SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is all about helping your ideal patients find your clinic online, whether or not they’ve heard of you before. It ensures that when people search for services in your area, your website shows up at the top of search results.
The Clinic Sites platform is already designed to be SEO friendly with fast load speeds, mobile optimization, clean code, and built-in fields for metadata. But with a few simple steps, you can do even more to boost your visibility.
Before you start
To follow these steps, make sure you have Admin access to your Clinic Sites dashboard. You’ll also want access to your Google Business profile, and optionally, a YouTube or blog account for creating shareable content.
Write Valuable, Search-Friendly Content
The most important SEO strategy is simple: provide helpful content that speaks directly to your ideal patient. Search engines reward pages that solve real problems and answer common questions. Your headlines and content should reflect what people are actually searching for.
Ask yourself: “Would my patient type this into Google?” Then write your page content, headings, and blog articles with that question in mind.
Include Keywords in the Right Places
Keywords tell search engines what your page is about. The best keywords describe what you offer and where you offer it. Add your primary keywords to every page. Use location-based terms like "Chiropractor in New York" and be clear about the service offered and where.
Where to use your keywords:
- SEO Page Title: Massage Therapy in North Vancouver
- Heading 1 (H1): Core service and location
- Heading 2 (H2): Related technique, patient outcome, or treatment style
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SEO Page Description: One to two sentence summary that includes your keyword.
Add Videos to Keep Patients Engaged
Video is a powerful way to improve your site’s performance in search results, as Google notices when visitors stay on your site longer. A video helps keep them there, signaling that your site is engaging and worth ranking higher.
Add videos like stretches and at-home exercises, health tips, and patient testimonials. You can add Video blocks to your pages or add embedded videos to your blog posts to keep content interactive.
Get Backlinks from Other Sites
Backlinks are when another website links to yours, as that's one of the biggest trust signals for search engines. When other reputable sites link to your clinic, it shows that your content is trustworthy.
To increase the likelihood that another website will link to yours, you can write helpful blog posts that others want to share, get listed in directories like Yelp, Apple Maps, and Yellow Pages, appear on podcasts, and ask hosts to link to your site or partner with local businesses or associations and request backlinks.
Optimize Your Site for Local Searches
Most patients search with terms like "physio near me" or "massage therapist in [city]." Google uses your location and contact details to help those patients find you.
To increase your visibility in local search results, make sure your Name, Address, and Phone number (NAP) are consistent across your footer and all pages, and use your city or neighborhood name on every page.
You can also set up or update your Google Business Profile, confirm your business is listed in Apple Maps, Yelp, and Yellow Pages, and make sure to match your website contact details to what’s shown in Google and Apple Maps
Check Colour Contrast for Accessibility and SEO
Website accessibility is important for patient experience, and it can affect your SEO ranking. Google favours sites that meet accessibility standards. High-contrast colors help users with vision impairments and make your site easier to navigate.
We recommend taking a look at the guide How to Manually Change Your Website Colours, to ensure that your website's brand colours make your website accessible to everyone.
Next Steps
In this guide, we covered what SEO is, why it matters, and how to take practical steps to improve your website’s search visibility. From keyword placement and video content to local directories and contrast checking, every step helps more patients discover and trust your clinic online. Now that you’ve explored SEO best practices, take a look at these next:
- Best Practices for Page Content Length
- Best Practices for Using Images on Your Website
- Getting started with your Clinic Sites website