SEO for Surgeons: Updated SEO Strategies for Doctors

Is SEO an Effective Customer Acquisition and Patient Conversion Strategy for Aesthetic Centers and Plastic Surgeons?

According to this research by the National Health Institute, more than half of internet users rely on search engines when researching health-related information, including surgical procedures.

For example, in the Us, the monthly search volume for lip fillers is around 18,000.

This indicates that traditional customer acquisition methods for plastic surgeons (word-of-mouth marketing, personal referrals, appearing on news sites or morning shows, etc.) are now outdated. As mentioned in the research above, users are increasingly turning to search engines like Google.

What is SEO for Plastic Surgeons?

SEO for surgeons refers to the efforts made to increase the online visibility of a surgeon or surgical clinic.

Plastic surgery SEO is very similar to regular SEO. However, in this case, it involves optimizing your website according to YMYL (Your Money or Your Life) guidelines so that potential patients can find your treatments and you online. This form of SEO helps you rank higher on search engines, increasing your brand visibility, reach, and most importantly, conversions.

Why Should Plastic Surgeons Invest in SEO Services?

The demand for plastic surgery is quite high, as confirmed by this BBC report. Additionally, incentives and support for health tourism are highly motivating in this regard. From women unhappy with their breasts to cancer survivors or those simply looking to enhance their appearance, countless people search for plastic surgeons every day.

With all this interest in plastic surgery, you might think attracting customers would be easy. As a plastic surgeon, you should also know that this isn’t always the case.

Referrals from satisfied customers and other healthcare professionals are undoubtedly a win for your business, but they are not sustainable.

Have you ever thought about the untapped potential customer base that won’t find your plastic surgery clinic through referrals? These individuals are likely using search engines for your target keywords. They are also more likely to spend time researching different procedures, costs, surgeon qualifications, and reviews of competitors.

Investing in SEO can help shorten your sales cycle, increase brand awareness, and reach more customers.

For example, imagine a user searching on Google for “best plastic surgery doctors”. The search results might look like this:

As you can see, well-optimized sites (like Dr. Amy) can rank at the top of search results for this query. When we examine Dr. Amy page on the SERP, we can see that the titles and web content are optimized for the target keyword.

Is this doctor ranked here because she’s a good doctor? Of course NOT! Her site is well-equipped with healthy SEO practices following EEAT (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) guidelines and supported by many elements for YMYL topics, which is why she ranks for this keyword.

This is why SEO is important for plastic surgeons and clinics. However, the goal is not just ranking; it’s about ensuring your business achieves maximum visibility and attracts the right traffic.

Best SEO Strategies for Plastic Surgeons

Here are some SEO strategies you can apply to your marketing campaign:

1. Local SEO Optimization

Local SEO focuses on ranking for local search queries. Optimizing your online presence for local searches and Google Maps makes it easier for potential patients to find your treatments and you online when searching locally. It also creates a local demand for your services.

Why is local search necessary?

According to research:

• 46% of all Google searches are local.
• 78% of local searches lead to online conversions.
• Approximately 7% of Google searches are health-related (equivalent to about 70,000 searches per minute).

The plastic surgery customer journey is more complex than ever. Today, potential patients are likely to spend more time researching different procedures, costs, surgeon qualifications, and reviews before deciding who to go to.

To capture a share of this traffic, it’s essential to optimize your website to target every stage of the customer journey: awareness, consideration, decision, and post-care.

Let’s discuss this in detail and see how local SEO can help you achieve this and how SEO is done.

Awareness Stage:

This is the first stage of the customer journey. Here, patients are aware of their issues and need a quick solution. This is a great opportunity to market your services by showing how you stand out from the competition.

The first step is to ensure your business ranks well in search results. This could be in the organic results section or the local map pack, as highlighted in the example above.

You should also ensure that all the information provided, including your local business listings, is accurate and consistent across channels.

In this case, brand visibility and high rankings are priorities. Here are a few tips to help you achieve both:

• Claim, complete, and optimize your Google My Business profile.
• Ensure your clinic is listed in local business directories, review sites, and medical directories.
• Link your social platforms to your GMB. Share relevant information, promotions, business updates, etc., with your local audience.
• If you’re targeting multiple locations in your service area, create location-specific landing pages. Also, tailor each landing page to the target audience/location.
• Data is equally important. Conduct a competitive analysis to see how other practitioners rank in search results using local SEO. This can help you develop strategies to improve your online performance.

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Consideration Stage:

Here, your potential patients are fully aware of what they need and are looking for information to help them make an informed decision. They are likely to compare practitioners and check customer reviews, prices, etc., before reaching out or committing.

Your priority at this stage is to demonstrate reliability, authority, and reputation. Here, you answer the “why” question.

As an SEO expert, I have a few recommendations:

• Have you worked on transformative procedures? This is the best time to showcase successful surgeries you’ve performed in the past. Provide detailed descriptions, visuals (photos or videos or both), and customer testimonials to offer tangible proof of your results. This demonstrates credibility.
• Display reviews about you or your clinic on your website. For example, Google reviews, Trustpilot reviews, etc., are external elements that provide credibility and are also ranking factors.
• Display all relevant, verifiable certifications, qualifications, awards, and/or affiliations with reputable medical organizations. This instills a sense of trust in your potential patients and reassures them of your expertise and reliability.
• Use social media to share pre- and post-op checkup videos of your previous/current patients. Some potential clients may check your social media pages to see how you care for your patients before and after surgery; this strategy is a great way to increase their interest in working with you. (Also, follow regulations and heed warnings in this regard.)

Decision Stage:

At this stage, your potential customers are fully aware of your services and are ready to pay. To convert them into paying customers, ensure all necessary information is readily available to them.

In the decision stage, pay attention to:

• Ensure your business information is consistent across all platforms. This prevents issues arising from navigation or communication inconsistencies.
• Provide clear pathways for potential patients to take the next step, such as filling out a form or scheduling an appointment.
• Offer a comprehensive overview of your treatments, pricing, procedures, and other offerings. Make it easy for customers to find detailed descriptions of each service, what they include, expected outcomes, and pricing plans.
• Showcase customer testimonials, before-and-after photos, and success stories on your website. Follow regulations and heed warnings in this regard.
• Most importantly, respond to inquiries quickly and offer personalized services to each customer.

Post-Op Stage:

This stage is your best chance to retain your patients and earn their loyalty. After every procedure, provide personalized guidance, such as support groups and communities where they can ask questions anytime.

Encourage them to leave positive reviews and testimonials on your website or other relevant review platforms. Also, pay attention to negative reviews left by dissatisfied patients so you can respond and resolve the issue.

Provide recovery resources and guides to help your patients through their healing process.

2. Website Design and Optimization

Your website is the face of your business. It’s also crucial for your digital marketing strategy using search engine optimization. When it comes to attracting customers online, your search engine ranking is as important as your skills as a plastic surgeon.

How does website design affect your ranking? Google has specific criteria and algorithms it uses to determine a website’s ranking. Let’s take a closer look at some of these:

Speed: How fast does your website load a page? Google’s algorithm considers all these factors when determining your website’s ranking. If your website is slow, you won’t rank high.
Mobile-First Design: This is another important factor Google considers when ranking websites. Is your website mobile-friendly? Remember, 177.8 million users search via mobile.
Layout and Architecture: Your website’s design is critical for SEO. If your website is hard to read or visitors struggle to find information, they’ll leave quickly, and you’ll miss out on new patients.

3. Keyword Research

Keywords are the foundation of any successful SEO strategy. By targeting the right keywords, you’re already on a solid footing to improve your search rankings and attract marketing-qualified leads to your website.

Before selecting keywords for your SEO, you need to understand the search intent behind each query. There are four different types of search intent:

Informational Keywords:
In this case, your potential patients will be researching information about surgical and non-surgical procedures. This is a great opportunity to showcase your authority on the topic.

