Is your practice looking to improve your website’s ranking in search engine results? Sometimes, the best way to get better is to look at what’s working for everyone else. Let’s check out some stats that could influence the way you approach your website’s SEO:
1. 50% of Google searches contain four or more words.
Which, believe it or not, is great news for your practice! It’s very difficult to rank for search words like “veterinarian” or “veterinary clinic,” because you’re competing with every other veterinarian and veterinary clinic out there, not to mention dictionaries and textbooks too.
However, while your clinic may lack the star power necessary to rank highly for short terms, you can certainly make up for that by ranking for “long tail keywords.” These are longer search terms that attempt to retrieve more specific information. An example of a long tail keyword might be “veterinary clinic in Stars Hollow.” The term is 4 words long, and it would be a lot easier to rank for than generic search terms.
Your practice can gain an even greater advantage by creating a blog and blogging about topics that could come up in long tail search terms. For example, if you wrote about what to look for in a good groomer, and then threw in a plug at the end of your post for your grooming services in Stars Hollow, you might come when pet owners search for “grooming services in Stars Hollow.”
To learn more about taking advantage of long tail keywords, check out our in-depth blog post on the subject.
2. 72% of marketers say the most effective SEO tactic is relevant content creation
We’re like a broken record here at LifeLearn, because we’re constantly talking about the importance of blogging for your practice. We know it’s a frustrating refrain to hear, especially when you have so much else going on every day. How on earth are you supposed to fit blogging into your schedule too!? But the reason we won’t shut up about it is because it’s so important.
Want to improve your website’s ranking in search results? Start blogging. It helps your blog rank for more search terms (like those long tail keywords we were mentioning above.) It enables you to update your website more often, which search engines like to see and is good for your ranking. And it helps you answer pet owner’s questions, which will put you top of mind the next time they need to take their pet in for a checkup.
Blogging doesn’t have to be too difficult either! Check out our information on writing a post in under an hour, our post on getting your team to participating in blogging, and our list of 100+ blog post ideas for your practice. Use our resources to make the blogging experience easier, so you can get back to focusing on what you care about most.
3. 40% of local business haven’t claimed their Google My Business listing, or aren’t sure if they have.
Do you know if your practice has claimed your Google My Business account? If you haven’t, you could be missing out. Google My Business is Google’s listings for local businesses, and Google rewards you for claiming your business. When people for search for local business listings, in addition to regular results, Google shows the local listings next to a Google Map. When the searcher clicks on the Google Map, they’re taken to even more local listings, all created through Google My Business. So your local listing bypasses the normal results and shoots right to the top. Learn more about how you can claim your Google My Business and improve your chances in the local listings here.
4. 27% local searchers are looking for the location of a business, and when a website has a map, 56% of searchers want to see hours next to it.
One of the biggest mistakes that small business make is failing to list the information searchers are looking for. If your website doesn’t immediately provided visitors with the vital information they want, they might just look somewhere else. A common issue we often see is listing your hours and location on different pages. Some websites list the hours on the About Us page, and the location on the Contact Us page. While this might seem like it makes sense, you’re really just creating more work for potential clients. Someone who’s looking up the location of your website probably also wants to know when you’re open. Make it easy for them, and put it all on the same page.
The numbers have spoken. Pet owners are looking for local businesses online, and you want them to find you. Make sure you’re following these SEO tips to optimize your website, and ensure that searchers are finding the information they need to know to walk through your practice doors.
