26 Healthcare SEO Key Terms You Need to Know
Navigating the world of healthcare SEO can feel like trying to decipher a foreign language.
With all the technical jargon and acronyms flying around, it’s easy to get lost in translation. But don’t worry, I’m here to help you make sense of it all.
In this blog post, I’ll break down 26 key terms that you might come across, translating them into plain English so you can understand what they mean and why they’re important.
So, grab a bowl of pineapples, sit back, and let’s dive into the world of healthcare SEO and its terminologies!
Why On Earth Should You Care About Healthcare SEO?
Think of healthcare SEO as a way to make your website more attractive to search engines like Google or Bing.
It involves using specific keywords that people are searching for, making sure your website is easy to navigate, and building links from other reputable websites to yours.
It’s like giving your website a makeover so that search engines can’t resist putting it in the spotlight.
Here are five reasons why you should care about it:
- Attract more patients: When your website ranks high in search results, more people will find you online, leading to more potential patients walking through your door.
- Build trust and credibility: A well-optimised website shows that you’re serious about your online presence and committed to providing high-quality information, which builds trust with potential patients.
- Stand out from the crowd: In a competitive healthcare market, SEO helps you rise above the noise and become the go-to provider in your area.
- Reach the right audience: By targeting specific keywords and phrases, you can attract patients who are actively seeking your services, making your marketing efforts more effective.
- Grow your business: Ultimately, healthcare SEO is about growing your practice and achieving your business goals. More patients mean more revenue and a thriving practice.
You may want to also read: 12 Healthcare Marketing Key Terms You Need to Know
Your Ultimate Healthcare SEO Glossary
The word “user” in this glossary will generally refer to either one or both of the following two main groups:
Human users: These are the individuals who visit and interact with your website. They are the ones who read the content, click on links, and engage with the website’s features.
Search engine crawlers: These are automated programs used by search engines like Google to scan and index websites. They analyse the website’s content, structure, and other elements to determine its relevance and ranking in search results.
Here are 26 key terms explained in plain english to help you better understand the world of [healthcare] SEO:
1) Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)
The practice of enhancing a website’s visibility in search engine results pages (SERPs) for relevant user queries.
Simply put, it’s about making your website more appealing to search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo, so that when people search for information related to your products, services, or content, your website appears among the top results.
2) Keywords
The words or phrases that people use to search for [healthcare] information on search engines like Google or Bing. They represent the topics, questions, or products that users are interested in finding online.
In this video illustration, the keyword “best doctor near me” was typed in Google search.
3) Search engine results pages (SERPs)
The pages displayed by search engines in response to a user’s search query. Think of it as a list of results that the search engine considers most relevant to the user’s search term.
Video example: The first page of results for the search query “best doctor near me.”
4) Organic search results
It refers to the unpaid listings that appear on a search engine results page (SERP) based on their relevance to the user’s search query.
These results are not influenced by paid advertising and are instead determined by factors such as the website’s content quality, relevance, and authority.
Video example: The first 10 results on the first page of Google for the search query “best doctor near me.”
5) Paid search results
Also known as sponsored ads, they are the listings that appear at the top or alongside organic search results when you conduct a search on a search engine.
These results are labeled as “Ad” or “Sponsored” to distinguish them from organic results.
Advertisers pay to have their websites or products displayed in these prominent positions, ensuring that their content is seen by users searching for specific keywords or phrases.
Example: The ads that appear at the top of the first page of Google for the search query “how to lose weight on a Cameroonian diet.”
6) Title tags
They’re the snippets of text that appear in search engine results and browser tabs, giving readers a quick preview of what your page is about.
On this image showing the title tag of an article I wrote for KLARITY, you can read: “Essential Minerals For The Elderly – Klarity Health Library”
7) Meta descriptions
They’re the short paragraphs of text that appear below the title tag in search engine results, providing readers with a more detailed overview of what your page has to offer.
On the same illustrative image you can read: “The top 5 essential minerals that every senior should incorporate into their diet for optimal health are calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, and zinc.”
8) Header tags
They’re HTML elements that organise a web page’s content into a clear hierarchy, making it easier for both users and search engines to understand the structure and importance of different sections.
