There is no denying that the Internet has become the marketplace of choice for a vast number of consumers, a number which continues to grow year after year. It is particularly true for the medical community as prospective patients often conduct extensive online research before they even consider picking up a phone to make an appointment. With so much information available online, it’s only natural that the Internet is the first stop for so many, and only logical that medical professionals would begin to reach out to searchers online with websites, social media and other online initiatives. How is your practice doing online? The answers to these ten questions can indicate if your online presence is healthy or in need of an intervention.

1. Do you have a website?

If you have a website, then you’ve obviously put some thought into your online presence at one time or another. But when was the last time you looked in on it? Is it worth linking to? The health of a website can deteriorate from neglect in much the same way the human body does. Make sure your content is up to date, the information about your practice is correct, and the links are all work properly. If the design looks outdated, referring it to a website designer for an update will go a long way. If the content is too thin, fatten it up with some relevant information. Just make sure that the information is of the original and helpful variety. A website stuffed full of junk content, whether it’s pre-packaged or simply devoid of usefulness, is never as healthy as it could be.

2. Have you claimed your local business listings?

Sites like Google Maps, Bing Maps, Yelp and Kudzu pre-populate their sites with readily available business data such as your practice name and address. However, the information they list is not always correct. Maybe you left one practice and joined another. