Pay-per-click or PPC, as an online marketing practice, is becoming more common these days. Paying for an ad to come out on top of search engines is useful in boosting the company’s online presence. For healthcare providers, it’s even more useful. When people search for services, they will most likely click the options appearing on the first page. Companies bid to appear on top, and the highest bidder will get it. However, there will be no payment yet until someone clicks the links. A PPC hospital campaign is useful in many ways.
Why is PPC important?
People won’t easily entrust their health to anyone, especially the ones they don’t know. They will go through the options first before making up their minds. It helps if the company appears on the first page of Google since it establishes trustworthiness. It shows that the business is legally operating, and is among the best healthcare providers in the area.
Another reason is that when people look for healthcare providers, they’re in a hurry. Medical emergencies happen all the time and every second count. The first option to appear on search engines will be the preference of many. Paying to appear on top makes sense.
PPC offers an even playing field for healthcare providers. It’s an affordable way to advertise. Bigger companies can afford to pay for TV or radio commercials which are costly. While PPC comes with a cost, it’s a reasonable amount.
What are the possible challenges?
Before going into the steps to improve the PPC campaign, the first thing to do is to identify the challenges that are unique to healthcare providers. For instance, there are restrictions to the language that advertisers can use. The words “drugs” and “prescriptions” might automatically trigger Google’s disapproval system. Another issue is regarding the competition. There are many healthcare providers in the area, and they might provide similar services. Competing with them for the same top spot could be challenging. Even hospitals have to compete with related industries for the same keyword.
The medical industry comprises health insurance providers, vendors selling to hospitals, medical schools, companies selling medical equipment, and many others. Due to the tight competition, the cost for PPC campaigns might be too high. Finally, there are health-related websites that provide an opportunity for self-diagnosis and medication. They may not be the best options, but people trust them. Competing with these “authority” sites could be challenging.
What are the steps to a successful PPC campaign?
Like any other SEO approach, the use of the right keywords is important in PPC. They have to be as specific as possible. Apart from the primary keyword, the location of the business should also be a part of the phrase. For instance, instead of using “medical services”, “medical services in Arizona” is a better keyword to optimize. In fact, “medical services in Phoenix” is even more specific if the business only operates within that city. Another benefit of being too specific is that there will be fewer competitors. Hence, it will drastically reduce the amount to pay per click.
Apart from optimizing the right keyword, optimizing the right landing pages is also important. Most advertisers have the mistake of linking to the homepage. The problem is that the primary page barely contains anything the users want to see. Instead of navigating the site to find the right information, it’s better to get redirected to a specific page. For instance, if the user wants to have an appointment with a doctor, the link should be on the appointment form. If the keyword search is about the cost of the medical service, the page containing the price should be where the user lands.
PPC is only one of the strategies to boost the business. Other SEO strategies can organically place the company on top of the search engines. Using the keywords that already receive plenty of traffic is an excellent way of using the PPC campaign. Experts in PPC hospital campaigns can help in this regard.
Organizing information on the website
The information should be easy to understand. Once the user opened the page, the relevant details should be on the screen right away. One of the most crucial pieces of information is the contact detail. Every landing page should contain contact information. If the information found online isn’t sufficient, the user can call the numbers. Appointment forms should also be available on every landing page. Sometimes, it doesn’t take too much convincing for someone to book an appointment and avail of the services.
The website should also open quickly on mobile devices. Even if the arrangement of information is appropriate, it could still go to waste if the website doesn’t open well on mobile devices. Given that most people look for information through their mobile phones improving mobile device friendliness is a must. Otherwise, the business will be late in the game and affect the chances of success.
Invest in quality videos
Some people don’t have time to go through the texts online. They would rather watch a video and obtain the necessary information. Investing in quality videos is necessary. These videos can talk about common illnesses and how to treat them. There might also be some messages from doctors and other medical staff. Seeing the people who will treat them would make more people feel confident about their decision.
Testimonials should also be available. Seeing these messages will make anyone trust the medical service provider even more. It’s not easy to entrust health and safety to strangers. When others can attest to the quality of these services, it would be great.
The best PPC hospital practices change all the time. It’s an evolving field and requires anyone in this industry to stay updated. Asking for help from experts would also be an excellent strategy. They know what works, and can bring the business to the top. Medical experts might have extensive knowledge about medical issues, but it takes an SEO expert to help a PPC campaign succeed.
