Whether someone is a new pet owner, experiencing a pet emergency, or simply interested in finding a new vet, they’re most likely going to turn to Google to find a veterinarian in their area. To ensure that your clinic pops up as a high-ranking search result, you need to integrate your website with local search engine optimization (SEO).
If you’re not sure how search engine optimization works, the team at New Wine Digital can help. We design user-friendly websites and optimize them with local SEO for veterinarians. Here are our top five tips on how to optimize your vet clinic website to reach more local pet owners.
Local SEO for Veterinarians: Five Ways to Optimize Your Clinic’s Website
1: Target Local Keywords
In SEO, keywords are the phrases that people most commonly use when searching for answers on the internet. Targeting specific local keywords on your website will boost your search engine rankings. For example, “dog vaccinations in (your city)” and “dog vaccination requirements (your state)” are specific local keywords that you can target through content marketing.
Optimizing your content through blog posts boosts both your credibility and your visibility online. An example blog topic for the target keywords above, such as “Which dog vaccinations are required in (your state)?” would discuss dog vaccinations and the local requirements in your state. You can also target keywords for your specific location by including your vet clinic name and location in a call to action at the end of each blog post.
To come up with local keywords and blog topics, think about the common questions pet owners ask that are specific to your location. Write blog posts that answer these questions and target relevant keywords to help your website become more valuable to local web users. As a result, your Google ranking will improve and you will be able to reach more pet owners in your area.
2: Optimize Your GMB Profile
Your Google My Business (GMB) profile is your vet clinic’s listing on Google Search and Maps results. Your GMB profile displays your veterinary clinic’s contact information, photos, reviews, and other key information.
You can optimize your profile for local SEO by including local keywords in the description. Using high-resolution images, choosing relevant categories, and linking to your website will also improve your Google rankings.
3: Add Your Business to Online Directories
Although Google is the most popular directory, it isn’t the only one that local searchers use. Other directories like Yelp, Bing Places, and Yellowpages also allow you to create and manage a business profile for your veterinary clinic.
Claiming your clinic’s listing on multiple directories increases your website’s visibility to pet owners who use those search engines and websites to find local businesses. Make sure to keep track of all the listings you claim and check them regularly so you can respond to any new reviews.
4: Encourage Reviews
The more positive reviews your vet clinic receives, the higher your website will rank for local search results. You can encourage more positive reviews by asking happy clients to share their experiences. Remind them to leave a review after their visit by sending a follow-up email with a link.
Responding promptly to both positive and negative reviews shows other existing and potential clients that you care about their feedback and their pets. A quick and helpful response to a negative review can influence the client to retract their review or turn it into a positive one. If you get a negative review, leave a response that politely acknowledges their concerns and offers to resolve the issue offline.
5: Update NAP Information
Your vet clinic’s name, address, and phone number (NAP) are the most important pieces of information local pet owners need to contact your veterinary clinic. If your clinic changes any part of its NAP information, you must update it across your website, social media channels, and online directory listings.
Search engines like Google pull information about your vet clinic from all of the websites that list your NAP to determine your website’s ranking. Consistent NAP information tells Google that your business is still active and related to your other listings, and it will continue to use that information to rank your website.
Professional Local SEO Services for Veterinarians
Monitoring and optimizing your website on top of running a vet clinic can be overwhelming at times. New Wine Digital offers a wide range of digital marketing services to help improve web traffic and local SEO for veterinarians. We’ll help you maintain a well-designed and fully optimized website so you can focus on your patients. Call 480-516-1819 today to learn more about how our services can help you reach more local pet owners.
Images used under creative commons license – commercial use (5/4/2022). Photo by Catherine Heath on Unsplash