It’s likely every successful urgent care operator has caught on to the idea that effective search engine optimization (SEO, the key terms and phrases that make your web content identifiable to Google and other search engines) is necessary for you to stand out in your marketplace. But have you thought about updating your SEO terms seasonally? Holiday optimization tips for remaining competitive in the SERP, on the website Search Engine Land, includes urgent care centers among the businesses that could most benefit from this practice. “During the holiday season, we sometimes neglect a variety of strategies that help our business maintain positioning within the local pack during a high-traffic time,” according to author Lydia Jorden.
One key tip Jorden has for operators, which she illustrates using the urgent care marketplace as an example: Use Google Trends to see what key terms Google users are searching for most and update your own SEO terms to match them. “Once I figure out those keywords, I can modify my website and alter the content to capitalize on the potential change in searcher behavior that occurs during the holidays,” Jorden says. In the urgent care example, Google Trends shows how use of the terms “hospitals open on Christmas,” “urgent care open on Christmas day,” and “Christmas day urgent care” grows as we get closer to the holiday season; it also reflects that “urgent care open Christmas day” got the most volume of those three phrases. (Presumably, substituting “Thanksgiving” or other holidays when many businesses are closed would be equally fruitful.) You can also enter terms to reflect special hours you intend to be open during a given time period, such as the holiday season.
One more especially relevant tip from the article: “Updating the description in Google My Business and other local search directory listings to holiday-related content that focuses on service offerings (and your product) can help local pack positioning around the holiday season. When Google detects that your local listings have consistent NAP (name, address and phone number) information, along with consistent information that speaks to a user’s search query, it’s more likely your business will rank within the local three-pack.”
It’s a busy time of year. Make sure when patients are looking for reliable medical care they can find you quickly.