There are a lot of "continuums" in healthcare that cover billing, diagnosis and treatment, disease, etc. You should know about one more continuum: Patient Engagement Marketing.
This continuum covers the flow of a person into a patient, where and how they'll discover you, and where the marketing value is in each part of the continuum. By learning and using this continuum, you can produce a much more targeted and measurable marketing plan.
The continuum moves from Non-Patient to Patient at the highest level. Within the Non-Patient segment, we have searchers with pain that is acute. As the pain moves from acute to chronic, the searchers move towards becoming patients. Once a searcher becomes a patient, their understanding of their condition increases, and their search patterns become more advanced. Education about their condition eventually leads to local searches among service lines. Patients continue to seek information through diagnosis and treatment. Each stage of the continuum offers marketing opportunities for your patient types.
NON-PATIENT
The Internet has allowed everyone access to a variety of useful advice, opinions, and worthless guidance. People who have acute pain, but have not sought medical advice, tend to use Dr. Internet as their primary physician, for better or worse.
Pain - The largest searched medical term online is "pain". Back pain, hip pain, knee pain - add whatever part hurts to the word "pain" and you're in the biggest search bucket available for general conditions of that anatomical part. These search buckets come in two flavors: condition and treatment. When someone searches for "back pain", we see condition-based results. "Back pain treatment" delivers information about products, procedures, and education on treatment options.
Because these condition and treatment searches are so broad, many different types of advertisers spend millions of dollars to show up in these search results. Typically you will see more ads in treatment searches than condition searches because advertisers know that searches for non-treatment terms are for information and awareness, and treatment searches are for actions. A search for "knee pain" is general and returns Google's best-of-class results like Mayo Clinic, WebMD, etc. Advertisers in condition are typically information delivery websites or local advertisers who simply want top-of-mind awareness. I rarely advise clients to spend money advertising in the pain condition bucket, as it is too broad and isn't an actionable search.
Treatment searches, such as "back pain treatment", are still broad but better than condition searches because the user is now seeking something and will be more receptive to advertising. However, advertising for a local doctor in this bucket is a sure cure for excess cash. Your advertising budget will burn up very quickly and you'll get a huge amount of visits - and bounces, if you're the wrong type of doctor. This segment is far too generalized for surgeons and is more in line with chiropractic and pain management specialists. Pain treatment searchers are typically in the acute phase or early chronic phase of their condition and are not necessarily seeking surgical options. Even though we know surgeons provide many non-surgical treatment pathways, the typical non-patient still associates surgeons with surgery.
There is one more aspect to search - localization. If you search for "back pain treatment" and add the name of your town, i.e. "back pain treatment Oklahoma city", you will see a different set of results. We mentioned earlier that searches for treatment are actions, and the addition of a city indicates an action they're ready to take now. These searchers will be more receptive to ads and also awareness of any type of doctor or surgeon. You still want to watch your budget as you'll still get searchers who want a quick fix. If you are a surgeon, I typically advise a limited spend on these terms as you'll see a lot of bounces once they land on your site and see the word "surgery".
Getting prospective patients to your website is only half the battle. You must have a "landing page" on your website that addresses those terms you are paying for, and delivers a call to action. For example, a search for "back pain treatment" showed ads for Laser Spine Institute, BC Powder, local chiropractors, a strap-on laser product (really!), and Aleve. If the page that the searcher lands on does not reflect what they were seeking, they will leave immediately and this visit will show up as a "bounce" in your Google Analytics, and your ad budget will decrease with no ROI.
A well-written landing page will have key terms that cover a number of searches and will be written in context so that Google recognizes the subject of the page and adds it to the organic results, which is your long-term goal.
As mentioned, chiropractors and pain management specialists will want to consider spending ad budgets on these non-patient types. However, there is no downside to having pain content on any doctor's website. The worst that can happen is you show up in organic search results, and that's always a good thing. Surgeons who do not show up in pain searches should not worry over this; acute pain people are not your target audience. DO create pain content, DO consider ads if your competitors show up, and DO have an awareness of where you do or do not rank in pain searches, but DO NOT panic if you do not show up and a competitor does. Create good content and consider a short-term localized pain ad campaign to see how your community responds to your landing page.
