Dermatology SEO Best Practices

Have you ever tried to track down a website but couldn’t find it in the Google search results? Without a strong online presence and solid SEO strategy, websites can sink into obscurity and end up buried deep in the search engine results pages (SERPs) where users can’t find them.

This applies to your dermatology website, too. If you’d like to score a position on the first page of Google, it’s extremely important to learn all you can about dermatology SEO.

Below, discover the benefits of SEO for dermatology, as well as a few SEO tips to help you draw in more patients to your site. Then consider how you can use Online Scheduling to convert that web traffic into new patient appointments.

What Is SEO?

Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of optimizing your website so that it will rank higher in the search engine results. For example, let’s say you have a few web pages describing your cosmetic dermatology services. Those pages don’t appear highly in the search engines, and you want more traffic.

To solve the problem, you could incorporate local keywords and phrases related to those keywords to attract organic traffic to your website.

Benefits of Dermatology SEO

Not sold on SEO for your dermatology clinic website? Maybe the following perks will convince you:

• If you’d like more patients, SEO for dermatology is a must-have. Research says that 63% of patients will choose one provider over another in response to a strong online presence.
• If you have good online visibility, you’ll draw in relevant traffic organically without having to spend a fortune on advertising. Crafting valuable content, incorporating patient testimonials, and developing quality backlinks are all great strategies for attracting potential patients to your website.
• Does your website show up in local search results and on Google Maps? If not, you can create pages that your practice optimizes with local searches in mind.
• If your website looks unprofessional, unhelpful, and not at all user-friendly, don’t expect potential clients to trust you for dermatological care. Good dermatology SEO practices don’t just boost your position in the search engine rankings; they also establish your dermatology clinic as a trustworthy authority.

Dermatology SEO Best Practices

So, you’re ready to make some SEO plans and boost your site’s position in the search engines. Not so fast! Search engine optimization (SEO) involves more than slapping relevant keywords on your site and calling it a day.

Here’s how to craft a solid SEO strategy and draw more patients through the doors of your dermatology practice.

On-Page SEO

On-page dermatology SEO, as you might expect, includes things you can do on your website to boost its ranking in the search results. As a site owner, one of the smartest things you can do to increase website traffic is to create custom content that appeals to potential patients.

If you’re at a loss for topic ideas, try doing some keyword research to get you started. Google has a free keyword planner tool that includes relevant keywords related to a topic. For instance, you might enter “dermatology acne treatment” and get a list of related keywords. Pick the best keywords from the list and plan your content creation around them.

Be sure to optimize your title tags and meta descriptions. Both appear in search engines, and users rely on them to decide whether they want to view your website or not.

Header tags are important, too. Structure your content with helpful H1, H2, and H3 tags to make it easier for users to read.

Practice good internal linking. Ensure all pages link to one another in a way that’s intuitive and easy to understand.

If you’re making a new website, tell the developer to use a responsive design so that the site adjusts to the size of the user’s screen. Mobile users should be able to easily view your website on their phones, tablets, and other devices.

Website speed is important for mobile and desktop users. If users do a mobile search and your website loads slowly, they’ll likely go elsewhere. The following can help boost speed for a mobile-friendly experience:

• Compress your images.
• Limit redirects.
• Use HTTP browser caching.
• Minify JavaScript and CSS files.
• Limit external scripts.

If all of this sounds a bit overwhelming and you’re not up for doing keyword research or fiddling with your site’s code, consider hiring an SEO services company to help.

Off-Page SEO Strategies

Off-page SEO includes things you do off your website to increase its position in the search results. Link building is one such tactic to try.

For this strategy, the goal is to get other websites to link back to your own. Look for high-quality, authoritative websites when building backlinks. Having lots of strong backlinks tells Google your dermatology practice website features valuable content and can boost its position in the search results.

Stay active on social media. Doing so can increase your online visibility and give you a chance to interact with your target audience.

Remember that you shouldn’t constantly advertise your practice on social media, though. Doing so can annoy and turn off users. The bulk of your content should be informative, educational, or entertaining.

Local SEO for Dermatologists

If your dermatology clinic wants to attract new patients, one of the best ways to do that involves implementing good local SEO for your site.

As part of your local SEO efforts, be sure to claim your Google My Business profile. It’s free, and with this profile, you can draw in qualified leads who search for “dermatology practice near me” on their mobile devices.

In your profile, include your business’s contact information, photos, and special details such as “veteran-owned” or “woman-owned.” You can also show off your patient testimonials. If you don’t have many yet, encourage existing patients to leave reviews. This is a great way to drive traffic to your site.

It’s important to practice good local SEO for dermatologists on your website as well. Include helpful local keywords such as “dermatologist in Los Angeles” or “dermatology office in Rochester, NY.”

Listing your website in online directories for dermatologists can significantly impact traffic and local SEO. A few good ones include:

• American Academy of Dermatology
• WebMD
• Zocdoc
• Yelp
• Healthgrades

Pay attention to NAP consistency in your listings. NAP stands for name, address, and phone number, and all three must be correct and consistent across local search results. If the data aren’t consistent, Google could penalize your site in the search rankings.

To rank higher, check your listings and ensure they’re correct.

Creating Engaging and Informative Content

People often come to sites to be entertained or learn something. As a dermatology clinic, your website can help with the latter.

To start, pick a topic and research a few relevant keywords related to that topic. Once you’ve found some promising keywords, create a few blog posts and put them on your site. You can also link back to your blog posts from your social media profiles for extra traffic.

Topics you may use include:

• What does that rash really mean?
• What to expect when you get Botox
• What is platelet-rich plasma therapy, and should you consider this procedure?
• Signs of skin cancer
• How to treat acne at home
• Dermatology procedures that can make you look young again

To make your content even more impactful, include multimedia such as images and videos. For instance, in a blog post about dermal fillers, you could add a video showing users how the procedure is done. For even more traffic, put your videos on YouTube or social media.

Elevate Your Dermatology Practice With Weave

Understanding dermatology SEO can be a challenge, but it’s one you’ll find to be well worth your time and effort. Learn more about how your dermatology clinic can use social media effectively with our free webinar, “Modern Marketing with Social & Traditional Media.”

Want to discover how Weave can help take your practice to the next level? Get your free demo or call (833) 572-2139.