Why Healthcare Practices Need to Rank for Near Me Keywords
If you are a healthcare provider offering quality healthcare services to families and communities, you need to make sure you are reaching out to the right patients. To do so, you need to understand the importance of targeting the right healthcare keywords. These keywords play an important role in determining how patients will find you on search.
What are the best keywords for a healthcare service provider? Patients will dedicate time to researching online and asking friends and family for recommendations before selecting their provider. It is critical for your practice to be found online for the right keywords to attract more patients.
“Near Me” Keywords Help You Target the Relevant Audience
With the increasing use of mobile devices and voice search to find businesses, one crucial keyword all healthcare professionals should focus on is the “near me” keyword. A vast majority of patients are looking for local providers. A successful geo-marketing strategy will help you rank on searches in your nearby area.
Over the last few years, search queries on Google that contain “near me” have grown, and this can be majorly attributed to the use of geo-location enabled devices. In today’s digital world, an increasing number of customers use their mobile devices to search for businesses and this includes healthcare services. A customer wants to know what is “near me” at all times, and ranking on top of these queries through organic and paid search will ensure you target the relevant audience.
This table will give you an idea about the monthly search volume of “near me” keywords. It also shows the competition and device breakdown for all these searches. As you can see, the majority of “near me” searches are conducted through mobile devices.
| Keywords | Monthly Searches (USA) | Search Volume Breakdown by Devices (in Percentage) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mobile | Desktop | Tablets | |||
| Dentist Near Me | 1,220,000 | 66.40% | 31.70% | 1.80% | |
| Urgent Care Near Me | 1,830,000 | 80.10% | 18.20% | 1.70% | |
| Doctor Near Me | 201,000 | 67.30% | 31.00% | 1.70% | |
| Physician Near Me | 18,100 | 58.00% | 40.10% | 1.90% | |
| Hospital Near Me | 550,000 | 75.00% | 23.80% | 1.20% | |
| Chiropractor Near Me | 249,000 | 75.60% | 22.6% | 1.80% | |
| Gynecologist Near Me | 135,000 | 71.60% | 26.40% | 2.10% | |
| Ophthalmologist Near Me | 110,000 | 51.80% | 43.40% | 4.80% | |
| Plastic Surgeon Near Me | 33,100 | 70.70% | 25.70% | 3.50% | |
| Cosmetic Surgeon Near Me | 2,900 | 62.50% | 33.20% | 4.30% | |
| Facelift Near Me | 720 | 64.20% | 29.70% | 6.10% | |
| Botox Near Me | 60,500 | 75.10% | 22.20% | 2.70% | |
| Dermatologist Near Me | 450,000 | 62.90% | 33.80% | 3.20% | |
| Hair Restoration Near Me | 1,600 | 60.50% | 37.30% | 2.30% | |
| Bariatric Surgeon Near Me | 1,900 | 62.20% | 34.60% | 3.20% | |
| Weight Loss Doctor Near Me | 8,100 | 76.00% | 21.00% | 3.00% | |
| Fertility Clinic Near Me | 12,100 | 73.80% | 25.00% | 1.20% | |
| Physical Therapist Near Me | 165,000 | 51.30% | 44.80% | 3.90% | |
| Psychiatrist Near Me | 117,000 | 65.00% | 33.10% | 1.90% | |
| Gastroenterologist Near Me | 74,000 | 62.80% | 32.70% | 4.50% | |
| Neurologist Near Me | 80,000 | 65.20% | 31.80% | 3.00% | |
| Audiology Near Me | 22,200 | 46.20% | 48.00% | 5.80% | |
| Oncologist Near Me | 14,800 | 69.40% | 25.40% | 5.20% | |
| Radiologist Near Me | 14,800 | 59.30% | 37.50% | 3.20% | |
| Cardiologist Near Me | 32,000 | 63.60% | 33.70% | 2.70% | |
| Urologist Near Me | 110,000 | 64.40% | 31.50% | 4.10% | |
| Orthopedician Near Me | 60,500 | 61.80% | 34.70% | 3.40% | |
| Med Spa Near Me | 27,100 | 64.60% | 32.60% | 2.80% | |
| Nephrologist Near Me | 14,800 | 59.60% | 34.80% | 5.60% | |
| Drug Rehab Near Me | 14,800 | 71.60% | 25.80% | 2.50% | |
Area-Based Searches Are Important to Attract Potential Patients
These numbers suggest that area-based searches are a very important source for attracting potential patients in the location where your healthcare practice is based. Also, these leads are more likely to convert as they are actively looking for a provider near them. They are ready to pick up the phone and book an appointment.
Searching for “near me” businesses is referred to as local SEO. When someone searches for a business or service that they need, Google’s algorithm categorizes information based on nearby services that match those searched keywords. If you are not ranking for “near me” keywords of your specific healthcare segment, you are losing out on a lot of potential patients.
Make Sure Your Google My Business Page Listing Is Accurate
However, for the search engine to analyze your practice accurately, you need to make sure your address appears on your website and is properly structured so that the search engine can figure out your location. Google will factor in distance to determine how far the search result is from the searcher’s location and ranks pages accordingly.
It would make sense to analyze your existing patients' addresses and zip code to get an idea of how far patients will drive to visit your healthcare facility. This will give you a benchmark radius to define your target area. Make sure your Google My Business page listing is updated and accurate, as it will help you rank better on “near me” searches. It's a vital Google tool that helps you manage information like contact details, location, business hours, and more.
A Good Geo-marketing Strategy Is a Must for Multiple Locations
Since majority searches are conducted via mobile devices, your site needs to be mobile-friendly. Make sure that you are not using separate URLs for your desktop site and mobile site. If you have businesses in multiple locations, make sure you create a separate web page for each location. This way, you can target prospective patients around all your locations.
A good geo-marketing strategy with the right healthcare keywords will give you the ability to target genuine, potential patients within a designated area. This will also prevent wasteful marketing campaigns on patients who are unwilling to visit your facility because of the distance. Ranking on “near me” searches through paid and organic search will ensure you are not losing out on potential patients.
Need expert help with your keywords and SEO strategy? Contact us today to attract and retain more patients.
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