A career as a physical therapist can be quite fulfilling. You get to work with patients to improve their movement and manage pain. Demand for physical therapists has been on the rise as more aging Americans turn 65 and older. The Bureau of Labor estimates there were 258,200 physical therapists in 2019, with the figure expected to increase by 18% over the next decade.
Growing your physical therapy practice is not easy, especially with time constraints that limit your marketing efforts. With the field becoming increasingly competitive, you may need to come up with new ways to drive more patients to your clinic. A robust online presence through effective SEO for physical therapists may do the trick.
Search engine optimization increases your visibility on search results pages, helping drive more traffic to your site. The increased traffic may translate to credible leads that provide more revenue for your business. Here are four effective strategies for SEO for physical therapists.
1. Proper Keyword Research
SEO for physical therapists aims to attract more clients that require your services. The first step to creating a solid SEO strategy is to focus on keywords that you wish to rank higher for. Professionals offering SEO services can refine and optimize your keywords. They can help determine the words or phrases that your potential clients use when searching for a physical therapist. Keyword research requires extensive work identifying relevant informational and commercial phrases that will convert organically. However, you can save a lot of time and energy by outsourcing your SEO services to a digital marketing agency.
2. Go All in With a Well-Designed Website
The first interaction your potential clients have with your brand is through your site. According to Ahrefs, 90.88% of web pages are never indexed, remaining invisible on Google. It can be catastrophic for a brand to have zero online presence. You may need to ensure that your website is easily ‘crawlable’ and can load fast. A digital marketing company can help you come up with an optimized physical therapy website design.
3. Create Quality Content
Your keyword research needs to guide you in crafting original and engaging content to place on your site. Google’s BERT update to their algorithms meant the crawlers would focus more on a searcher’s intent. Creating quality content helps set you apart within the industry as a thought leader, building credibility for your physical therapy brand. The online authority may help drive the much-needed traffic to your site by creating intriguing pieces that offer value to the reader.
4. Focus on Local SEO
As a physical therapist, you may need to focus more on local SEO. A larger percentage of the clients needing your services will most likely live near your practice. The websites on the first page of search engines receive up to 70% of the total organic traffic. You need to ensure that you rank highest on geo-located keywords. An SEO professional can help build and optimize your Google My Business profile as well as list you on trusted local online directories.
SEO for physical therapists can help you generate traffic to your site, increasing your leads and conversion that spell better days for your practice. The SEO landscape is highly dynamic, and it would be best to outsource your SEO services. The Dietz Group is a digital marketing company that focuses on physical therapists, helping them craft digital solutions that convert.
