HEALTHCARE SEO AGENCY
Healthcare is the one sector where the first question isn’t should we invest in SEO? It’s how much are we allowed to say in our content? And does our healthcare SEO agency understand this?
Prescription-only medicines can’t be advertised to the public, cosmetic procedures carry claim restrictions that catch most agencies out, patient search data is special category data under UK GDPR, and every page you publish sits in the category Google scrutinises hardest.
With health-related searches increasing by around 20% year-on-year, it is clear that the online market for healthcare and medical SEO is becoming increasingly crucial for brands to invest in. That’s why you need an SEO agency with the experience to create a strategy that aligns with your site, not just a generic “one size fits all” solution to your SEO needs.
Healthcare SEO clients
Here are just some of the healthcare clients we have helped:
Healthcare SEO case studies
See how we helped Patient, a leading health information site, grow by over 300%.
Take a look through some of our healthcare SEO case studies, and see how our healthcare SEO services have made a difference to many other medical businesses like yours.
What Makes Healthcare SEO Different?
You are advertising into a regulated space
Under the Human Medicines Regulations 2012, prescription-only medicines cannot be advertised to the general public in the UK. In practice this means a clinic cannot build a content strategy around a POM by brand name, and a pharmaceutical company's public-facing site is doing a fundamentally different job to its HCP-facing one. The MHRA's Blue Guide sets out what falls inside the definition of advertising - and it is broader than most marketers assume. The CAP Code and ASA rulings then govern claims, testimonials, and before-and-after imagery, with cosmetic and aesthetic clinics facing particular scrutiny. For clinicians, GMC and GDC guidance applies to how services are promoted. For pharmacies, the GPhC. For providers, CQC registration status is itself a trust signal that belongs in your markup and on your page. None of this makes SEO impossible - it changes what the strategy is. Unbranded disease awareness content, condition-led information architecture, gated HCP sections, and authority built through clinical review rather than volume.
Google treats you differently
Health and medical content falls under what Google's Search Quality Rater Guidelines call Your Money or Your Life - topics that can affect a person's health, safety, or finances. Google's raters are instructed to hold these pages to a higher standard of expertise and trustworthiness. E-E-A-T is not a ranking factor you can switch on. It's a description of what Google's systems are trying to approximate. What it means operationally is concrete: named authors with real credentials, clinical review with a reviewer named and dated, citations to primary sources, and a demonstrable reason why your organisation is the one answering this question. This is also why healthcare sites move hardest in core updates.
Your analytics setup is a compliance question
Health data is special category data under UK GDPR Article 9. A clinic whose page paths contain condition names is sending special category data into its analytics platform every time someone browses. Most agencies never raise this.
Your content cycle is not two weeks
In pharmaceutical and medical device organisations, content goes through medical, legal and regulatory review before publication. MLR turns a fortnight into a quarter. An agency that hasn't built this into its process will miss every deadline it sets.
Get a Free Healthcare and Medical SEO Audit
By utilising our completely free SEO Audit, you will receive a complimentary analysis of your healthcare or medical website, by one of our SEO experts, that identifies how well your website is performing for relevant search queries and other key SEO metrics.
Our SEO audits are broken down across the key areas of SEO, to provide actionable opportunities for each category that will benefit your organic visibility.
Our Healthcare SEO Clients Success
We’ve effectively researched target markets and created effective strategies for many of our health and medical clients in both the consumer and business sectors.
See what our healthcare clients are saying
Which sectors do we work with?
- Medical
- Pharmaceuticals
- Hospitals and clinics
- Dental clinics
- Chiropractic clinics
- Gyms, fitness, and leisure centres
- Beauty clinics
- Medical software and platforms
- Medical research
- Mental health services
- Home health care
- Biotechnology
- Many more!
Why Choose Our Healthcare Search Engine Optimisation Agency?
Specialist healthcare SEO experience and expertise
The healthcare and medical industries are a whole different ballgame when it comes to SEO and online marketing. The regulations and algorithms in place for healthcare businesses require SEO strategies of a much higher calibre and a provider with specialised expertise.