Acute to Chronic - These searchers have evolved and tried the magic pills, bracelets, and OTC remedies. The pain is persisting and becoming chronic, and they will be looking for more solutions, including injections and surgery. They will focus on treatment conditions, so consider creating content that uses words like "treatment", "therapy", "remedy", "surgery", and other action words. This will help your content show up under many terms for both condition and treatment. Also consider that these people have been searching and educating themselves and may have moved to self-diagnosis. They will be aware of medical terms and may include them in their search. Use both layman and clinical terms in your content, i.e. lateral epicondylitis as well as tennis elbow. Ensure that you have both condition AND treatment content on your website. Do NOT put multiple conditions or multiple treatments on a single page. That is the fastest way to avoid Google searches. Google cannot determine the page's focus when there is a variety of content. If you do have one of these pages, ensure the treatments and conditions link out to standalone pages. Pages should reflect single subjects thoroughly, covering both condition and treatment. Individual pages for condition and treatment are even better.
Keep in mind that the Acute to Chronic searchers may be patients already. They may have a related condition, they may be looking for a more knowledgeable doctor, or they may be planning ahead. Your opportunity to convert this searcher to your patient lies within the content you have on your website - good content that thoroughly addresses the subject is what Google, and these searchers, are looking for.
PATIENT
Once a searcher has decided to engage with a doctor, they become a patient. They may already have a primary care doctor, or they may have done enough diligence that they believe contacting a specialist directly is in order. They will be more knowledgeable and will be doing research on their condition and treatment options, and searching for the doctor that is right for them. This is where you must ensure you appear in the key Patient search results in your area. Localization is critical for these searchers!
Diagnosis - Patients search for disease and condition content to further educate themselves. This condition may have been self-diagnosed, suggested by primary care doctor, or actually diagnosed by a specialist. Regardless of how many brochures you hand to patients on conditions, they will do their own diligence. This is why you must have good content to show up on search results. Bear in mind, however, that it is very difficult to show up in a non-localized search. For example, a search for "herniated disc" will bring up WebMD, Mayo clinic, and other large websites in the search results. Local content presence varies based on term searched, but is rarely in top results. The likelihood of your site showing up for a general search is very low. Try this test: search for "herniated disc" and you'll likely not see anyone in your area. You will see a very large Google info box on the right, with images and content. Now search for "chondroplasty". You'll see a small pull-out box with a general blurb about chondroplasty. Because this is a much less searched term, Google does not create a large, colorful box. They pull what they feel is best-in-class content and position it at top of page. It is very likely this boxed content is from Premier Orthopaedics, our client. We have a number of content pieces chosen by Google as best-of-class. The reason we have been successful in getting this recognition is because we write content in the style Google prefers: simple language, multiple terms, and a question-and-answer format. When you create condition content, take this same approach to increase the likelihood of your condition content showing up on the page.
Localization of condition content should always be done, but it is not typically a search performed. For example, people search for "herniated disc" to get information on a condition. Adding a city name to the search doesn't really make a lot of sense, as the patient is searching for information and knowledge, a more passive activity. However, always ensure your practice name and location is in the content (in context!), not just the title or meta data.
Treatment - Localization is critical in treatment content! Condition content is educational, but treatment content is the last step before engagement. The patient is looking for options to take care of their condition and they will localize to find someone in their city. A search for "herniated disc treatment" will turn up more local content in search results than a search for "herniated disc". Google recognizes those actionable words like "treatment", "surgery", etc. and knows the patient wants to locate someone who performs these services. You want to check your standing in both non-localized as well as localized versions. As you type, notice the suggestions Google drops down, and ensure you have all localized versions that appear. For example, Google sees "OKC", "Oklahoma City", and "Oklahoma City, OK" as the same location, but may alternate listings based on what location title is used.
