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December 27, 2023

It’s that time of year again…when we reflect on where we’ve been and map out where we’re headed. And with physician burnout rates at an all-time high in the U.S., there is one resolution medical practices should prioritize in 2024: Building a healthier online presence.

Of course, as you’ll read below, maintaining a healthy web presence is hard work, which is why many MEDENT clients work with PracticeBeat to boost their site’s success. (For a limited time, PracticeBeat is offering MEDENT customers complimentary real-time market share data and HIPAA Risk Assessments. MEDENT recommends annual reviews with PracticeBeat.)

Why?

A healthy online profile builds trust.

In this increasingly digital age, rather than relying on recommendations from family or friends, studies show four in five Americans start their search for a physician online. Thus, a strong online presence has become a necessity for medical practices that want to retain and attract more patients.

This then begs the question how are these searches being made, and how do patients decide who to choose?

How?

There are three primary ways patients find their doctors online: 

Local Search

A patient may search “family practice near me” or “family practice in [city].”

Practice Search

A patient may search “Bartolomucci Family Medicine.” 

Doctor Search

A patient may search “Kevin Bartolomucci, DO” or “Dr. Bartolomucci.”

95% of all online searches are made on Google.

If you want your medical practice to outrank your competitors in online searches, you’ll need to understand how Google displays its search results. 

IN LOCAL SEARCHES, Google features the three best practices or provider profiles with a map. This “Google 3-Pack” always displays above the organic search results, making it highly competitive. 

Landing a spot in the local 3-pack ultimately drives more traffic to your profile and website because you’re essentially in the top 3 search results people see.

Click the image to view its full size.

IN PRACTICE AND DOCTOR SEARCHES, the entire “Google My Business” profile appears. This profile displays crucial business information, such as your address, phone number and hours of operation. 

It always appears in the top right on the first page of Google, and it takes up half the screen on a mobile device. This profile is often the first thing the searcher sees.

Click the image to view its full size.

What?

What should you do to boost visibility?

If you want to land a top spot in search results and outrank competitors, you’ll need to build and maintain a healthy online presence.

You can no longer pay your way to the top, as Google ranks local, relevant, high-quality results above sponsored results. So, to earn that prime placement, you’ll need to be well-versed in the ranking process as Google’s algorithm uses hundreds of specific criteria to evaluate a site’s search worthiness. 

Here are just a few factors to consider: 

Content Quality

Google Panda prioritizes high-quality content, so sites that publish unique, thorough or useful content often see a boost in ranking.​

Backlinks

Google Penguin negatively ranks sites that manipulate backlinks, or links to sites from sources outside your own site.

Copyright

Google Pirate negatively ranks sites that violate copyright law.

Mobile Design

Google's Mobile Update prioritizes mobile-friendly websites that do not require users to zoom in or scroll horizontally.

Page Speed

Google prioritizes sites with shorter load times. Make sure you analyze your website's Google PageSpeed Insights.

Reputation

Google Pigeon lets users see top-ranking businesses in their neighborhoods. You'll want at least 34 positive, recent reviews and a high overall rating (5-star).

Accuracy

Google looks at more than 70 listing and consumer healthcare sites to make sure you're maintaining consistent business information.

Who?

Who can help?

PracticeBeat’s team of experts can evaluate, manage and upgrade your entire digital presence so you can focus on patient care. 

To start, PracticeBeat will identify market share issues and calculate your “Patient Loss Risk Score”…all at no cost to your practice! This means you’re getting a free digital diagnosis as well as a list of recommendations to improve visibility and reputation. 

Of course, maintaining a healthy online presence is no small task. That’s why many MEDENT clients rely on PracticeBeat to manage their entire web presence and ensure their website follows Google’s Best Practice. 

With PracticeBeat, you’re guaranteed a healthy online presence as their team will:

  • Create or Renovate A High-Performance Website For Your Practice
  • Claim and Manage All Online Profiles
  • Maintain Consistent Business Info Across 75 Fact Checking Sites
  • Provide Social Media Material, Blog Posts and Ads
  • Optimize SEO
  • Collect and Auto-Publish Positive Patient Reviews
  • Develop A Marketing Strategy with Conversion Tracking
  • Address Security Risks and Ensure HIPAA Compliance

Plus, as a partner of MEDENT, PracticeBeat will set up Patient Portal, New Patient Registration, Online Appointment Scheduling and Online Guest Pay for practices that are interested in these digital features. MEDENT will also automatically send data to PracticeBeat on a nightly basis, so the team can further evaluate your success. 

Ready?

See where you rank!

Contact MEDENT team member Ed Regis at edr@medent.com to learn more about our partnership with PracticeBeat and find out where you rank against your competition.

For a limited time, PracticeBeat is offering MEDENT customers complimentary real-time market share data and HIPAA Risk Assessments. MEDENT recommends annual reviews with PracticeBeat.