At Doctor Genius, we grow clients’ patient bases through time-tested search engine optimization (SEO) strategies. One of these strategies is blogging; another is structured data. When informative and well-crafted, a website’s blogs continue to pull in new patients through high search rankings. Additionally, we incorporate structured data to give a blog an extra boost, making it easier for Google to understand a site and push it to the intended audience. Thus, with DG’s help, these SEO strategies can make it easier for current and new patients to find your website, leading to increased booked appointments.
How blogs influence SEO
According to a 2023 search analysis by BrightEdge, once homepages have been excluded, blogs remain the “most prevalent form of content found in the top 10 search engine rankings.” The analysis, which looked at 10,000 keywords across various industries, further revealed that blogs also tend to rank in the top 3 and top 5 results. The reason being that blogs can effectively answer questions and address their intended audience’s needs.
Moreover, the data suggested that the very nature of blogging goes hand in hand with SEO. Well-crafted blogs tend to be longer than service pages, which catches Google’s eye as well as the user’s. By being informative in nature, their content dives into various aspects of a topic. Thus, users will spend a good amount of time reading through blogs. The longer a user stays on a page or blog, the more likely Google is to view it as valuable and rank it higher.
Doctor Genius has always prioritized creating educational blogs for this reason. Blogging can increase a site’s ranking for its local area and attract users (or potential patients) by providing the answers they are looking for in a convenient, digestible format.
A look at blog readership
As videos have become increasingly popular, it is common for healthcare providers to wonder whether people still read blogs. While not everyone reads blogs these days, a substantial population does. In a 2023 HubSpot survey of 325 people, only 17% answered that they never read blogs. Alternatively, 18% said they read blogs daily. The majority, 29%, reported reading blogs anywhere from one to four times a month.
There is value in not overlooking blog readership. However, paying attention to blogging does not mean one has to deprioritize patients who prefer to access information in a video format. At DG, we offer marketing packages that can reach patients through blog content, video content, or both.
Understanding structured data
Structured data is put into the backend of a blog or other webpage. While it is not visible to the patient, it functions as an enhanced description for search engine algorithms. In other words, it makes the content easier for Google to read and understand which queries the blog may help answer.
With various types of structured data, the two most common are metadata and schema markup. Metadata includes meta titles and meta descriptions (page descriptions) that summarize a page’s content for search engines.
Schema markup is a broader category. This type of structured data has many forms, such as:
- Local business schema. Provides information about local businesses (including healthcare practices) like their hours of operation and location.
- Video schema. Markup that gives more information about a video on a page, such as the thumbnail and duration.
- FAQ schema. Coding that specifies to search engines that a specific section of a page is discussing frequently asked questions.
The DG Framework uses structured data behind webpages and Content Ignition Package blogs in the form of schema, page descriptions, definitions, categories, and location, among others. Since healthcare can be complicated, we simplify it for algorithms by defining relevant medical terms. The result? The algorithm can better understand how a potential patient’s search may relate to the client’s page, accounting for slight differences in how a search could be worded.
Implement an effective blog strategy with DG
Posting random, unhelpful blogs will not bring in the SEO benefits of blogging. Healthcare practices need to have a blog strategy to climb rankings and maintain a top spot on the Google search results page. This is where Doctor Genius comes in: We have teams of SEO and marketing professionals dedicated to creating effective, helpful blogging strategies for healthcare practitioners. To find out how our pillar marketing packages can use blogs to grow your patient base, request a free demo today.
Doctor Genius, located at 16800 Aston Street, Suite 270, Irvine, CA 92606, provides a range of services for practice success. We seek to meet our clients’ needs by providing a variety of marketing, SEO, practice optimization tools, and coaching to transform the healthcare experience. Though we work to provide the most accurate information, the content found on this website is solely intended for entertainment purposes. Therefore, we cannot guarantee that the information provided is entirely correct. You may not use the information on this site to cure, prevent, or diagnose a perceived medical issue. If you have healthcare-related needs, please speak directly to a healthcare professional. Never self-perform medical treatments discussed on this website. All images displayed are also for entertainment purposes only, and personal experiences may differ. Please note that the business tactics mentioned on this site might not be applicable to your industry or practice.
