When people think about digital marketing, they might think that they need to get their brand’s name in front of as many eyes as possible. However, the most effective marketing strategy isn’t about casting a wide net. It’s about targeting your efforts to specific audiences who are likely to further their connection with you.
As a mental health professional, you provide important resources to your community, which is who your marketing should prioritize. Local search engine optimization (SEO) should be a pillar of your marketing strategy, which means helping your site to be listed highly on search engine results pages (SERPs). By tracking rankings for your site in particular geographic areas on Google, you can gain a deeper understanding of your potential patients and what their concerns are.
Google local rank tracking means monitoring how your site shifts position on Google SERPs and maps in local areas for specific keywords. As a healthcare provider, it’s a way to measure your online visibility for local patients in your surrounding areas. It can provide a comprehensive look into your targeted marketing success.
Read on to learn about the benefits of using tracking tools and the local SEO differences between locations. Then we’ll also discuss the use of location-specific keywords and how executive reporting on local rankings can help future marketing decisions.
How mental health providers benefit from local rank tracking tools
Even though you may know that tracking metrics is important for long-term digital marketing success, it’s not always evident how many advantages it can actually bring you. By learning about how mental health practices can benefit from these tools, you can ensure that the tracking gets the time and effort it needs to help you be at the top of as many SERPs as possible.
Here are a few ways the tracking tools can help your practice’s SEO performance:
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Consistency across multiple locations
When you have multiple locations, there should be a balance between personalization and consistency. While you want to ensure that your content for specific keywords provides value to the location-specific demographic, there should always be consistency across the board — from tone to how your mission is represented.
The tracking tools can see when there are outliers in your local rankings for specific locations that should be addressed.
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Ability to track competitors
Gaining a competitive advantage is one of the most significant benefits of prioritizing local SEO in your marketing strategy. Using local rank tracking, you can see where you stand in comparison to local competitors.
If you see one competitor regularly ranking higher than you, or that they’re taking a different approach on a keyword than you are, you can dive deeper into how they compare to you and what you can do in the future to stand out.
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Clear insights for priority-setting
Even though your patients’ well-being is always the priority, you can’t provide the necessary care if they never come across your site. By tracking your local ranks, you’re ensuring that your site has as much local visibility as possible.
If you’re having trouble ranking, then you know that you need to reassess your marketing strategies until they are aimed in the right direction. Local rank tracking can put your SEO marketing priorities into perspective to make sure that nothing is slipping through the cracks that may be hindering your digital presence.
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Streamlined reporting for leadership
If you throw too many complex facts and figures at your leadership team, it can seem like there’s nothing tangible to grab onto, making the reporting feel convoluted without any way forward. Local rank tracking makes it nice and easy for leaders to understand exactly how your current SEO strategy is doing and what they need to keep an eye on.
Why local rankings vary across clinic locations
If you have more than one mental health clinic location, it’s important to note that local SEO will vary for each one based on:
- Competition in each specific location
- Searcher proximity to the closest clinic
- Population density
Every community is different, and so are their mental, emotional and behavioral challenges. For example, people in a big city might feel more stressed out from the chaotic atmosphere while people who are in more rural areas may experience issues with loneliness or isolation.
By tracking the local rankings for each location, you can know how to adjust your messaging and content accordingly while still prioritizing a consistent brand voice across all efforts. You’re also able to see what locations are underperforming.
The role of location-specific keywords
Keywords are at the heart of every effective digital marketing strategy, especially when you’re attempting to rank for specific search queries. Prioritizing local SEO means narrowing your keyword scope to queries that are the most relevant to the location’s geography and target demographics.
Patients often search differently based on their area. The keywords in a location can stem from a variety of factors that can impact the mental health of people, including:
- Socioeconomics
- Prevalent social issues, such as discrimination
- Access to supportive resources
- Weather
Keyword intent for mental health services means understanding what the person is actively looking for in that moment and what their mental and emotional state may be.
For example, if a person is searching for keywords like “anxiety coping skills,” then they may be looking for supportive tips to cope with current stress. But if a person is searching “is it normal to have depressed thoughts every day?” then they likely need more immediate support.
Executive reporting: Turning local rank data into smart decisions
Local rank tracking is a type of executive reporting. It can provide you with the most important information and metrics to be informed when you have to make quick decisions about the next marketing efforts.
Executives and practice leaders depend on the type of high-level reporting that comes from local ranking data. It helps them to make decisions that are backed by evidence that are likely to lead to a positive outcome. For example, if a blog page has been steadily rising in the local rankings, then has a sudden drop, there may be a technical issue that needs to be addressed.
Local key ranking tracking also helps with decisions about internal processes, such as:
- Budget allocation
- Staffing
- Expanding or consolidating specific services
- Understanding seasonal or geographic demand
Want to attract new local patients to your website? BURG+CO. can help with local rank tracking
Every type of metric that you’re trying to measure and boost for your SEO performance is important, but local rank tracking is essential for healthcare providers, like mental health practice owners. You should be trying to focus on getting your community members through the door; they are the ones who can have the most significant impact on your reputation.
At BURG+CO., SEO is our bread and butter, and we’d love to focus on helping to boost the visibility and patient acquisition in the areas around your locations. Not only will we track your local rankings on our monthly report, but we’ll also use that data to help you make evidence-backed decisions moving forward.
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.
Let’s turn your digital goals into real growth. Contact BURG+CO. today to learn how we support healthcare practices like yours.