You never want to be left in the dark about any aspect of your business. You should be in the know about every nook and cranny, and that includes your search engine performance.
Search engine rankings refer to how highly your site is listed on a search engine results page (SERP) for relevant keywords. For businesses, including healthcare practices, knowing about your rankings gives you a clear indication of your brand’s visibility and brand awareness. If you don’t have high rankings, it’s difficult to get the traffic and conversions you need to flourish.
Checking your search engine ranking can give you insight into the bigger picture of your digital marketing strategy success and help you determine what needs to be done in the future to reach the top of the SERPs.
Read on to learn the basics about checking your search engine ranking and why it’s essential for your digital strategy.
What does it mean to check your search engine ranking?
Your search engine ranking differs from keyword to keyword. That means you may have a high ranking on one query while being at the bottom of the page for another. That’s why checking your rankings should be a priority in your analytics tracking. You can see what targeted keywords you’re getting high visibility on, and which ones may need to be further optimized or revisited.
It’s also possible to see your average search engine position. It’s calculated by dividing the sum of your rankings by the total number of queries. You want to aim for an average between 1 and 3.
You can check your search engine rankings using tools like the Google Search Console or Semrush.
7 reasons you should check your search engine rankings
You already know that your search engine rankings can tell you a lot about your digital effort success. To help, here are seven specific ways that checking your rankings can benefit your strategy:
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It helps you understand how patients are finding your practice.
Every query on a search engine is a keyword that you target in your efforts. By looking up and tracking your search engine rankings, you can see the keywords that are bringing you the most traffic and brand awareness. For example, if you see that you’re ranking high on pages related to sports injury treatment, you can gain insight on user intent and which keywords bring quality leads.
By understanding how potential patients are finding your practice, you can make adjustments to your strategy to target the keywords that are more relevant to your patients.
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You can find potential issues early.
Search engine optimization (SEO) is rarely smooth sailing. There’s always something that requires your attention, whether that be incorporating algorithm criteria changes or creating more engaging call to action (CTA) buttons. By keeping track of your search engine rankings, you can be on the lookout for potential issues. For example, if you suddenly experience a significant drop for a specific keyword, there may be technical issues on the content targeting that keyword.
Monitoring your rankings can also help you keep an eye on content that’s gradually becoming outdated or less relevant. If a page is gradually slipping down over time, that’s a sign that it may need to be revisited and optimized.
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You can see how you stand out among your competitors.
Gaining a competitive edge is a significant benefit of search engine optimization. If you’re ranking high on SERPs, you’re more likely to get eyes on your site than competitors that are listed lower.
Your rankings will show you where you’re leading the charge and where you need some tweaking to align better with what the algorithm is looking for. You’ll also be able to gain a better understanding of your relevance and authority in your specialized area. If you see that you’re not ranking as high as other providers, you can see gaps in your own strategy that may be interfering with your algorithm credibility.
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Your rankings play a role in patient trust.
Every type of business should strive to establish trust with users, and this is even more important if you’re a provider who wants to be trusted with a person’s health and wellness. Search engine users tend to associate high ranking sites with credible businesses. More than 95% of people click on the top 10 results, and the click-through rate of the first organic result is approximately 28.5%.
By staying on top of your rankings, you can see how trustworthy you are in the eyes of both the algorithm and potential patients. You can nurture that trust throughout the patient journey for increased retention and referrals.
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You can find new opportunities to reach more patients.
Looking at your search engine rankings can make you feel so close to the results you’re looking for, but you might not be sure how to get there. You may be just one rank away from being on the first page for a targeted keyword, or you may be trying to be listed in the AI overview feature.
By monitoring how your rankings perform over time, you can see room for improvement that can give your content the push it needs to get the exposure you’re looking for. Small optimization changes worth trying include:
- Adding internal and external links
- Including engaging visuals
- Adjusting CTAs to target user intent
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You can use the insight to make necessary Google Business Profile changes.
Local SEO should be a priority in your digital marketing strategy, which is where your Google Business Profile (GBP) comes in. It shows people in your served areas the relevance of your services as well as your proximity and reviews. The engagement and visibility of your GBP can have a significant impact on your local search engine rankings.
By paying attention to your rankings and the supporting data, such as organic traffic in your local areas, you can determine potential changes that need to be made in your GBP. You could use the “posts” feature to provide updates or ensure the accuracy of your listed services.
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It supports your practice’s long-term digital marketing strategy.
When you get to the top of SERPs, you’re likely to stay there for a while, unless there are significant technical issues that go unnoticed over time. SEO can help you reach sustainable growth that can help your practice grow for months — even years — to come.
Through consistent monitoring of your search engine rankings, you can stay on top of your SEO efforts instead of being reactive when things slip through the cracks. You can also use the data to make decisions that continue your digital growth, such as adding new specialty service pages to your site or creating educational content for competitive niche keywords.
Want to attract new patients to your website? BURG+CO. can help by checking your search engine rankings
Even though it’s natural to want to be at the top of every SERP to get as many eyes on your site as possible, it can take a while to get there. By checking and monitoring your rankings over time, you can make data-informed decisions that help you get the traffic and conversions needed to help you grow. At BURG+CO., your rankings are just one aspect that we track in our SEO analytics.
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.