Deep understanding of the different healthcare markets
At The SEO Works, we have worked with healthcare businesses of a wide variety of fields and niches, from leading pharmaceutical companies to the NHS themselves. We have a deep understanding of the extra high standards that Google sets for healthcare websites and how to optimise these effectively to generate an ROI.
Breadth and depth of knowledge of industry compliance standards
Healthcare marketing and advertising come with strict regulations and compliance standards to abide by, of which our team are well-versed through decades of experience working with healthcare brands. We understand how to optimise healthcare websites to rank in search, while also ensuring to remain compliant and following the necessary steps to ensure the safety and security of your target audiences.
Bespoke healthcare SEO strategies that have been proven to achieve results
There is no one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to strategy for healthcare and medical businesses. Every client we work with receives a completely bespoke SEO strategy that takes into account a vast range of factors such as your goals, competition, existing visibility, website health, and much more. By providing our clients with bespoke healthcare SEO strategies, we can make sure we’re making a meaningful impact on your business.
Industry awards for PPC and SEO healthcare campaigns
Our dedicated healthcare SEO team have won many industry awards to demonstrate our expertise and the results we’ve achieved. These awards serve as a testament to our commitment to striving for quality, exceptional results for our healthcare and medical clients and driving a tangible impact for their investment.
Simple and honest communication for positive working relationships
There may be a lot of jargon in the SEO industry, but we don’t believe in using it as part of our reporting. Throughout your healthcare SEO campaign our communication will be transparent. From regular updates and meetings to our in-depth monthly reports and campaign reviews, you will always be kept in the loop on the work being done and the results being achieved.
Our Medical SEO Marketing Process
Auditing and Analysis
All of our healthcare SEO campaigns start with thorough audits of your website that analyse and identify opportunities for all key areas of SEO, including technical, content, and competitors. These audits allow us to gain a deep understanding of your site’s current standing, and form the basis of our bespoke SEO strategies and campaigns. Our audits are regularly reviewed, refined and improved to reflect changes to industry trends and search algorithms so we can identify and draw the best opportunities and insights.
Strategy and Implementation
The findings from our thorough audits are then translated into an actionable, bespoke healthcare SEO strategy. Our plans outline what our main focus will be for each quarter of your SEO campaign, so you know what we’ll be working on, why we are prioritising those areas, and the potential impact the work will have. Once you’re happy with your healthcare or medical SEO strategy, the next stage is actioning our recommendations in line with your strategy, whether this involves new content creation, technical fixes or link acquisition.
Monitoring and Reporting
Reporting is a crucial part of effective healthcare SEO. We monitor the progress and results of our work day-to-day and provide regular updates, as well as providing comprehensive monthly reports. Our reports include an in-depth yet easily digestible analysis of performance, so you can see exactly what impact our services are having on your business. We encourage a monthly call to discuss
What Do Our Healthcare SEO Services Include?
Bespoke Strategy
Healthcare provides its own challenges and opportunities for SEO, due to the much higher expectations and standards Google has in place for the sites it is willing to rank. Our bespoke healthcare SEO strategy will take into consideration these extra challenges as well as your business goals and formulate a way forwards.
Competitor Research
Understanding who your healthcare competitors are, as well as their standing in organic search, allows you to achieve and maintain a competitive edge. Our healthcare SEO services competitor audit and ongoing competitor analysis to provide you with a competitive edge throughout your campaign.
Our competitor research incorporates a range of data to draw meaningful insights and actionable opportunities. This research includes setting organic benchmarks for us to work from based on your competitors’ rankings, traffic, and authority. Our monthly keyword tracking and reporting also incorporates competitor ranking data, so you can always see how your site is performing alongside competitors.
Content Marketing
Quality, helpful content is the backbone of an effective healthcare SEO campaign. Our content specialists are experts at working with you to craft content that prioritises E-E-A-T and utilises your expertise.
Our content strategies are centred around your business’ unique conversion funnel, to ensure that your website offers valuable content that generates visibility and traffic across all stages of the customer journey.
