During a time when 26% of online searches result in no clicks AND 49% of consumers say that they like to buy from businesses with a local presence, it’s beyond clear that localizing your veterinarian practice’s online presence is of paramount importance.
Not only are you competing against every other veterinarian in your area, but you also have to fight the “void of noise” that is the Internet. Any opportunity you have to give yourself an advantage is one worth taking and localizing yourself online is a big part of how you do it.
Having said that, many people don’t realize that the use of visual content is one of the best ways to do it. They think that localization is all about keywords and phrases, and while that’s a part of it, it’s just one portion of a much larger story.
Images and videos optimized in the right way naturally draw people in and give them something to engage with. They help a business’ ability to not only attract a loyal customer base but to retain it as well. This is true for a wide range of reasons, all of which are worth a closer look.
Understanding the Role of Visuals in Local SEO
Especially when you’re talking about a service-based business like a veterinarian, visuals meaningfully contribute to local SEO in a variety of ways. Not only do they increase the chances that someone will link back to your page (which has long been one of Google’s algorithm components), but it’s also the type of content that people are most likely to share as well.
Plus, about 91% of buyers say they actually prefer visual content over traditional, text-based pieces. Even blog posts, when paired with relevant images, get 94% more shares.
There is a definitive link between high quality visuals and the overall quality of the consumer experience you’re able to offer as a veterinarian. The more visual content you post, the more authority you build. As that happens, your visibility increases. As that happens, you get more customers and, at that point, your veterinarian services can speak for themselves.
Visual Local SEO Tactics
Website & Blog
Statistically speaking, about 60% of all smartphone users in particular will discover your veterinarian practice for the first time via a search engine. This means that their first impression of your business will come by way of your website and, in all likelihood, your blog.
Because of that, you need to make sure the visual content you use is up to their expectations. Always use high-resolution, relevant images in any location you can. From your home page to your appointment booking page to “About Us,” “Our Services,” and more. High-quality visuals immediately capture someone’s attention and give your page an injection of authority at the same time.
Overall, you should work to create the most visually appealing (and locally relevant) website design that you can. Whenever possible, incorporate local landmarks, events, and even faces to give everything that “hometown feel.” Integrate local imagery and video content into blog posts whenever it’s relevant to do so.
Not only that, but this process can essentially work in reverse, too. If there are local stories or community events that you’re interested in, craft compelling visual content around them. There is certainly no shortage of things going on in your neck of the woods, after all.
All told, leverage videos whenever possible to enhance both your storytelling ability and your overall brand personality. One study confirmed that about 66% of people find short-form videos to be the most engaging content on social media in particular.
As you create this content, be sure to optimize both file names and meta descriptions with location-specific keywords to give your veterinarian practice as much of a local SEO boost as possible.
Directory Listings
As you claim your profiles on the various directory listings sites that exist online, be sure to upload as many visually engaging images as you can. Don’t just write a description about your practice. Show high-quality images of you, your employees, and your satisfied customers.
Use it as a chance to show off your services, your customer support capabilities, and even the quality of your skills. Photos and videos are a great way to accomplish all this and more.
Be mindful of consistent branding throughout this time, however. All visual elements should share continuity across all directories. Don’t use one version of your logo on Directory A and a totally different one on Directory B, for example.
Google Business Profile
Speaking of directories, you’ll also want to add a bevy of high-quality photos that show off your veterinarian business on your Google Business Profile in particular. Over the last few years, “near me” searches have increased by literally 200% – that means that most people are seeing your Google Business Profile before they view almost anything else about your practice.
Upload videos featuring your business and local events that you think are relevant. A lot of this can be evergreen content that you also use elsewhere, like on your website.
You should also encourage your customers to not only leave online reviews, but to include photos of their happy, healthy, furry little friends in their reviews as well.
Social Media
If you had to make a list of some of the most powerful outlets you have for visual content in the modern era, social media sites would be chief among them.
As you make visual storytelling a core part of your veterinary practice’s marketing strategy, utilize Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube to that end. Create visually appealing posts that are tailored not just to people looking for a vet, but to people in your particular service areas.
You can even encourage both your customers and your community to engage by sharing photos and videos about your business. People can share stories about their own pets and post their favorite photos for all to discuss. It’s a great way to stay at the top of someone’s mind. Even if they’re not looking for a new veterinarian today, they might be in th future – and you’re increasing the chances that yours is the first name they think of.
Online Advertising
In terms of the general online advertising landscape, be sure to showcase your location in any ads that you run by using local terms and phrases, by highlighting landmarks, and through similar techniques.
If you were a veterinarian in Washington, DC, for example, you might include photos of the Lincoln Memorial or the Washington Monument in your ads to tie your business to a specific geographic area. Or if you were in Cleveland, you might use images of the Terminal Tower.
Regardless, run ads on not only Google, but also Facebook and other platforms to increase your visibility with a local audience as much as possible. Remember that 46% of all clicks on Google go to the top three paid ads. This leaves a lot of room for success on other channels.
Measure and Track Success
Finally, be sure to track engagement metrics on your visual content moving forward. A picture is worth a thousand words, yes. But you have to make sure they’re the right thousand words for your specific audience.
This means that every time you put new visual content out into the world, analyze the impact it has on your customers. Does it change their behavior? Does it help you accomplish your goals? Are you seeing the results you were after? Why or why not? These are questions you need to be asking yourself on a regular basis.
Then, you can adjust your visual content strategies based on actionable, accurate performance data. Don’t make guesses or “go with your gut.” Act because that is what the data is telling you that you should do.
Bringing Visual Content to an Entirely New Audience
In the end, localizing your online presence through visual content is only going to get more important as time goes on. Videos and images are already the two media formats that professionals say have the highest return on investment – that’s a trend that shows absolutely no signs of slowing down.
At Surefire Local, we understand how important visual local SEO strategies for veterinarians are – which is why we want you to enjoy all the benefits of this process with as few of the potential downsides as possible. From the moment we opened our doors, we’ve dedicated ourselves to helping small businesses like yours establish their online presence by creating legitimate local signals across all platforms and profiles.
The easier it is for people to find you, the easier it is for you to “wow” them with your service. It doesn’t get much more straightforward than that.
We do this by way of our all-in-one marketing platform for local businesses, which offers robust features like website and local SEO optimization. It can help you create geo-tagged content that will live on your website, your blog, and even your various social media profiles.
Surefire Local also gives you access to a number of other great features, including ones like:
- Directories management. You can claim, edit, and publish new content to over 80+ online directories, all in one place. That includes publishing photos, videos, special offers, and more.
- Content marketing. Create all the locally targeted and relevant content your customers will love. Publish it on your blog, your Google Business Profile, on business directories, and even on social media.
- Social media management. Get fast and efficient tools for not just creating and scheduling posts, but also tracking engagement metrics, and even responding to comments.
- Local online advertising. Further localize the online presence for your veterinarian practice by publishing ads designed to attract only the attention of the people who are most likely to become your customers in the first place.
- Analytics and reporting. Not only will you be able to see beyond the shadow of a doubt just how far your marketing dollars are going, but you can get AI-generated recommendations on exactly what you need to do to see the improvements that matter most to you.
To top it all off, we also give you access to educational resources like webinars and blogs that can help you learn (and master) all things local online marketing.
So if you’d like to find out more information about how to craft better visual local SEO strategies for veterinarians, or if you have any additional questions you’d like to discuss with someone in a bit more detail, please don’t hesitate to contact us today. You can also click here to attend a Surefire Local demo to get a better sense of exactly how powerful this tool can be in the right hands.