While SEO will always play a key role in digital marketing, the strategies to effectively drive traffic to your website and improve your ranking are constantly evolving. If you want to make your medical SEO as impactful as possible, avoid these outdated practices.
Ineffective SEO tactics
Although these tricks may have been promoted in the past, data from both SEO companies and search engines show they are currently ineffective.
1. Overusing keywords
You may have been told that using a keyword as many times as possible would help search engines know what type of content was on the site and rank it higher on the results page. However, it is the frequency at which the content is viewed by a user rather than the number of times a keyword appears that improves website ranking.
2. Excessive linking
In previous years, marketers would insert links to other sites in return for backlinks to promote their site. Today, most link exchange is automated by software. Issues with this practice arise when links are inserted that are irrelevant or spam. These can reduce the credibility and professionalism of the site and actually cost you visitors, which lowers your ranking.
3. Content paraphrasing
Rather than create original content, many marketers took the easy and cheap route of finding content and paraphrasing it for use on a different website. Not only are duplicate and plagiarism programs now more effective at finding this type of content, but search engines have also developed new algorithms to find unique content and pages and rank those higher.
4. Search engine content
Past content was written not to provide the reader with valuable information but to maximize keywords so search engines would hopefully improve its ranking. This resulted in content that was both lower quality and difficult to read. Because the content was typically not interesting to the reader, it did not drive traffic to the intended websites or improve rankings.
5. Exact-match text
Marketers previously used the exact target keywords or phrases in the domain name because it could help improve site ranking. An example of this would be toothextractionspecialistdetroit.com. However, in 2012, Google updated its algorithm to lower websites with this type of domain name in the rankings. Many sites previously ranked at the top were lowered significantly, some several pages down.
It was also commonly thought that in order for a link to have maximum impact, it must be attached to the exact keywords. The issue with this was that many keywords did not sound natural in the writing flow, making for poor quality content. When including hyperlinks, marketers today attach them to anchor text that sounds natural to encourage visitors to click on the link.
Keep your SEO updated and effective
Using outdated or ineffective medical SEO methods is not only a waste of time and money but also can be dangerous to the growth of your website. The team members at Doctor Genius can provide results-driven marketing solutions that utilize current tactics proven to be effective. Reach out to us today to discover more about how we can optimize your website and marketing strategies. Let us help you grow the reach of your website and your practice.
Doctor Genius, located at 16800 Aston Street, Suite 270, Irvine, CA 92606, provides a range of services for practice success. We seek to meet our clients’ needs by providing a variety of marketing, SEO, practice optimization tools, and coaching to transform the healthcare experience. Though we work to provide the most accurate information, the content found on this website is solely intended for entertainment purposes. Therefore, we cannot guarantee that the information provided is entirely correct. You may not use the information on this site to cure, prevent, or diagnose a perceived medical issue. If you have healthcare-related needs, please speak directly to a healthcare professional. Never self-perform medical treatments discussed on this website. All images displayed are also for entertainment purposes only, and personal experiences may differ. Please note that the business tactics mentioned on this site might not be applicable to your industry or practice.
