The Need-To-Knows of Search

Even if you get most of your patients through word of mouth or referrals, getting on the front
page of search engines should be a priority for your practice. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
is key to getting found by local patients and helping your website rank higher in search results to
increase your online visibility. Our free guide is here to help you learn the ins and outs of getting
to the top of Google.

Here’s what you need to know about search engines, and how to start climbing toward the first page:

Two ways to better rankings:

1: SEM (Search Engine Marketing)

SEM immediately places an ad for your practice on the front page of Google. You set a monthly
budget, and pay Google a small amount every time someone clicks on your ad. For this reason,
SEM is often referred to as PPC, or pay-per-click advertising. It receives fewer clicks than the
organic search results, but works instantly.

2: SEO (Search Engine Optimization)

SEO refers to a collection of strategies and techniques that aim to help a website earn a higher
placement in the organic section of search results. It can be difficult to earn good results, and the
process takes a long time, but first-page SEO is incredibly valuable.

Top 4 SEO Strategies

Top 6 SEM Strategies

1: Negative Keywords

Allows you to exclude words you do NOT want to be found for, e,g, “free,” “budget,” “malpractice”.

2: Configure Extensions

Make your PPC ads more prominent, more informative, and more functional. Add a phone call button, location information, etc.

3: Link to Specific Subpages

Don’t use your homepage as a destination URL. Instead, use a specific subpage so you can determine which patients reached your website through a PPC ad.

4: Be Specific

Highlight specific services you want to be found for, e,g, “pediatric doctor” instead of “doctor.” Specificity raises relevance, which raises search engine ranking, which raises ROI.

5: Use Multiple Ads Per Adgroup

An “adgroup” is the idea or service you’re trying to rank for. Creating different ads with slight differences within each adgroup will allow you to determine which perform well, and which aren’t worth paying for.

6: Use a Schedule

You can adjust when your ads will display within Google Ads. This will allow you to stretch your PPC budget over a greater period of time. Ramp up during slow periods, and remove advertising on days when your practice is closed.

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