Search engine optimization (SEO) effectively brings your optometry practice closer to your target audience. It delivers leads and improves your credibility, two significant factors for conversion.
Below is a step-by-step guide to help you launch and scale an SEO campaign that brings positive results.
5 Steps to Start and Grow Optometry SEO
SEO techniques are similar across niches or industries. But where they differ also matters. These include the audience, message, tone, and content style.
The process below takes these factors into account. This way, your optometry SEO strategies match your marketing goals, targeted leads, and desired outcomes.
Marina Turea of Digital Authority Partners (DAP) has already covered the basics. These steps expand on some of Turea’s key ideas and add a few more.
1. Be Intentional with Your Content through Topical Clustering
Gone are the days when you could parrot what others were saying, splash tidbits here and there, and count keyword densities. These outdated methods can kill your plan in no time.
The recent search engine updates tell you that the likes of Google and Bing value authority, trustworthiness, credibility, and expertise.
In other words, your content should be helpful, reliable, and original. You can achieve it by being intentional with your approach and using topical clustering.
- Create one cluster for every major idea or page. Say you are offering eye exams. So your main keyword can be “eye exams” or “how to check your vision.”
- From this, make a pillar page, which is a hub for related subtopics. The pillar page is a long-form content type of about 1,000 to 3,000 words (depending on the subject). It is comprehensive, covering themes such as visual acuity, color blindness testing, retinal exams, etc.
- From the pillar page, create cluster content or subpages. Break down the mentioned subjects into smaller articles, or you can add more. Try “how to read a Snellen eye chart,” for example.
- Then link all these pages together. You can add your subpages as hyperlinks on the pillar page, the pillar page on these subpages, or subpages to each other.
With this strategy, you can:
- Organize content for better ranking
- Target specific keywords more effectively
- Guide readers through a journey of learning and understanding
- Showcase expertise, trustworthiness, credibility and authoritativeness
- Present an SEO-friendly structure that makes navigation easier
- Reuse topics to produce valuable content without being repetitive
2. Do Not Forget the Meta
The discussion about the importance of meta has been intense over the years. The truth is that it is not a ranking signal. In other words, Google does not use it to determine page ranks, so you can do away with it.
But you should not.
Meta still has its value, especially when it comes to click-through rates (CTR). It is the part of your HTML code that contains information such as title tags and descriptions, which are what searchers see on the results page.
A compelling meta encourages readers to visit your site from the search engine result pages (SERPs). With better CTRs, your page has a higher chance of ranking.
Also:
- If your pages, videos, or images do not have meta tags, search engines will make them for you. Your website can rank for the wrong keywords or be visible to the unintended audience.
- The right meta tags enhance user experience. By reading these alone, they can already understand what the page offers.
- Meta tags can optimize your pages for voice search, considered the next frontier of search.
- Metas make your UX more inclusive, helping you tap underserved markets that include people with disabilities.
How you write your meta is just as vital as the tag itself. Make it count with these tips:
- Keep it below 50–60 characters for maximum visibility.
- Include the page’s main keyword, but no need to stuff them.
- Be descriptive without giving away every salient point of your copy.
- Remember the rule: one unique meta for every page, video, or photo.
3. Claim Your Google Business Listing
One of the biggest mistakes medical practices make these days is not creating and optimizing their Google My Business (GMB) profile. Skipping this means allowing another person (or even your competitor) take your name online.
Further:
- Unless you are an online-only entity, you operate in at least one location. You want patients and clients within your vicinity to find you quickly.
- Search engines deliver the best results when people’s query has a local intent (e.g., “best eye doctor in LA”). They may list specific businesses near the users. Optimizing your GMB page ensures yours will be part of it.
Optimizing your GMB listing for better rankings is similar to what you do for webpages, save for a few exceptions. Here are some key rules to remember:
- Provide accurate NAP (name, address, phone). Ensure each field is correct and consistent with the ones you use elsewhere online, such as social media.
- Add photos and videos of your practice to make it more engaging.
- Update blog posts, events, job openings, etc., regularly.
- Encourage customers to leave reviews by responding professionally and promptly.
- Choose the right categories so search engines can better match your profile with relevant searches.
- Include maps, business hours, and other information to complete your profile.
4. Link Your SEO Strategies with Other Digital Marketing Tactics
The best optometry digital marketing plan is holistic and cohesive. While every strategy is different, they all support and relate to one another. In turn, you develop a collective effort that speaks about one brand, audience, and goal.
Here is an example, if your primary SEO objective is to increase revenues:
| Online Marketing Strategies | Ideas |
| Paid advertising | Publish ads using brand-centric or transactional keywords, such as “affordable eye exam in Sacramento” or “buy glasses online.”
Use pay-per-click (PPC) copies for retargeting. |
| Email marketing | Offer exclusive discounts, promos, and other incentives to your subscribers.
Segment your audience to maximize engagement and quickly convert those ready to buy. |
| Social media | Share user-generated content (UGC) for a more powerful review or social proof of your practice. |
| Video marketing | Utilize the rising trend of video content by creating tutorial clips, vlogs, or patient testimonials. All these can strengthen your brand’s identity, credibility, and expertise. |
- Determine Your SEO Growth Performance
SEO is an iterative and ongoing process. To determine how well you are doing, you must establish a baseline for your performance. This involves setting the right metrics, analyzing them regularly, and taking corrective action when necessary.
You can track the following metrics to see if you reach (or surpass) your goals:
- Organic visits. How many people visit your website from search engine results pages (SERPs)?
- Of those checking out the SERP, how many click on your page?
- Bounce rate. How many visitors leave quickly after arriving at your page?
- What do people do after visiting your page? Do they fill out forms, watch videos, or read blog posts?
- Keyword rankings. Are you consistently appearing in the SERPs for high-value terms?
If any of these metrics are lagging behind, then make changes to improve them. Analyze and use search engine data—including those from your GMB page. Doing so will provide insights into what works and what does not.
Summing Up
You can generate higher visibility and attract more quality leads with the right optometry digital marketing plan. These five steps already point you in the right direction.
All you have to do is refine them to truly hit your goals and brand. Working with an online marketing firm streamlines that process by providing the manpower and expertise to set you apart from other competitors in the market.
