The Latest Optometrist SEO Strategies

If you want your optometry practice to stand out online, using Search Engine Optimization (SEO) can change the way potential patients find you. While many practices incorporate keywords, ensure consistent name, address and phone number (NAP) information across the web and stay active on social media—there’s much more to explore.

There’s a whole toolbox of SEO strategies that many eye care professionals are missing out on? From localized keyword research to building local backlinks and creating educational content, these savvy moves can set you apart from your competition, boosting your online visibility and attracting more patients.

Localized Keyword Optimization

Local SEO for optometrists makes your website and social media shout-outs relevant to your local community to draw in patients from your own neighborhood. Incorporating local keywords into your online content can propel your practice to the top of local search rankings, converting online browsers into in-person patients. Tools such as Google Keyword Planner and SEMRush are invaluable for identifying relevant local keywords that people in your area are actively searching for.

For example, if your practice is located in a specific city or close to a famous landmark, use that to your advantage. Start using keywords like “optometrist in [Your City]” or “eye care near [Landmark].” Then, create content highlighting what’s special about your area, from blog posts about local places of interest to tips catering to your community’s needs.

Optimizing Google Business Profile Listing

Improving your Google Business Profile (GBP) can help your practice show up better in local searches and on Google Maps. Make sure your profile includes what services you provide, when you’re open and what your customers have to say about you. Here are a few tips an SEO company might give you to boost your visibility on GBP:

• Create or claim the listing that matches your location and get your practice verified by Google.
• Fill in as many details as possible, including the business name, address, phone number, location and category.
• Build a complete list of your services to help Google match them with relevant keywords.
• Set your opening hours as accurately as possible and regularly update them to account for events or holidays.
• Showcase your business with creative, high-resolution photos.
• Get the word out to your patients to leave their feedback and take the time to reply to every review.

Creating Educational Content on Eye Health

Educational content like blog posts, informative service pages or social media posts can engage your current patients and grab the attention of potential new ones. Well-written and informative content builds trust, establishes your practice as a knowledgeable or authoritative source in the industry and can answer common patient questions. 

Here are examples of optometry subjects to cover:

• Common eye conditions, such as myopia, hyperopia, or cataracts
• Eye care tips and recommendations
• Updates and news posts regarding the latest research, technologies or treatments
• Essential eye care for kids

Add in relevant keywords, fine-tune your posts and link both internally and externally to give your site’s visibility and technical SEO a big boost. For example, blog posts about eye conditions can raise your practice’s visibility on medical SEO keywords.

Using Schema Markup and Rich Snippets

Schema Markup helps search engines understand your content better by highlighting the important parts of your webpage. Rich Snippets are extra pieces of information that appear in search results—they’re like the teaser that makes people want to click, showing things like review scores or a product or service’s cost.

Together, they can make your site the main attraction on Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs), pulling in more clicks and building trust with potential clients before they even visit your site.

Try the following tips to use schema markups and rich snippets on your website:

• Find medical markups for your optometry practice on schema.org. For example, the MedicalCondition schema is ideal for placing on pages describing specific eye conditions.
• Use tools like Google Structured Data Markup Helper to generate HTML code that matches your schema, then add it to your page’s code.
• You can test whether your markup is correctly implemented with tools like Google Rich Results Test.
• If your practice hosts or participates in special events, add an Event schema to create rich snippets on your page’s SERP result and attract more clicks.

Leveraging Local Backlinks

Backlinks or external links, are links on a webpage that send visitors to a different website. External links can be effective for your optometry practice when locally relevant websites link back to yours. Local backlinks might include local newspapers, blogs from businesses in the same area or regional business directories. It shows search engines that your content is relevant and trustworthy and also puts you on the local map where potential patients are looking.

Link building SEO services can help you build strategies to get local backlinks, such as:

• Listing your practice on the local Chamber of Commerce directories or platforms like Yelp.
• Writing guest posts and articles on other blogs, news sites, or community portals.
• Collaborating with local influencers, businesses and content creators in the health, wellness, or eye-care sectors.
• Hosting seminars and educational events and promoting them on social media and discussion groups with relevant hashtags.

Reach Your Target Audience to Grow Your Business

Simple steps like honing in on local keywords and polishing your Google Business Profile can help you connect with your local community and make it easier for new patients to find your practice. So, why wait? Contact SearchX for SEO services that can help your practice move up the ranks.