For example: “What is BBL?” “Can I sleep on my stomach after a tummy tuck?” In these blog posts, you’re not reusing existing articles; you’re providing the right advice to impress potential patients and demonstrate your expertise.

Navigational Keywords:
These types of keywords are used by searchers who know exactly what they’re looking for. They are more specific and often include branded or service-specific phrases like “Dr. X” or “Tummy Tuck Istanbul.”

Transactional/Commercial Keywords:
Here, the searcher is already aware of what they need and is ready to take action, such as booking a consultation. Examples include “tummy tuck prices,” “face lift prices,” and “best breast augmentation plastic surgeons.”

How do you choose the right keywords for your business?

First, brainstorm ideas you think are relevant or want to target for your business.

Use SEO tools like SEMrush or Ahrefs to research the keyword/keywords for a detailed analysis and related keyword ideas.

You can also use these tools to discover the top keywords your competitors are ranking for. Now, let’s also look at supporting long-tail keywords:

Compare the search volume and competition of each keyword. I recommend finding a balance between the two metrics to ensure you’re targeting keywords with sufficient search volume and minimal competition.

4. On-Page SEO Optimization

On-page SEO encompasses everything you do on your website to improve rankings in SERPs. This includes content creation, content optimization, title tag optimization, adding internal and external links, etc. On-page SEO ensures your web pages are discoverable by users and search engines.

Let’s dive into a few key topics:

a. Use keywords strategically.
Strategically place your target keywords in your content and headings. A general rule is to include them in the H1 and the first 100 words of your content.

This helps search engines and users quickly understand the context of your web pages.

b. Conduct a content audit.
If your site already has content, evaluate its performance to determine if it’s meeting its goals and delivering ROI.

SEO tools like SEMRush and Ahrefs can help you conduct site-wide audits of your content.

c. Create user-centric content.
Share educational content to make it easier for potential customers to make decisions.

For example, create a detailed guide on tummy tuck surgery, covering what it is, its benefits, risks, and recovery process.

You don’t have to stick to blog content. Create and share different content formats that easily encourage user engagement; for example, create a detailed video showing pre-op checkups, etc.

Another effective strategy is to add a case study similar to the content to showcase expertise in the procedure. In general, Google’s EEAT guidelines should be followed to improve content performance in SERPs.

📚Pro Tip: Keep your customers at the center of your content strategy. Understand their needs, research patterns, and content consumption methods. This will inform your overall content strategy. Also, always obtain patient consent for both image and video content to avoid legal issues later.

d. Use Schema for rich results.
Schema markup is a unique code that makes it easier for search engine bots to understand the content of a web page. It provides additional content about your practice, such as reviews, opening hours, etc., enabling search engines to display them as rich snippets.

As a plastic surgeon, there are different ways to improve your click-through rate by enabling schema markup on your site:

Use local business schema markup to provide more information about your business, such as your business name, website URL, phone number, and opening hours.
Use FAQ page schema to display your FAQs in rich snippets.
Implement a breadcrumb list schema to create a hierarchical navigation path on your website. This makes it easier for search engines to crawl and index your site.
You can also use Google’s Rich Results Test Tool to check the schema structures on your site.

e. Add relevant links.
Links are the veins of the web. They help connect contextually relevant content and provide a seamless navigation structure for users and search engines. They are also used to determine the authority and trustworthiness of a web page.

For external links, ensure the following conditions are met:

• Relevant to the topic discussed.
• Authoritative, i.e., has high domain authority.
• Trustworthy. This means it must be a reliable source of information in context.

For internal links, ensure:

• You have the right anchor text. For example, if you’re writing an article about rhinoplasty, you can hyperlink to your rhinoplasty service page.
• Fit naturally. Don’t place links awkwardly in the middle of a sentence.
• Be authoritative. Distribute link equity by hyperlinking to your best-performing pages in your content.

