Helping people with their mental health means acknowledging their internal challenges and giving them the guidance to work through them. When you know that your target demographic is already having a difficult time, the last thing you want to do is make it harder for them to access that guidance.
You want to make it as easy as possible for users to navigate through your site to get the information they’re looking for while nudging them to complete a conversion (e.g., filling out a form, booking an appointment). The ease of navigation plays a significant role in the overall user experience. The algorithm takes the quality of user experience into account while ranking sites for relevant queries, as it doesn’t want to prioritize low-quality sites for anyone.
If you want to make sure that you’re covering all your navigation bases to help your search engine optimization (SEO) performance, here’s a checklist to keep you on track:
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Site hierarchy
When people are looking for support for their mental health, the last thing they want is to jump around to irrelevant pages that don’t pertain to their search query. You should prioritize a straightforward site structure that organizes content in a hierarchy. Starting out broad, such as having a category for anxiety disorders, and narrowing the content down into subcategories of specific disorders provides a clear navigational path for the user.
A hierarchical site structure also helps the search engine algorithm understand your site’s content and the relationship between the pages.
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User-friendly labels
If you run a mental healthcare practice, you likely use clinical language without even realizing it. But when you’re trying to appeal to potential patients or clients, who may not be familiar with the clinical terms, you want to ensure that your site caters to them as much as possible.
Try to incorporate user-friendly language throughout your navigation menus and buttons. Depending on your target demographic and brand voice, you can even try a conversational tone. The goal is to help them see how accessible and compassionate your care is. The algorithm wants to ensure that you’re always putting the patient first, even before they book an appointment with you.
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Search bar
If a user found your site on a search engine, it’s because your content aligned with the keyword that they typed in. The same concept of instantaneous results should apply on your website as well. That’s what a search bar does.
Some users may want to spend time exploring the ins and outs of your navigation menus to see what is available. And that can be a great way to boost engagement, lower your bounce rate and strengthen your credibility. But having a search bar on your site is an effective way to quickly move people along to a conversion. You’re giving them the exact information they’re looking for instead of making them feel like they are on a wild goose chase.
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Logical internal linking
Internal linking can help navigation by connecting relevant pages that can further provide value to the user based on their concern and intent. It boosts the user experience by making it easy to find more specific information while keeping the reader engaged to reduce the bounce rate. You can also use internal links as a way to move the user toward a conversion, such as linking the “Contact Us” page.
Having an easy-to-follow internal linking structure also boosts the crawlability and indexability of the pages. You’re helping the algorithm understand the content for accurate rankings, increasing the visibility and organic traffic from relevant search queries.
Want to attract new patients to your website? BURG+CO. can help you boost your SEO with the best navigation practices
The importance of your site’s navigation shouldn’t be underestimated. It’s a vital contributing factor to user experience and how efficiently you provide the information that potential patients are looking for. If you’re not sure of the best SEO navigation practices to use for your mental health brand, BURG+CO. can help you figure out the best approaches.
We’ll complete an SEO audit to determine what could be interfering with user navigation and plan how to make your site align better with what the algorithm is looking for.
Our team has years of experience in helping healthcare brands improve their digital presence to attract new patients and retain existing ones. If you’re looking to perform better in search engine results and attract more potential patients to your site, we’re ready to talk to you to see how we can help.
Want expert support with your digital marketing? Connect with BURG+CO. today to explore how we can help your healthcare brand grow.