Service Line - Everyone wants to be the first result in searches for "spine surgeon", "orthopedic surgeon", etc., but it is, without a doubt, the hardest search to place in. There are a large number of factors used by Google to determine rank in service line results:
Location: Your browser provides insight to Google about where you are, and results may be skewed depending on location. For example, if you live in Atlanta and search for "spine surgeon", you will see the Google favorites appear - WebMD, Mayo Clinic, etc. Google believes you are looking for information about spine surgeons in general and, perhaps, surgeons in your area. Local results may appear at the bottom of search results, depending on quantity of general education results served by Google. However, if the search is for "spine surgeon Atlanta" or "Atlanta spine surgeon", Google knows you are seeking someone in that area. Your location impacts this search as well. Google knows you are in Atlanta and you are also searching with the keyword "Atlanta". The results will show you spine surgeons in Atlanta in the search results who have clearly identified their practice to Google as local.
Ads, on the other hand, may show up based on location and may not be impacted by localization keywords. If you are in Atlanta and search for "Hand surgeon New York" you will see hand surgeons in New York in the search results, but the ads will still display Atlanta surgeons who have bought keywords "hand surgeon" and set their ads to display within the Atlanta area. However, you may also see ads for New York hand surgeons who are seeking a larger audience and included the search term "hand surgeon" AND bought ads in Atlanta. Ads may also appear for the explicit search term "New York hand surgeon" as well. Ad campaigns can quickly burn through a budget if local parameters and key phrases are not set correctly.
Localization: When you create the titles and content on your website, you should always localize and include your city and state. In fact, you may want to lead with city and state, as Google takes their cues from the title (found in the tab of your browser), the meta data, and the use of localization words within content. For example, your bio page title should follow this syntax: Dr. Your Name MD, City, State, Service Line. An example would be "Dr. Plas James, MD, Atlanta, GA, Spine Orthopedic Surgeon". While this title may look odd to you, it looks like great information to Google. Google reads the title (remember, its what is in the browser tab, not your page) and values these keywords. Google yourself and look at your HealthGrades listing; it follows this format. Using your practice name in your bio page is always a terrible idea, as it pushes your name and localization further away.
Content: Your webpages should clearly indicate your service line, and additional pages that focus on service line can contribute to your appearance in the results as well. Service line terms and variants should be used throughout the page, along with localization. Look at this content example: "Minneapolis knee surgeon Dr. John Doe has been recognized as a leader in innovative techniques. Not all orthopedic surgeons have this training, and few Minneapolis doctors have implemented it in their practice. Knee specialists with this knowledge bring faster recovery and less pain to their patients. John Doe, MD delivers this level of care to patients in Minneapolis, St. Paul, and surrounding areas."
Did you note the use of variations of his specialty, as well as his name and title? The content should flow and not be "stuffed" with keywords. The above example could be more descriptive of the techniques and still be valuable for localization.
Google My Business: When you search for your name and location, you should see a Google My Business map and listing for yourself and practice. If your name is backwards, i.e. Doe, John, then you have not claimed your listing. Click the links found on the result and claim it! Change your name to correct format and do the following: set your category to your specialty or close to it. Whether you are a neurosurgeon or orthopedic surgeon, choose "Orthopedic Surgeon" as your category, as Google defaults all osteo-based specialties to orthopedic. If you choose neurosurgeon, you decrease your prospects of showing up under any osteo search. Next, update the website link to point to your bio page, and ensure your location is correct. The more info you give Google, the more likely you are to show up in a search, as well as have your practice show up in the three pack Google shows above searches that are localized.
As you can see, there are a LOT of variables that help you show up in searches and deliver ads that work. We hope this overview helps you fine tune your website and increase your presence. If you'd like a complimentary website review, please email us at info@voxmd.com and we'll be glad to send you a video of how your web presence delivers along the Patient Engagement Marketing continuum.
Dick Pepper is President of VoxMD, a medical marketing and technology company, and creator of PracticeRate, a reputation management and marketing tool. Visit VoxMD at http://voxmd.com, and feel free to ask questions at info@voxmd.com.
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