Here’s an example of internal linking from the last section of this blog:

These links go to internal pages and blog posts that support this content.

5. Technical SEO

Technical SEO ensures your website is crawlable and indexable by search engines. It checks the “health” of your site, identifies and addresses issues affecting your performance in search results.

Fortunately, plastic surgeons don’t need complex sites. This is because the primary purpose of your online presence is to provide basic information about your services.

When it comes to technical SEO tips for surgeon sites:

• Use the Noindex tag on low-value pages you don’t want to rank in SERPs.
• Ensure breadcrumb schema is applied to all procedure pages to help Google understand your website’s architecture.
• Regularly perform technical audits on your site using SEO tools like SEMRush to discover issues before they affect your performance.
• Submit your XML sitemap to Google for indexing.
• Ensure your URLs are optimized for SEO.

6. Off-Page SEO (Backlinks)

Off-page SEO encompasses everything you do outside your website to improve its ranking in search results. This includes link building, content distribution, etc.

Let’s explore some of the best off-page SEO strategies:

• Attract high-quality, relevant backlinks to your site by creating high-quality content that showcases your expertise. This could be blog posts, case studies, videos, or infographics.
• Guest posts on reputable medical websites and publications.
• Repurpose content into different formats (email newsletters, podcasts, social media posts, etc.).
• Be active on social media to build authority; YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook are the best choices for plastic surgeons. You can add a link to your website in the description of videos to drive social traffic to your site.
• Encourage customers to leave reviews on your GMB or review sites. This demonstrates trust and increases your credibility in search engines.
• Partner with relevant health/beauty industry influencers to promote your services. This can help increase your brand visibility and expand your reach.
• If you serve a local community, participate in community events. For example, sponsor health fairs or charities.

7. Conversion Rate Optimization

Driving more traffic to your website is not the ultimate goal of a plastic surgery SEO strategy. The ultimate goal is to convert that traffic into new patients. This is where Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) comes into play.

CRO should play a vital role in any SEO strategy, yet it is often overlooked. It ensures that visitors to your website take a desired action, such as filling out a form to learn more about your cosmetic surgery practice.

A conversion refers to the actions a potential patient takes to achieve a specific goal. These goals may include noting down your phone number and calling to schedule a consultation or making a purchase from your website. Here are some other examples of conversions:

• Booking an appointment
• Requesting a price quote
• Subscribing to a mailing list
• Adding a product to the shopping cart
• Creating an account

The frequency with which potential patients complete these actions determines your conversion rates. While CRO does not directly affect Google search rankings, it benefits SEO in the following ways:

• Insights into potential customer behavior: CRO helps you identify the right audience for your cosmetic surgery practice. Implementing a CRO strategy enhances your understanding of potential patients.
• Increased return on investment (ROI): By converting as many website visitors as possible into actual patients, you maximize the value of your marketing spend.
• Enhanced user experience: Understanding your customers allows you to tailor your website design to better meet their needs.
• Increased trust: To turn a potential customer into a paying client, they must trust your website and the information it provides. CRO provides the tools needed to build this trust.

SEO Services

Search engine optimization (SEO) is at the core of your digital marketing strategy. You don’t have to navigate this journey alone.

A qualified SEO agency can help improve your SEO strategy, optimize your web design, enhance your marketing approach, and strengthen your content marketing. With expert SEO consultants, you can increase your online presence effectively.

The best marketing agencies ensure that your website is well-structured and directs potential patients to your plastic surgery clinic, helping you rank on Google’s first page. A marketing agency also supports you with social media management, ensuring that you have a top-tier digital marketing strategy.

Final Thoughts

For plastic surgeons, the ultimate goal of SEO is to increase online visibility through your website, Google My Business, maps, and social media. Ranking on Google’s first page is crucial for driving traffic to your website.

A reliable agency’s SEO services help attract potential clients and convert them into actual patients, ultimately boosting your profitability.

Contact one of our consultants today to start implementing SEO strategies that will help you grow your plastic surgery clinic for years to come.