Courtesy SEO Information

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Information

In today’s marketplace over 85% of all potential customers / patients perform online searches to determine which product or service that they will purchase. This is regardless of whether the search is for eye care professionals or automobiles. Various surveys have actually pushed this number as high as 92% of the people are making their purchase determinations based on results found online. Additionally all surveys conclude that most people do not search past the second page to make their decision.

Where does your practice stand in the listings for your local area? Are you on the first page or the tenth page of someone’s generic search? Can your practice be found at all online without stating your practice name or doctor name?

Regardless of what state, city, or region you are located in, the need for your practice to be listed in a local search within the first two pages of results is critical to your patient flow. Insurance providers, such as VSP, suggest that a search is done on each doctor that is listed in their directory to make the patient better informed and also educated regarding a particular practice that they may be electing to visit.

What does your online presence tell the first time site visitor? Does it instill confidence in your ability to take care of their needs? Or do reviews posted online hamper your practice from even receiving that initial call to book an appointment?

Local search engine optimization (Local SEO) is crucial in this day and age for you being able to capture that first time search result. Having your website optimized to drive search engines to point to your site in the correct manner has a direct impact on your profitability.

If you consider your website as a marketing piece that holds little value towards your daily practice and operations then you are mistaken. Yes, your website is at its core a marketing piece but more over it is the first line of communication to approximately 85% of all potential patients. Not only should your website be readily available for search engines, but it should be inviting for site visitors to interact with. Interaction is not in the form of games but rather online access to complete forms that otherwise take 15-30 minutes to complete once they enter your practice. By having online forms you are taking their time into consideration and allowing them the ability to have a much more efficient visit to your practice.

With their efficiency comes yours as well. Your staff will be able to have new patients processed more quickly, insurances can be verified prior to patient visits, and the overall man hours involved with processing a patient can be dramatically decreased.

So take the first step and have Saying It First help you to run a more efficient practice, provide a better image online, and increase your online exposure to drive new patients in the door.