Prep the OR—Cosmetic surgery is in vogue as of late. What was once reserved for the upper echelons of society is now attainable for everyday individuals. And recent research echoes this fact.
Data from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons reveal that cosmetic procedures are on the rise, with an increase of 250,000 procedures from 2017 to 2018. This leaves plastic surgeons with the opportunity to capitalize on this surge of interest. Of course, this requires a targeted approach.
Read on to learn about a simple procedure that can make a visible difference in your marketing results.
How does local SEO for plastic surgeons work?
According to Google Trends, interest in plastic surgery has remained powerful and steady over the past year and is heading in an upwards direction.
But a growing curiosity about plastic surgery doesn’t automatically translate into patients walking through your doors. So the goal becomes targeting people who are already on the lookout for a plastic surgeon in the area.
The fact of the matter is that the search for a plastic surgeon often begins online. Individuals turn to search engines to find trusted and highly rated plastic surgery offices near them. This means that offices that appear on the search engine results page (SERP) get more attention and more patients.
Fortunately, the path to a top spot in the search results doesn’t have to be a guessing game. Using local SEO, you can position your practice in front of interested searchers.
Local SEO is a branch of search engine optimization that aims to place your business in prominent spots both on Google Maps and on the standard search results page.
When users search for terms like “plastic surgeon near me” or “best plastic surgeon in Miami,” they are conducting local searches. Local searches are incredibly powerful because they often lead to action on the part of the searcher. In fact, 76% of people who conduct a mobile search for a nearby business visit within a day.
Let’s examine local SEO at work. When we search “best plastic surgeon in Nashville,” three practices show up at the very top of the SERP. This is highly sought after territory since users gravitate towards the top three results in most searches.
Shifting our attention to Google Maps, we’ll input the same search term. Here, there are more chances to rank in the map results so we can see a few more practices. However, the top three from the primary results page are still the top three in Google Maps results.
How are these practices ranking at the top? Did they get blessed by the Google Gods? No, these practices all have a complete and well maintained Google My Business (GMB) profile. When we select Music City Plastic Surgery of Nashville, the GMB profile pops up.
Gaze upon the beauty of an information-filled GMB profile. With details about hours of operation, plenty of pictures and reviews from clients, this GMB profile is gleaming.
Google My Business is the key foundational element of a local SEO strategy. With this free mechanism, your plastic surgery practice has a chance of standing out among larger competitors in the area.
Of course, it’s not enough just to have a GMB profile. Once you set up your profile and verify your location, getting your profile to the top begins. Thankfully, Google is forthcoming about what factors contribute to high local SEO rankings. Here are the three elements to consider.
Distance
No surprise here. Local search results are tied closely to the location of your practice. For instance, if someone in Los Angeles searches for “plastic surgeon near me,” search results will display doctors and offices within a certain mile radius of that location. A plastic surgeon two hours away in Bakersfield is less likely to show up than one in Burbank, just a 15-minute drive from the searcher. To ensure people nearby can find you, check that your address is accurate on your GMB profile.
Relevance
You know the phrase TMI? There’s no such thing when it comes to your Google My Business profile. Since Google strives to provide the most relevant search results to users, it relies on information filled profiles for accurate results. Such a profile like that of Music City Plastic Surgery of Nashville is exactly the kind you should emulate. The more information you share, the more likely your practice will be featured in the search results.
Prominence
Lastly, an influential factor in your local ranking has to do with how well known you or your practice is. The popular reality tv series Botched launched Dr. Terry Dubrow into the public eye in a massive way. As such, his practice has a good deal of prominence. But for doctors without droves of dedicated viewers, there is hope.
Boosting prominence is a key way to increase your visibility in local rankings. Getting your practice to the front page requires building up mentions of your practice across multiple websites. The ideal tool for this endeavor is called a citation.
What are citations?
Say you conduct a successful surgery on a patient who is thrilled with her results. Her friends notice the improvement, and she gushes to them about your services. Thanks to the endorsement, one of the friends decide to undergo a procedure at your office.
Word of mouth marketing is not a new phenomenon. While it offers a boost in patients, it is not a reliable or steady means of increasing the awareness of your practice. Fortunately, there is a way to grow mentions of your practice reliably for real results.
Citations are digital mentions of your practice on blogs, plastic surgeon directories and other online locations. Each citation includes at least the name, address and phone number (NAP) of your office.
What makes these mentions worthy of your time? Simply put, they increase your prominence.
When Google determines what plastic surgery practice to display on the results page, it looks for trustworthy and authoritative locations. To determine this, it scans the web for mentions of practice to see if multiple sources link back. Each citation you earn in a plastic surgeon directory is like an endorsement from that site, signaling your trustworthiness to Google.
Dr. Alexis Fuerze benefits from his directory listing in Healthgrades.
Best plastic surgery directories to list your business in
Now that you understand the importance of citations, it’s time to take action. Here are seven plastic surgeon directories to start your climb up the prominence ladder.
American Society of Plastic Surgeons
Members of the ASPS can earn a citation in this well-respected plastic surgeon directory. Because the organization has an international reach, the directory lists surgeons from an array of countries. For doctors in the U.S., certification by the American Board of Plastic Surgery is a prerequisite for obtaining a listing.
Healthgrades
Unlike many plastic surgeon directories that solely focus on cosmetic procedures, Healthgrades is open to physicians from various disciplines, including dentists, doctors and surgeons. While it is less specialized, it’s more well known and brings in a great deal of web traffic. Getting listed in this directory is a great way to boost your authority in search engines’ eyes.
The Aesthetic Society
The Aesthetic Society has been around since 1967 and showcases highly trained surgeons in its directory. According to the society’s website, “only surgeons certified by a peer review organization specializing in plastic surgery” are eligible to join and gain a listing. There are over 2600 members of this organization. If you have the relevant certifications, consider joining for a spot in the plastic surgeon directory.
MD.com
Users can search for plastic surgeons based on location on the MD.com directory. While not strictly a plastic surgeon directory, the site does have a dedicated section for those searching for a cosmetic surgeon in their area.
American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery
The American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery has a directory that features highly skilled cosmetic surgeons worldwide. If you are an AACS member, you are eligible for a spot among these medical professionals.
International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery
Another members-only directory is the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery Directory. As the name suggests, this directory provides listings for surgeons across the globe. However, the majority of members are located in the United States and Mexico.
American Board of Cosmetic Surgery
The American Board of Cosmetic Surgery provides specialty training for plastic surgeons that wish to focus solely on cosmetic medicine. This directory is open to members of the ABCS across the United States.
Attract new patients with a transformative local SEO strategy
Running a cosmetic surgery practice comes with its unique set of daily hurdles and challenges to navigate. Let a team of experts take marketing off your plate so you can focus on what you do best. Whether you need a head-to-toe makeover or a few simple tweaks to make your SEO strategy shine, the experienced team at Markitors is at your disposal.
Local SEO is a critical part of a larger SEO strategy that can launch your practice in front of new clients every day. If you’re ready to see growth in your practice or are struggling to attract the ideal client type, allow our digital PR, technical SEO and other digital marketing specialists to execute a winning strategy for your practice. Eager to know more about how we can assist your practice? Schedule a consultation today.
