As a small, local business owner, localizing your content has never been more important. Why? Because search engines use the information you have on your website and other online profiles to determine where to rank them.
But exactly how do you go about including such information in a way that shows the search engines you are relevant to your local area? Well, you begin by developing a local search-optimized content strategy for veterinarians. There is a right way and a wrong way to do that. If you get it wrong, your website could be penalized. Get it right, and you could very well end up in one of the top spots, if not the top spot on the first page of Google.
Don’t worry! We are going to give you some highly effective methods for developing a local search-optimized content strategy for veterinarians.
Let’s get to it!
Understanding Local SEO
If you want high page rankings for your business, you must include local keywords and other local information in your content. Using local keywords and information indicates to the search engines that your business is relevant to that area. In return, they will rank your business higher than a local business that doesn’t have that identifying information on its website.
In addition, including your local information also helps your clients see you as a viable option in their search for a local veterinarian or animal hospital.
Key Elements That Factor into Your Placement in Local Search Rankings
Various elements factor into a search engine’s algorithms and determine where your website and other content are ranked. The main local ranking factor (for Google) is your Google Business Profile (more about that in a moment).
Other factors include your on-page signals (local keywords and other local information), relevant, high-quality backlinks, online reviews, NAP (name, address, phone number) citations, embedded Google Maps, and optimized title tags along with meta descriptions.
Now, let’s get into the nitty-gritty of developing a local search-optimized content strategy for veterinarians and animal hospitals.
Local Search-Optimized Content Strategy for Veterinarians
Here, we’ll go over the most effective elements for your new local search-optimized content strategy.
Website Content Optimization
As we touched on briefly a moment ago, using local keywords and phrases is what shows the search engines (and your clients) that your practice is relevant to your local area.
In addition to using your local keywords and phrases on your website, you can incorporate them into your blog content by including local information and local lingo naturally within that content. You could write about local events, local topics of interest, local landmarks, comment on local restaurants, or any local trending news, etc. This is in addition to your informational and educational blog posts.
Another great website content optimization tactic is to utilize location-based meta tags and descriptions. So make sure you’re doing that also. Surefire Local has a tool called GeoJuice that comes included in all tiers of our platform subscription which makes creating this kind of content extremely easy.
Directory Listings Optimization
Choosing relevant business directories for your local area will also help. The more business directories your practice is on, the better. These listings will help your practice rank higher; they give your clients at-a-glance information about your practice and make for great high-quality backlinks as well.
When building your business directory listings, make sure you are using consistent NAP (name, address, phone number) information. They must be the same across all directories. Otherwise, you will confuse the search engines and your customers.
Actively encourage your customers to leave you reviews on as many local directory listings and review platforms as possible. The best way to do that is to email, text, message, etc., your customers’ links to those directories. If you don’t make it easy for them to leave you a review, they probably won’t. So make the extra effort to do this.
Google Business Profile Optimization
When filling out your Google Business Profile, it’s important to complete all sections of your profile. Include accurate business information and hours. In addition, keep your profile active and engaging by using fresh photos, adding FAQ information, and making sure you are engaging with your visitors by responding to their questions and client reviews.
Social Media Localization
For your social media profiles, tailor your posts and page settings to your local audience. This just gives the search engines another local indicator that your practice is relevant to your local area. Not to mention, they are great backlinks, and doing so shows you are engaged with your community.
Speaking of engaging with your community. Take the time to actively respond to your followers and other local businesses as well. This will create goodwill. It will also help build brand recognition, trust, and authority.
Online Advertising Localization
When developing your local search-engine optimized content strategy for veterinarians, you will need to write ad copy that speaks to your local community. You don’t want to come across as some far-off entity that doesn’t understand the intricacies of the local area. You want your content to reflect that you are a respected member of the community.
Don’t forget to leverage ad extensions to enhance your local credibility. It will also allow you to share valuable information that your customers want and need to know. You can include what you offer and encourage them to click/tap. And always display a local phone number. This is another opportunity you have to show the search engines and your customers that you are a local business.
Measuring Success
It’s important to measure your success. Otherwise, you won’t know what’s working, not working, and why. You can do this by tracking your local search rankings and website analytics. You can also measure your success by analyzing client engagement and conversion rates. And by adjusting your strategies based on performance metrics.
Quick Overview
A few key things to remember when writing content for your website or any other digital entity, it’s important to localize your online presence using local keywords and phrases. It’s also important to include other local information and highlights as indicators of that local presence. This is important for the search engines, as well as your clients. And don’t forget to use location-based meta tags and descriptions as well.
Directory listings and your Google Business Profile both play a huge role in your page rankings. Therefore, you will want to perfect those also. Another important facet of your local optimization is tailoring your social media posts to your local audience. You should also write ad copy that speaks to your local community. Don’t forget to leverage ad extensions to enhance your local credibility. And, it goes without saying, always display a local phone number.
These are just a few of the many great options for creating a local search-optimized content strategy for veterinarians and animal hospitals. There are plenty more out there. The more you choose to implement, the better your results will be. But only if you do them correctly.
Yes, we know that all sounds like a lot! But don’t worry! We have a solution that will take your most time-consuming digital marketing tasks, incorporate them all onto a single dashboard, and then automate them for you!
What is this miracle tool, you ask? It’s called Surefire Local.
What Is Surefire Local?
Surefire Local is an all-in-one marketing platform for local businesses.
We help small businesses with their localized online marketing by helping them establish their online presence. This is done by creating local signals across platforms and profiles. This is what makes it easier for new clients to find your practice.
Why Choose Surefire Local?
Surefire Local is loaded with features that will cut the time you spend on marketing in half or more. Look at what Surefire Local can do for you!
- Website / Local SEO Optimizations – Incorporate your digital assets with local optimizations – creating geo-tagged content that is published on your website, blog, and social media profiles.
- Online Review Management – Send review requests, write responses to reviews, and analyze your brand sentiment to learn what your clients think about your practice.
- Business Directory Management – Surefire Local will claim, edit, and publish new content like photos or special offers for your business across 80+ online directory listing platforms. Talk about a time saver!
- Content Marketing – We provide you with tools to create locally targeted and relevant content on your blog, Google Business Profile, business directories, and social media profiles.
- Social Media Management – Our platform supplies you with tools for scheduling posts, tracking engagement metrics, and responding to comments.
- Local Online Advertising – We provide you with ads that are designed to attract only the attention of clients within your specific service area so none of your ad spend is wasted.
- Analytics and Reporting – Our analytics and reporting tools will give you complete transparency into your campaign performance. It will also show you how much revenue your marketing dollars are generating. It does this by giving you AI-generated recommendations on specific actions you can take to see improvements.
Surefire Local’s Educational Resources and Why They’re Priceless
Our educational resources are a library full of webinars and blogs designed to help small businesses like yours learn everything there is to know about online marketing. It will also help keep you up to date on all the latest trends and changes in the digital marketing arena.
What’s Next?
Attend a Surefire Local Demo Today!
Go ahead! Click/tap that link, and watch your life change forever! The facts don’t lie!
We hope you enjoyed this article on local search-optimized content strategy for veterinarians. Let us know if you are interested in a Surefire Local Demo. We’d love to show you exactly what it can do!