SEO for ObGyns

SEO for OBGyns is not completely different from SEO for doctors in general, but there are some special factors. Search Engine Optimization always involves providing an excellent online experience for your visitors, being findable when your prospective patients look for you, and communicating with search engines as well as with your human visitors.

What’s different about SEO strategy for obstetricians?

You know who your customer is

…or do you? An OB-gyn practice is definitely talking to women. Is that enough information? Probably not. Chances are, if you compare your practice with your competitors, you’ll be able to identify differences. Maybe you deliver lots of babies, while your competitor works with young teens. Maybe your office caters to Spanish speakers and your competitor does not. You might accept different kinds of insurance, your office is located in a different kind of neighborhood, or you offer different birth control choices.

The point is, you shouldn’t assume that “women” is enough information when you’re developing a persona for your practice. Start with the fact that you’re reaching out to women, but dig deeper to understand your particular customer.

For example, we know that expectant mothers tend to spend a lot of time on Google — even if you tell them not to. They’re reading mommy blogs, researching their experiences to see whether they’re normal, and checking out home remedies and old wives tales. You definitely should have a blog. You can easily refer your patients to your blog for answers to their questions and concerns. You’re also likely to show up when new prospective patients search for answers to those questions.

Make out a list of common questions and you’ll have lots of great topics for your blog.

On the other hand, if your practice is more involved in surgery, you will want to have in-depth authority pages on the procedures you offer (such as endometrial ablation, for example) and strong pages on insurance and other issues that are on your patients’ minds. A blog is always good for SEO, but pages rather than posts will serve you for these topics.

You have some obvious keyword choices

While prospective patients may choose lots of different terms when they search for a GP or a pediatrician, nearly everyone looking for an OB Gyn will use that term.

Google Trends shows us that there are some variations, though. The term “obgyn” is much more popular as a search than “ob gyn,” and “ob-gyn” is less popular still. “Baby doctor” may be more popular than “ob-gyn,” but chances are good that people using that keyword are looking for a pediatrician.

Certainly, there are other keywords that will make sense for your specific practice.

Use Google Trends, the Google Ads Keyword Tool, or Keyword Explorer to research the terms people are using to look for the services you offer.

You need local search

A surgeon or hospital may cast a wider net, but your patients probably live near your office. You’ll want to show up for terms like

• “obgyn near me”
• “Fayetteville obstetrician”
• “gynecologist in Northwest Arkansas”

Terms like these tell Google that the person searching isn’t just casually interested in obgyns, but is actually in the market for a doctor in her neighborhood. Google will offer local search results. If you’ve made your location clear to the search engines, Google should offer your practice for this kind of query.

How can you make sure Google knows that you’re offering obgyn services in your town?

• Make sure your home page is clear. If your home page has a picture of flowers and a sentence saying, “Let AzureAssociates partner with you at this special time,” Google will not get that you have an OBGyn practice. Go for sentences like, “We provide OBGyn services at our offices in Bentonville and Lowell.”
• Include your address. Use your address on your homepage and your contact page. Write it just as you would on an envelope. Make sure that all your local directory listings have the same address in the same format.
• Use local place names and information when it makes sense. It makes sense to say, “We serve Rogers, Bentonville, and all of Northwest Arkansas.” It makes sense to have blog posts about your involvement in your local community. Sentences like, “OBGYN services for Rogers, Bentonville, Gravette, Centerton…” and on for 57 more words — well, that crosses a line.

Do your research and develop a strong SEO strategy for your current website or before you build a new site. Your results will be worth it!