HELPING YOUR CLINIC REACH

Cosmetic Digital director Adam Hampson looks at how to be top of the search result pile

In over 16 years of marketing aesthetic clinics digitally, I’ve only had two clinics tell me they didn’t want new clients. For most readers, I can assume you are looking for new clients and want to grow your business.

IS SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMISATION (SEO) RIGHT FOR MARKETING MY CLINIC?

You might have already paid a company for SEO or dabbled a bit yourself. Perhaps you’ve added keywords or written blogs, but you’ve not seen much for your efforts or investment. You might be wondering if it’s worth it and how can you possibly compete with larger clinics with larger budgets anyway.

Let’s look at a common misconception, as well as some challenges smaller clinics face, with a view to creating a strategy to overcome them. Having worked with clinics since 2005, I’ve spent years helping independent aesthetic small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) leapfrog the bigger high street chains to achieve that No.1 position on Google.

COMMON SEO MISCONCEPTIONS

Don’t believe the hype - SEO isn’t dead, it’s very much alive. Getting new clients through Google helps clinics consistently grow their business year on year. The way you, I and most other people use Google’s search engine to find services and businesses hasn’t changed that much in the last 10 years.

Social media is great for building trust, brand awareness, entertainment and or insight, but Google has not been replaced by Instagram or TikTok just yet as a go-to search platform and doesn’t generate the same quality clients or profits in the same way clinics do through Google.

Most clinics prefer to target older, wealthier clients, in their late 30s and upwards, as these clients generally have larger treatment plans and generate more profit. They are generally more brand loyal and don’t shop on price as much. We know most of these clients come through Google search, not social media.

CHALLENGES OF OPTIMISING YOUR WEBSITE ON GOOGLE

To make a significant impact on your clinic’s income through Google SEO, you need to aim for the top three positions as these bring in the most traffic and, therefore, more clients to your clinic.

With the prominence of Google paid adverts and ‘Google My Business’ listings, even if your clinic ranks organically as one of the top three, you will still be halfway down the first page. Being at the bottom of page one isn’t a close second anymore.

A successful marketing strategy comes at a price, especially in competitive locations like London, where smaller, or newer clinics with limited marketing budgets will struggle to allocate enough resources to beat the competition and attract new clients.

A potential issue to be aware of is the advertising rules set and monitored by Google Ads. Running ads even for approved aesthetic treatments are likely not to be approved or even be stopped, due to certain keywords on your website such as ‘PRP’ or ‘Botox’. It’s therefore important to think about if you want to include Google Ads now or in the future as part of your strategy, and, if so, adapt your SEO for this.

One of the most common reasons a clinic can’t get to the top is how its website is built. How your website is made has a huge impact on your rankings. Wix, Squarespace and other website providers offer a great and costeffective option for smaller clinics but don’t usually rank as high on Google as WordPress websites.

TIPS TO CREATE THE RIGHT SEO STRATEGY

Some of my tips to get the right strategy and Google rankings: 

1. Choose keywords based on search volume: Instead of relying on what you think people search for, or what terms you use in clinic, software tools will help to identify the best keywords to include in your strategy based on search volume. Include technical terms but focus on the most used search terms for your treatments. Keyword search volume is also a great tool to use to help decide on buying that new expensive machine for the clinic, as this tells you the demand for treatment.

2. Focus on Google: While there are other search engines, Google remains the goto platform with around 80% of all daily searches and should be your primary focus before considering others.

3. Consider location: Understand how your clients search for locations and optimise accordingly. If your clinic is in a rural area, clients may be more willing to travel longer and therefore search further away. In larger cities like London, clients may prefer clinics closer to home.

4. Allow time for results: SEO is not a quick fix. It takes time to see results, so be patient. A timeframe of around 6 months is realistic to start seeing noticeable improvements in your rankings. Though in London you may need 12 months or longer to really achieve results.

5. Don’t target too many treatments: Focusing on fewer treatments will yield better results than optimising for numerous treatments. By narrowing your focus, you can allocate more resources and attention to those specific treatments.

6. Avoid negative keywords: Negative keywords are commonly used in searches but may not be relevant to your typical client. It’s unwise to use the search term ‘weight loss’ to drive people to your fat-freezing machine. This is because people searching for weight loss are more likely to be looking for lower-cost options or information about diets or workouts. Optimising for these keywords can lead to high traffic but low conversion rates.

7. Track and review: Use software to track the success of your keywords and regularly review your strategy. Adjust and refine your strategy based on the results you see, and schedule regular reviews with your SEO team to ensure alignment with your overall marketing plan.

8. Understand the competition: As you climb higher in the rankings, you’ll be knocking other clinics off the top spot. It’s important to be aware that they will try to regain their position. Be prepared to adapt your strategy accordingly.

9. Work with an experienced company: To maximise the effectiveness of your SEO investment, collaborate with a team that has experience in the aesthetic industry. They understand regulations and challenges specific to your field, allowing for a more effective approach with fewer future problems and faster results.

It’s undeniable that SEO is a valuable tool for marketing your aesthetic clinic. When potential clients search for aesthetic treatments, they are more likely to click on the top-ranking results, and more visibility means more bookings for your clinic.

Remember there are no guarantees with SEO. Any company or individual that guarantees results should be approached with caution. Google is the authority, only they can determine where your website will rank.

While it comes with its challenges, the benefits of ranking number one on Google cannot be overlooked. By creating the right SEO strategy, choosing the best keywords, and understanding trends and regulations, you can position your clinic at the top of Google and achieve growth and profit for your clinic.