As technology has grown, medicine has led the charge in developing and using new technologies as they come out, both to make life easier and to help their patients. However, there is one sector of technology often overlooked by healthcare providers that could improve their patients’ experience: SEO. Using SEO to make sure your office is visible to new and returning patients is essential as the Internet is increasingly important to patients’ lives.
The Patient Experience
When a patient has a bad or difficult experience at a doctor’s office there are a few different outcomes. In some cases the patient will continue to return, but other times patients may switch providers altogether, or the experience may make them uncomfortable seeking care at all and lead to them avoiding doctor’s visits to the detriment of their health. Accessibility is also key to the patient experience, patients are less likely to visit a doctor’s office they cannot research or find on the Internet. Many healthcare providers ignore SEO or their online presence and, as a result, when patients Google “doctors near me” or something similar, they do not show up and those patients do not even know they are an option or what great care they provide.
Patients are also used to being able to schedule things or contact people exclusively online and this extends to their physicians. Some patients who are either hard of hearing or are nervous about seeking care prefer to make appointments online or want to speak to their providers beforehand for more information, but struggle to do so in person or talking over a telephone call. Offices that do not provide these options are often skipped altogether or the patient may not seek care at all. Patients’ experience is an important part of their care, they need to feel safe and comfortable with their physician, which is why it is so important to keep up with SEO developments online. To find out more about how it works, visit this website.
Improving Patient Experience
Even knowing you need to improve patients’ experiences and knowing an online presence is needed, you may be asking yourself, “How do I improve patients’ experiences?” Below are 7 easy ways to improve the patient experience.
- Make Your Website Mobile-Friendly
First things first, if you do not already have a website, you need to make one as soon as you can. Patients spend almost all of their time online, especially on their phones. While you are making your website make sure it is mobile-friendly because a majority of the traffic you receive will be from a smartphone. Patients trying to visit your site on their phone if it is not mobile-friendly may become frustrated and give up, finding another physician whose information they can look at on a friendlier site or just not making an appointment at all to receive care This problem is easily solved by making your website mobile-friendly as soon as possible so patients can view your office’s site.
- Create a Well-Optimized Google My Business Profile
People are always using Google, whether it be to translate foreign languages, find answers to a question, or find a doctor’s office. Google My Business allows you to manage what they see when they Google your office, including images and the map function. Google reports that businesses that post photos of their businesses receive 42% more requests for directions on Google Maps and 35% more clicks on their website. This can be game-changing especially for smaller doctor’s offices that cannot rely on word of mouth on their own. What is better is Google offers this service free of charge to businesses.
- Offer Different Options to Schedule an Appointment
Traditionally, to make an appointment with a doctor you had to spend forever on the phone while the secretary thumbed through your information and tried to find you a slot. However, as technology improved the patient experience, many businesses and doctor’s offices offer appointment scheduling online. This makes it easier for patients to check their schedules and see what days you are available and, in some cases, leave a note about why they are seeking care. For hard-of-hearing patients or those constantly on the go, scheduling online may be a lifesaver and allow them to seek the care they need easier than they would be able to otherwise.
- Educate Your Healthcare Consumers With the Help of Your Content/Blog
Oftentimes patients will look their symptoms or their medical questions up online before seeking care with a doctor. By having a blog readily available or content on your website that answers their questions, patients are getting a reliable source instead of someone with no credentials on the Internet. They will also be more likely to turn to your office in the future for any other health concerns and are more likely to make an appointment with you. This also increases your online presence and showcases the wealth of knowledge you have, putting patients at ease.
- Offer Detailed Information On Your Conditions, Services, etc. On Your Website
Patients want to be well informed about the doctor they are seeking treatment or care from and what they bring to the table, what they will or will not do, and if they specialize in anything specific. They are less likely to contact a doctor that does not list what they specialize in or what they offer or they may be embarrassed to ask about certain treatments. Providing the answers to most questions asked about your doctor’s office improves patient experience and gives them more confidence in contacting you for an appointment.
- Create Your Profiles On Business and Healthcare Directories
Names that appear on directories are going to get more traffic flow than those that do not, because it lends the office credibility when they are ranked next to a multitude of other professionals. This also helps your office become more visible to people not necessarily searching for a doctor’s office or a doctor’s office like yours, but may become interested when they see you and learn more about you. There are also some patients that go directly for a directory before looking anything else up and search for doctors from there.
- Demonstrate a Commitment to Patient Safety
Everyone wants to feel safe, especially when they visit the doctor. Patients with health concerns or autoimmune disorders will feel safer with a doctor that explicitly states their commitment to the patient’s health and safety. Patient safety can also mean keeping a patient’s personal information safe, especially in the day and age of technology and hackers, patients want to know you are doing your best to keep their information safe. Reassuring them you are doing your utmost to protect them will make them more comfortable seeing you, improving their experience.
Conclusion
Patients spend almost all their time on the Internet, on their phones, and keeping up with the latest SEO and other Internet technologies is important for improving patient experience. Having online options to speak to a doctor, schedule an appointment, or find out information is essential to making patients feel at ease with your doctor’s office. The sooner doctor’s offices catch up with SEO and the Internet the more people they can reach and help.
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source: https://www.hometownstation.com/news-articles/7-ideas-how-to-improve-patients-experience-with-the-help-of-seo-388227
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