a range of keywords. Each appearance will allow brand awareness to grow.
With local SEO, you can optimize your Google Business profile to appear in front of patients. Your Google Business profile will take up prominent space on SERPs. More people will begin discovering your practice.
Over time, brand recognition will grow, allowing you to linger in the patient’s mind. When they need an optometrist in the future, they’ll recall your content.
You can share the content you create for SEO using email marketing and social media marketing. Appearing on multiple platforms will allow your brand to expand. Strengthening your online presence will lead to more patients.
Generate Website Traffic
Gaining a strong online presence with SEO marketing will help you generate more website traffic. About 60% of all traffic goes to the top three sites on a SERP. If your website doesn’t appear on the first page of results, you may not generate traffic.
As you generate website traffic, more people will learn about your optometry practice and services. Business blogs can increase web traffic by 55%. For 46% of marketers, SEO is the number one factor in content marketing success.
Using the right keywords for optometrists will allow you to appear for a range of searches. For example:
- Best optometrist
- Optometrist near me
- What does an optometrist do
- Optometry services
- How to choose an optometrist
To appear for different searches, you need to gather keyword research and create content on a schedule. Creating more content will keep your blog fresh. Google prioritizes fresh content, allowing your search engine rankings to improve.
Gain Credibility in the Industry
As your search engine rankings improve, your optometry practice will rank ahead of competing businesses. Your business could appear in the local 3-pack (the map that appears on SERPs). Appearing in these spaces will allow you to gain credibility.
Your blog content can demonstrate your experience, expertise, authority, and trustworthiness (EEAT). Adding EEAT to your content will prove you’re a knowledgeable resource. Patients may feel more inclined to trust your business after reading your content.
You can further improve your credibility by generating high-quality backlinks. These links appear on other sites and send readers to your content.
Generating backlinks can help your organic rankings improve. You’ll start generating more traffic, allowing you to attract new patients.
Grow Your Optometry Practice
Adding SEO to your optometry marketing strategy will help your practice grow. About 57% of marketers report they’ve acquired new customers through blogging. Your blog content will help patients recognize your expertise or learn about your services.
SEO marketing is more cost-effective than other digital and traditional marketing strategies. In fact, 70% of business owners say SEO generates more sales than paid advertising. Professionals who prioritize blogging are 13 times more likely to generate a positive ROI.
How to Use SEO for Optometrists
Consider partnering with an experienced digital marketing agency. Make sure they offer web design and development services, as well as SEO marketing. You’ll need all three to develop your SEO marketing strategy.
Here are a few ways you can start leveraging SEO to grow your optometry practice.
Update Your Website
Before updating your optometry marketing strategy, invest in web design and development services. The user experience on your website can determine your rankings.
Make sure your site is fast, user-friendly, secure, and mobile-optimized. Google will review the mobile version of your site when determining your SERP rankings.
Gather Keywords for Optometrists
Gathering keyword research will ensure you appear for relevant searches. Otherwise, your content may not appear in front of your ideal patients. Gather keyword research using SEMRush, Google Trends, and Keyword Planner.
Choose long-tail keywords (phrases that include four or more words). These search terms make it easier for you to understand the user’s search intent. For example, someone may want directions to your practice (navigational) or to learn about optometry (informational).
When writing your blog content, add the target keyword to the:
- Page title
- URL
- Opening and closing paragraph
- An H1 header
- Body text
- Image file name and alt next
- SEO title and meta description
Create High-Quality Content
Use your keyword research to start writing high-quality, helpful content. Cover topics your patients are interested in.
Diversify your content by creating:
- Blog posts/articles
- Webinars
- eBooks
- Polls
- Quizzes
- Videos
- Infographics
Each format will help you appeal to patients at different points in the buyer’s journey. Share your content using email and social media marketing to generate traffic.
Leverage Local SEO
Add localized keywords to your blog content to appear in front of nearby patients. Claim and optimize your Google Business profile to help patients find your practice.
Ask patients to post their reviews on your profile. Positive reviews can boost your rankings and demonstrate your credibility.
Optometry Marketing:
Leverage SEO Marketing Today
A strong optometry marketing strategy that includes SEO will help you reach new patients online. Use these tips to start using SEO for optometrists. Otherwise, invest in help from an experienced digital marketing agency.
Neur has over 18 years of experience offering web design, WordPress development, and digital marketing services. I’ve developed amazing solutions and can help you create the perfect web presence.
I can help you manage your website and brand’s online content. Ready to rank at the top of search result pages? Contact me today to discuss your SEO marketing strategy.
