“On any given day, more people are posing health questions to Google than posing health questions to their doctors.” — Google’s chief health strategist, Dr. Roni.
Do you remember that quote? In January of 2011 we ran a very popular healthcare marketing article titled “Leveraging Google Health for Medical Marketing” and how a new product called Google Health was changing how online users found answers to some very pertinent healthcare questions. While Google Health hasn’t exactly lasted as Google expected, healthcare on Google has exploded over the past year-and-a-half since we published that healthcare marketing article.
Healthcare Marketing on Google
As Quaintise expands into healthcare marketing in Los Angeles and Southern California, we wanted to take a look at how patients in this region, as well as Arizona and the rest of the country, use Google for their healthcare needs. Even as Google Health was shut down, Google still remains the ‘single largest source of health information on the planet,’ according to SearchEngineWatch.com.
Even today, over 65% of all adults search for their healthcare information on Google. Take into account that Google process over 88 billion searches each month, that’s a huge demographic that is searching for healthcare information online, probably in your city, maybe even in your town. Take into account that internet users are statistically just as likely to trust a Google result as they are to trust their own doctor, and you’ve got yourself an amazing reason to implement some search marketing.
What strategies can you implement into your Los Angeles healthcare marketing plans that integrate search marketing? Here is an overview of where you can start:
• Get a Strong Website – Today, it’s not only about building a website for visitors, or building a website for Google, it’s about finding that perfect balance between the two. Google now monitors not only whether your website is relevant to certain search terms, but if the audience landing on your page likes what they find. Build a site that is aesthetically pleasing, will be received well by visitors, and is optimized for Google.
• Write Some Quality Content – Fresh content fulfills so many aspects of healthcare marketing that it’s difficult to claim all the benefits in one short paragraph, but know that quality content can keep not only Google, but visitors coming back to your website again and again. Fresh, unique, quality content is like sweet honey to Google. It will build your reputation with the powerful search engine, build trust with your audience, and help to establish you as an expert in your field.
• Have a Presence on Social Media – Did you know that Google now integrates its own social media platform, Google Plus, with your personalized search results? Everything that you do online today is tracked in order to provide you with a more personalized and custom search experience. The same goes for every single person online. Having a strong presence on Facebook, Pinterest, Google Plus, and Twitter is not just to increase brand awareness and trust, it’s also a wonderful tool to increase your search marketing and overall rankings.
Healthcare marketing in Los Angeles can take on many forms; search marketing is simply one strategy that should be effectively implemented. If you haven’t taken advantage of those 88 billion Google searches each month, or the over 65% of adults searching for healthcare information, talk to us immediately.