Example: <h1>This is an H1 heading</h1> or <h2>This is an H2 heading</h2>
9) Image optimisation
It’s the process of shrinking the size of your images without sacrificing their quality, so they load quickly on your website and don’t slow down your visitors’ experience. It also involves providing descriptions or alt text for those who can’t see them (visually impaired users).
Example: An image of a doctor named Linda Eva could be named “linda-eva.jpg” and have the alt text “Linda Eva, MD.”
10) Internal linking
The process of connecting different pages within the same website, guiding visitors to related content and helping them explore your site more thoroughly.
Example: A page about heart attack symptoms could link to a page about heart attack treatment.
11) External linking
The process of linking pages on your website to relevant pages on other websites, providing additional resources and context for your readers.
Example: A page about heart attack symptoms could link to a page on the Mayo Clinic website about heart attack.
12) Backlinks
They’re links from other websites that point back to your site, indicating to search engines that your content is valuable and trustworthy.
Example: A blog post about heart attack symptoms on the Mayo Clinic website could link to a page on your website about heart attack treatment.
13) Anchor text
It’s the visible text that users click on to follow a link, and it provides context about the destination page. Search engines use anchor text to understand the relevance of the linked page.
Example: The anchor text for the hyperlink to the Mayo Clinic website in the previous example could be “Mayo Clinic.”
14) Domain authority (DA)
Score that predicts how well a website will rank in search engine results, based on factors like backlinks, content quality, and social signals. A higher DA indicates a more reputable and influential website.
Example: The Mayo Clinic website has a high domain authority because it is a trusted source of health information.
15) Page authority (PA)
Score that predicts how well a particular web page will rank in search results, based on factors like its relevance, content quality, and backlinks. A higher PA indicates a more authoritative and trustworthy page.
Example: The Mayo Clinic’s page about heart attack symptoms has a high page authority because it is a well-written and informative page.
16) Competitive analysis
It’s the process of evaluating your competitors’ websites, analysing their domain authority, page authority, backlink profiles, content strategies, and overall online presence. This helps you identify opportunities to improve your own website and gain a competitive edge.
17) On-page SEO
The process of optimising the content and structure of your website’s pages, ensuring they are relevant, informative, and easy for search engines to understand. This includes using relevant keywords, crafting compelling titles and descriptions, and organising content logically.
Example: Using relevant keywords in your title tags, meta descriptions, and header tags.
18) Off-page SEO
It focuses on building backlinks from other reputable websites to your own, which signals to search engines that your content is trustworthy and valuable. This can be achieved through guest blogging, social media engagement, and other outreach strategies.
19) Technical SEO
It involves optimising the technical aspects of your website to ensure search engines can crawl and index your pages effectively. This includes optimising website speed, fixing broken links, and ensuring mobile-friendliness.
20) Rich snippets
They are enhanced search results that provide additional information, such as star ratings, product prices, or event details. Implementing rich snippets can make your website stand out in search results and attract more clicks.
Example: A rich snippet for a dental healthcare practice might include its address, phone number, and star rating.
21) Local SEO
It focuses on optimising your website to rank higher in local search results, making it easier for people in your area to find your business. This includes optimising your website for local keywords, building local citations, and managing your Google My Business listing.
22) Ranking
It refers to where your website appears in search engine results for specific keywords. A higher ranking means your website is more likely to be seen and visited by users searching for those terms.
For example, a website that is ranking #1 for a particular keyword will appear at the top of the SERP for that keyword.
23) Google Analytics
A free web analytics tool that provides detailed insights into how visitors interact with your website, including traffic sources, user demographics, and engagement metrics. This data helps you make informed decisions to improve your website and marketing strategies.
24) Google Search Console
A free tool that provides insights into how Google views and ranks your website. It helps you identify technical issues, track keyword rankings, and monitor your website’s overall search performance.
25) SEO audit
It’s a thorough evaluation of your website’s SEO performance, identifying areas for improvement and potential issues that may be hindering your rankings. It covers on-page, off-page, and technical SEO factors.
26) Medical schema markup
A type of structured data that can be used to describe medical entities, such as conditions, procedures, and medications, to search engines. This helps search engines to better understand the content of medical websites and to provide more accurate and relevant results to users.
You may want to read: Medical schema markup: A 60 secs guide for Healthcare Providers
Is this list helpful? What did I forget? Tell me more in the comment section.
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- Founder @CopyHealth+, SEO content writer/translator for health brands with French or English audiences
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