7 Smart Podiatry SEO Tactics for Your Practice

So, where can you get started on your SEO journey? We’ve put together seven smart tactics that you can use to get your podiatry practice in front of the patients who need you the most. But first, let’s kick off with…

Why do podiatrists need SEO?

Let’s start with the basics: what is SEO and why does a podiatrist like you need it? SEO stands for search engine optimization. Essentially, it’s a set of digital strategies that help websites appear at the top of search engine results pages (SERPs) for relevant queries. The goal is to rank on the first page of SERPs for the most valuable keywords related to your product or service.

Why does getting on the first page of the SERPs matter? Well, studies show that 68% of all online experiences start with a search engine, and less than 1% of searchers make it to the second page of Google search results. If you aren’t showing up on that first page, the vast majority of people will never become aware of your podiatry practice.

This becomes even more important for your industry because a recent report found that 89% of Americans Googled their health information before seeking medical care. This means even more people turn to online searches to find doctors like you.

[Related: Does SEO Matter for Your Local Business's Website?]

Seven smart podiatry SEO tactics

Now that you know what SEO is and why it’s important to your podiatry practice, let’s get into the seven different podiatry SEO tactics that you can start implementing right now:

1. Claim your Google Business Profile

The first thing we always recommend for any local business is claiming your Google Business Profile (GBP). One crucial part of SEO is building your local presence, especially for cases where you have a physical building patients will be visiting. Most people seeking your care will be local to your area, so your GBP will help you show up in the map section of Google when potential patients search for things like “podiatrists near me.”

To make sure you’re ranking highly in that map section, your claimed profile should accurately reflect your practice’s name, address, phone number, hours of operation, photos, website, and any additional contact information.

2. Perform keyword research

The next step in your podiatry SEO journey is determining which keywords and phrases you want your practice to rank for. This is important because potential patients will search for your services with these words and phrases. To find out what these relevant terms are, you’ll need to do some keyword research.

You can use tools like SEMrush Keyword Magic Tool, Ahrefs Keyword Generator, Google’s Keyword Planner, or Moz Keyword Explorer. Most tools like this offer some free searches each month, or you can purchase a subscription for more in-depth research.

Once you have a good list of the terms potential patients might be using to find podiatry practices like yours, you’ll need to integrate them into your website.

If all of this sounds beyond your comfort level or expertise, don’t worry – it is for most local business owners. This is one of the many reasons so many businesses partner with Hibu.

3. Optimize your website

Another way to improve your podiatry SEO is by optimizing your website. You want to focus on a couple of key areas for this:

• Mobile-friendliness - 58.67% of all website traffic worldwide comes from mobile phones, so make sure your website is optimized for mobile searches.
• On-Page SEO – you discovered what keywords will help your site rank better, now you’ll need to work on weaving them into the content on your website. 
   

Without optimizing in these two critical areas, you risk losing the ranking race with competitors who have better-optimized websites.

4. Improve website user experience

Along with making sure your website is properly optimized, you’ll also want to consider how a user will experience your site. Keep these questions in mind:

• How fast does your website load? - If it doesn’t load fast enough, a potential patient is more likely to abandon it in favor of another podiatry provider. Time spent on a page is something Google considers when ranking, so if your site is too slow, your SEO could be suffering.
• Is your website easy to navigate? – Your site should be set up in a way that makes it easy for users to find what they need, whether it’s your contact information or a booking link. The easier it is for customers to navigate, the more likely they are to stay on your site. Again, improving your bounce rate. Not only this, but your website structure will help search engines find and index your site’s pages so you can rank higher. 
• Does your site have what patients are searching for? - Name, address, booking link, high-quality photos, reviews. Ask yourself what people coming to your website will want to see most and make sure they’re on there and clearly visible.
   

5. Create content

Did you know only 28% of healthcare marketers can say they have a clearly documented content marketing strategy? If you do, you’ll be worlds ahead of most of your competitors.

Remember those keywords you spent precious time searching for? They’re going to help you create the content that podiatry patients are looking for. Write blog posts explaining the ins and outs of the procedures you perform and why patients might need them. Make short videos showing the types of instruments you might use for procedures. Share infographics that show proper toenail cutting. This type of content will ensure your practice is showing up when people need podiatry services and establishes you as an authority in your field. 

6. Keep an eye on your competitors

SEO isn’t a “set it and forget it” type of marketing strategy. Your competitors are also going to be optimizing their websites and creating content to steal those highly coveted SERP positions away from you.

Identify who your competitors are (probably other podiatry practices in your general area) and keep tabs on the types of changes they’re making and the types of content they’re creating so you aren’t caught off guard if your website starts to lose some SEO traction.

7. Stay active on social media

As social media becomes more prevalent in our search for information, it’s important to weave it into your podiatry SEO tactics as well. Nearly all Americans (90%) are using social media for health information. Which means you’ll need to be active on a variety of social platforms and share your expertise there.

Repurpose content you’ve created for your website to post on your social channels (and vice-versa.) As we already mentioned, establishing yourself as an expert in your industry is important in terms of SEO, and social media will help you do just that.

Not only this, but social media can help potential patients in your area find your practice as well. “Informational” local searches generate Reddit results 81% of the time. So, if you’re active on Reddit, you might have the opportunity to not only show up in the local map results but also be near the top of the organic results. 

How Hibu handles SEO for podiatrists

Tackling podiatry SEO is definitely a long game, and between treating patients and keeping the rest of your practice running, it might be something that you just don’t have the time for. That’s where you can lean on Hibu.

We’ll help to improve your search ranking and drive more traffic to both your website and your practice. Let us handle all aspects of both your on- and off-page SEO so customers in your area can find and choose your practice for all their podiatry needs.

Interested in learning more about Hibu’s SEO services? Complete our short Get Started form or call 877-237-6120 for a free consultation. We’ll discuss your needs and see how we can help you dominate both the paid and organic search results.