In 2020, around 32% of people used a voice assistant to search for healthcare-related information. If you’re a physical therapist, you need to understand not just what patients are searching for but how they’re searching for it. Below, we’ll cover how to make it to the top of the list, and how to implement changes so you’re augmenting rather than replacing your current SEO strategies.
Understanding voice search
Around 58% of people reported using voice search to learn more about a local business, making it a marketing angle you can’t ignore. Google Assistant, Siri, Cortana, and Alexa are all digital assistants that can respond to queries, and their results are different from a desktop or laptop. In other words, if you ask Google Assistant to recommend a physical therapist and you ask Google to recommend a physical therapist, you may end up with different answers.
This is because the search methods are slightly different. So instead of typing in “best physical therapist near me”, a patient might say, “Hey Siri, is there a highly rated physical therapist in my area?” This phrasing difference can ultimately change the final results.
Also, different digital assistants use different search engines. So while Google Assistant may only use Google’s search engine, Alexa and Cortana both rely on Bing. When it comes to local search capabilities, each one may have slightly different rules, but the idea is to optimize the results based on how people conversationally ask their questions.
Why voice search matters
When you optimize your business for voice search, you not only increase the odds of becoming a household name, you also build trust with your audience by providing the most valuable information without their having to dig around for it. The better the user experience, the more positive feelings they’ll have toward your business.
The more voice data that assistants have, the easier it is for them to understand the inquiries. This means that people get more specific, accurate answers to their most pressing questions — even if they’re asking unusual questions. While there are still plenty of inaccurate responses and inconsistencies, the rate of improvement across practically every platform leads experts to believe that voice will soon become the norm.
Consumer behavior
We’ve looked at a few general statistics about voice search, but it’s also important to look at who’s searching and why. As a general rule, younger people are more comfortable interacting with machines and devices via voice search. Now that AI has become an integral tool for people, it’s more likely that tools like ChatGPT and Bard will soon be the next major platform for digital assistance.
Opportunity to connect
As digital assistants become more personalized, your local practice has the opportunity to connect with the searcher before they even step foot in your office.
Like all healthcare practices, it’s not always easy to search for medical information. People may be recovering from surgery or a traumatic injury, and their guard is likely already up. They may feel as though no one really understands what they’re going through. If they can’t get information on standard questions, they may easily move on to the next practice.
Ideally, you’ll structure your language based on your ideal types of patients. So, whether you work with everyday athletes who want to stay light on their feet as they age or retirees recovering from knee or hip replacements, your content will answer the questions or address the concerns that you see on an everyday basis. Even if you run a general practice where you see patients from every background, you can use everything from
Best Voice SEO Strategies for Local Visibility
If you’re familiar with the governing laws behind standard SEO practices, then the SEO strategies for voice should look familiar to you. Below, we’ll tailor each one specifically for local searches.
Local Keyword Research
With every passing year and software update, technology becomes better at answering questions regardless of how they’re asked. If you want to be number one, it starts with understanding the conversational keywords that people use when they’re asking questions about local businesses.
So, if your practice is largely middle-aged people who suffer from low-back pain, you need to know how they speak to their digital assistants and what their main concerns are. Whether they’re searching for physical therapists who specialize in low-impact exercise plans or emergency hours, you need to provide specific answers so there’s less confusion on either side.
Local SEO Tactics
When most people search on Google, most businesses focus on their Google Business and Yelp profiles. However, with digital assistants, the game expands. From Bing Places to Apple Maps, it’s critical that you show up across all platforms.
This means checking in on all relevant rules for each channel. For example, you may need to first create an account and request an ID to optimize a business profile on Apple Maps. Local voice SEO tactics for physical therapists often involve some legwork, but the good news is that once everything is set up, you may only have to make a few adjustments to maintain your site’s rankings.
Mobile Optimizations
The faster your information loads, the faster the digital assistant can answer questions. If your site is optimized for mobile devices, it’s easier for both the digital assistant to return the answer and for the searcher to learn more about your practice.
Just as with standard SEO, your site should be as helpful to the reader as possible — regardless of which device they search on. Patients should be able to find not just what your practice specialty is, but whether you’re taking new patients, what types of insurance you take, who your professional partners are, and how your intake process works.
Structured Data Markup for Local Businesses
Like a standard search, voice search requires you to structure the details of your physical therapy practice. For local businesses, this usually means using a schema tool, such as Google’s Structured Data Testing.
Keep the following in mind if you add structured data:
- Markup generator tools help you plug and chug the most important information about your practice to optimize your website for voice search. You can input the name, address, phone number, operating hours, specialties, and logos, and identify any potential issues with your HTML code via the generator tool.
- Use your schema for FAQs, and consider how your patients phrase most questions. Most searchers start with basic information about your practice before diving deeper into what your customers are saying about you, what type of equipment you invest in, and whether you can help patients of all ages. With the FAQ schema, you can essentially help search engines how to understand different types of questions regardless of how they’re asked.
- Make sure that you update your information and track your performance. Just as with your standard website pages, your voice optimized schema should be consistently updated. If you add a new staff member, open a new location, change your hours, or add a specialty, it’s important to keep both your current and prospective client base informed.
Maintain Consistent Information Across Profiles
Voice search results ultimately depend on the digital assistant giving the information. However, each platform takes into account the consistency of your practice’s name, address, and phone across all channels. If there are discrepancies, you may be less likely to pop up in a search.
Managing your information for uniformity means more than just claiming your business and updating your website every quarter. Ideally, you’ll create a basic style guide to cover everything from approved language to color schemes to profiles. So, if your office manager needs to add a new certification for one of your physical therapists, they’ll have fewer questions about how to approach the update. The more consistency you have across platforms, the easier it is for the searcher to trust your business and staff.
How to perfect your voice SEO strategies
Voice strategies for local visibility are undoubtedly an important component of your overall SEO. The more you understand how people search and what they’re searching for, the easier it is to adjust your web presence to fit their criteria.
If you have questions or could use some help with voice SEO, consider how a marketing platform can help. At Surefire Local, we help local businesses improve their online presence so they can meet their customers’ needs.
So, whether you want to build an empire or just maintain your revenue and client base, we can tell you more about how your online content helps or hurts your business’ reputation and larger mission. We’re tuned into not just how people search today, but how general consumer patterns change over the course of time. With more and more people searching via voice, we can help you prepare for what’s ahead.If you want to see why we’re the #1 marketing platform for local businesses, schedule a demo with us today!