SEO for Medical Practices: What Actually Matters
SEO can feel like a dark art. Agencies promise page-one rankings, throw around jargon, and deliver... not much. Let's cut through the noise and focus on what actually matters for medical practices.
Local Search is Everything
Most patients search for specialists near them. "Private ophthalmologist London" or "knee surgeon Manchester" – local intent is key. This means:
Google Business Profile Optimisation
- Complete, accurate profile with all services listed
- Correct categories selected
- Regular posts and updates
- Photos of your practice
- Actively solicited reviews (ethically, of course)
Local Keywords on Your Website
- Location-specific page titles and content
- Individual pages for each location if you practice in multiple places
- Proper address markup (schema)
Technical Foundation
Before worrying about content and links, your technical foundation must be solid:
- Fast loading speed (under 3 seconds)
- Mobile-responsive design
- Secure (HTTPS)
- Clean, crawlable code
- Proper meta titles and descriptions
- Structured data markup
Without these basics, other efforts are largely wasted.
Content That Answers Questions
Patients research their conditions before booking. If you provide helpful, trustworthy information, you:
- Appear in searches for condition-specific queries
- Build trust before they ever contact you
- Pre-qualify patients who understand your specialism
Focus on the questions patients actually ask. What conditions do you treat? What does treatment involve? What results can they expect?
What to Ignore
- Link-building schemes from cold emailers
- Promises of guaranteed rankings
- Obsessing over keyword density
- Over-optimisation that sounds unnatural
Want to improve your practice's online visibility? Let's talk about your specific situation.