When you’re thinking about doing an SEO campaign, the first step will begin with keyword research. And for good measure, keyword research is arguably the most critical component of SEO.
For example, imagine we were building a house, and that house is SEO. To begin, you’d lay the foundation and the overall structure. Likewise, keyword research is the cornerstone and foundation of any SEO campaign. Without proper keyword research, you won’t reach the right customers.
In addition, it can be challenging to come up with keywords on your own. This article will provide you with an outline for beginning your keyword strategy. Then, we’ll cover keyword research, how to do it on your own, and other best practices for finding the most effective keywords.
What Is Keyword Research?
Keyword research is finding and analyzing words and phrases that people use to search for information on the internet. This research helps you understand the most popular terms and frequency in searches. It also allows you to understand the intent behind someone’s search.
There are a few different ways to do keyword research. The first is through Google AdWords Keyword Planner. This tool allows you to enter a keyword or phrase and see how often it appeared in search results within the past month and related keywords. Additionally, Digitalauthority.me recommends using a paid keyword tool to aid your SEO strategy.
To conduct keyword research, put yourself in a potential patient’s shoes. What keywords do they use in their search? This type of keyword research is called “shopper marketing.”
Now that we’ve covered the basics, here are some of the best strategies for optimizing keyword research.
Curate Keywords Based On Your Services
Your hospital or healthcare facility offers various services, so it’s important to target keywords that reflect your services. For example, if you’re a cardiology practice, you’ll want to target keywords related to heart health, such as “heart attack symptoms” or “how to prevent a heart attack.”
You can use Google AdWords Keyword Planner to find these keywords and other related terms that people search. First, enter a broad keyword, such as “cardiology,” and then look at the results. Next, make a list of relevant keywords that you want to target.
Remember that a specific keyword is more challenging to rank for than others. Your competition might already be ranking for particular keywords. However, if your content is better and more helpful than the competition, you’re bound to outrank them.
Think About The Customer Journey
When someone is searching for information on the internet, they go through the “customer journey.” This journey consists of three stages:
Awareness: The customer is aware that they have a problem or need.
Consideration: The customer considers their options for solving the problem or filling the need.
Decision: The customer makes a decision and takes action.
Your goal is to be present at every stage of the customer journey. That way, you can provide customers with the information they need when they need it.
You’ll want to target keywords relevant to each journey stage to do this. These will be general terms related to your practice or industry for awareness-stage keywords. For example, someone just beginning to research heart health might search for “what is heart disease?” or “types of heart disease.”
Consideration-stage keywords are slightly more specific. These are keywords that reflect the customer’s decision-making process. For example, someone considering their options for preventing heart disease might search for “diet for heart health” or “exercise for heart health.”
Finally, decision-stage keywords are specific to the action that the customer wants to take. For example, someone who has decided to make lifestyle changes to prevent heart disease might search for “heart-healthy recipes” or “cardiology practices in New York City.”
By targeting these various stages of the customer journey, you can be sure that you’re improving brand credibility and offering value to potential patients.
Use Long-Tail Keywords
Long-tail keywords are simply phrases that are more specific than general keywords. They’re made up of three or more words and often very targeted. For example, a long-tail keyword for a cardiology practice might be “cardiology practices in New York City that accept insurance.”
While these keywords might not get as much traffic as general keywords, they tend to be easier to rank. That’s because there’s less competition for these keywords. In addition, long-tail keywords usually reflect the customer’s decision-making process, which means that they’re more likely to result in a conversion.
You can use Google AdWords Keyword Planner or Google Trends to find long-tail keywords.
Create SEO Focused Landing Pages
Still technically content, landing pages are a part of your site dedicated to conversions or lead capture. They should focus on a single keyword or phrase and contain enough information to persuade the reader to take action. Landing pages are an essential component of digital marketing.
For example, if you’re targeting the keyword “cardiology practices in New York City,” you might create a landing page that lists your practice’s location, contact information, and services. You might also include testimonials from satisfied patients.
By creating SEO-focused landing pages, you can improve your chances of ranking for specific keywords and phrases. In addition, you can capture leads and convert them into patients.
Consistently Track, Edit, And Iterate
The final step in any successful keyword research strategy is to track your progress and make changes as necessary. You’ll want to track your rankings for specific keywords and the traffic and leads you’re getting from your website.
If you’re not happy with your results, don’t be afraid to edit your content or landing pages. You might also want to consider changing your target keywords. By tracking your progress and making changes as necessary, you can ensure that your keyword research strategy is always up-to-date and effective.
Takeaways
There are many different keyword research strategies that hospitals can use to improve their SEO. By targeting relevant keywords and creating SEO-focused landing pages, hospitals can improve their visibility online, promote their medical practice, and attract more patients.
In the digital age, SEO is vital for the well-being of hospitals and other healthcare facilities. But, if you’re unsure where to begin, consider partnering with an SEO agency. An SEO agency can help you create a keyword list, optimize your website, and track your progress over time.