The healthcare industry has much stricter regulations when it comes to offering information and advice online, our team can ensure that your website only includes content that is accurate, proven, and backed by your expertise.
Technical SEO
While technical issues may not be visible on your site, they are just as crucial to the success of a healthcare SEO campaign. Issues such as site speed, indexing or crawling issues, and mobile usability, can have a huge impact on the success or growth of any content you put out. Our healthcare SEO services involve reviewing all technical SEO factors as well as your site’s general infrastructure to make sure your pages are served in the best possible way to your target audience.
As well as looking at existing issues, we provide opportunities for technical optimisations such as schema and rich results that your healthcare or medical brand can target for increased real estate and visibility in the SERPs.
Link Acquisition
With so many big players in the healthcare industry, your website’s authority is key. Our healthcare SEO services therefore focus on obtaining quality, reputable and highly relevant backlinks and citations that improve your credibility over time. Our link building strategies prioritise quality over quantity, to make sure each link adds value.
We also understand that to place links on authoritative, relevant websites, you need to offer great content in return. We provide various quality link-building methods including digital PR, guest posting, and citations. Our content and digital PR teams work closely to create and distribute original, newsworthy content that naturally acquires high-quality, impactful backlinks.
Speak to the team about medical SEO marketing
Get in touch with us below to see how your healthcare brand can fulfil its online potential.
Our Resources
Download Our FREE Healthcare SEO Market Report Whitepaper
As a YMYL sector, competition isn’t the only thing that makes it hard to rank in the healthcare sector. The opportunity available to healthcare businesses in organic search is huge, but understanding how to take advantage of this isn’t a simple task. Our free healthcare SEO whitepaper takes you through everything you need to know about SEO for healthcare. What your audience, and importantly Google, want and how to deliver it.
FAQs
What is healthcare SEO?
Healthcare SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) is a specialised branch of SEO that focuses on optimising a health or medical provider’s website to improve their visibility on search engines. The primary goal is to attract more organic traffic and conversions from patients searching for health-related services, treatments, or information.
How long does it take to see results from healthcare SEO?
The timeframe for seeing results from healthcare SEO can vary depending on several factors, but generally, you can expect to see ranking improvements by the 6 month point. Some of the factors that can influence this timeframe include the current health of your website and existing visibility, the competition in your industry or niche, your budget to invest in SEO, and more.
Some improvements to visibility can be noticeable sooner, however, patience and ongoing work are key to success, as SEO is a long-term investment that builds sustainable growth for your healthcare businesses over time.
How do you measure the success of a healthcare SEO campaign?
Measuring the success of a healthcare SEO campaign involves tracking various key performance indicators (KPIs) that reflect improvements in your online visibility, website traffic, and conversions. Some of the key metrics we use to assess the effectiveness of our SEO efforts include:
- Organic traffic
- Organic conversions and conversion rates
- Keyword rankings
- Content and engagement metrics such as engagement rate
- Technical SEO metrics such as site speed and Core Web Vital scores
- Backlink metrics such as Domain Authority and referring domains
By regularly monitoring and analysing these metrics, we can gauge the success of your healthcare SEO campaign, make data-driven adjustments, and ensure continuous improvement in your online visibility and patient acquisition efforts. It’s important to note that we report on the metrics that mean the most to your business and can customise reports, so you can monitor the impact that your investment in SEO is having on your business.
How do you stay up to date with SEO best practices?
Staying up to date with SEO best practices is crucial for delivering effective and sustainable results. Here’s how our healthcare SEO agency ensures we remain at the forefront of the industry:
- Continuous learning and training for our entire SEO team
- Contributing to and following leading industry publications
- Monitoring and reporting on algorithm updates
- Actively engaging with the SEO and digital marketing community
- Using the latest SEO tools and technology
- Testing and monitoring new SEO strategies to stay ahead of the competition
By combining these strategies, we ensure that our healthcare SEO practices are always up-to-date, effective, and aligned with the latest industry standards. This commitment to continuous learning and adaptation allows us to deliver optimal results for our clients.