The vast majority of people research products and services they’ll eventually purchase online, including finding the right doctor. It’s a content-driven world and no industry is immune. However, doctors aren’t known for their impeccable handwriting or for creating original, high quality content. While it’s good that their efforts are focused on medicine and serving their patients, lacking quality online content is a huge oversight.
Just like any other professional, doctors need customers (or patients) in order to thrive. You might be missing out on the perfect doctor for you just because they didn’t prioritize their online content. Content is even more important for the growing base of online doctors who use websites as their office and exam room. If you’re in the medical field, do you have a professional content creation company at work for you?
Why content matters
Solely from a search engine optimization (SEO) and local SEO (LSEO) standpoint, people aren’t finding you online if your content quality isn’t up to snuff. If someone Googles “Dermatologist Tampa” there are going to be a few key dermatologists that pop up on page one of Google. They got their via quality content that abides by SEO best practices. Studies show that almost no one looks beyond the first page of search engine results. If you’re on page two (or even lower) you may as well not exist online.
However, just because someone does find your website doesn’t mean they’ll stick around or make an appointment. You only have one chance to make a first impression, and when it’s online it’s all about your content. Nobody’s going to care about your experience or education if it looks like you can’t even put together a quality, error-free homepage. It also doesn’t matter if you’re not the one who made the content: You’re the doctor, it’s your website, so everything is linked to you.
Better matched patients
Some doctors might be thinking the last thing they need is more patients since many medical professionals are already overbooked and understaffed. However, the “quality” of your patients is at stake. If you’re a specialist or you’re more interested in a certain field than another, you can get better matched patients with your content. It’s all reflected in what you say online. Patients with unique needs or with interests that match yours will find you easier and connect when your content is providing the lure.
Everyone needs content that matches their profession. It’s time doctors played catchup.
