As we approach the halfway mark of 2018, now is a great time to step back and evaluate if you have spent the past 6 months doing all that you can for your SEO. Success in improving (and maintaining) a site’s search engine ranking comes by a continual process of strategic planning, executing, evaluating and repeating.
Here are some key things to keep in mind when evaluating your past SEO performance:
Website
- Title tag:
- The title tag tells search engines what the page is about using keywords or phrases.
- Should be about 77 characters using keywords and mentioning your practice name.
- Meta descriptions:
- An enticing description to draw viewers in using keywords or phrases.
- Should be about 160 characters that include keywords and your main call-to-action.
- Alt tags:
- Keywords descriptors used for images.
- Alt tags make it easier for search engines to know what your page is about and it helps interested searchers find you.
- Inbound vs outbound links:
- Inbound links strengthen those keywords internally for those pages and tells search engines that a page is relevant based on keywords and phrases.
- Outbound links should be used very, very sparingly.
- Site design:
- Make sure site is not clunky or hard to navigate. People will give up and leave.
- Ensure that photo and video file sizes are not too large. Slow loading time of a webpage will also steer visitors away.
Blog
- Daily or weekly posts are preferable.
- 500-1,000 words
- 800 is typically the sweet spot for SEO traffic
- Use keywords in your content strategically
- What words or phrases does your target patient audience search for? Work those into your writing.
- Photos/videos
- People love visuals! Spice it up!
Keywords and Phrases
- Keywords and phrases are at the core of SEO for your practice’s website
- They help search engines know what your website is all about!
- Compile a list of keywords that patients often use related to your specialty.
- Create content specifically around relevant keywords
- Increase your chances of showing up in search results of the ideal patients that you are looking to draw in.
Social Media
- Keep a consistent, strong and branded social media strategy to grow your followers organically.
- Search engines can detect how many followers you have an take that into account in their rankings.
- Encourage clicks all around
- Write content that makes people want to click on a link and visit your page (NOT click bait!)
- Provide social sharing links that are clear and visible on every page. Make it easy for people to share an article or page that they particularly enjoy.
- Stay relevant
- Keep up-to-date with world news and trends. You want to sparingly work them into your content.
- Use hashtags strategically to get your content in front of the eyes of your desired audience.
Need help with your SEO? Contact us here!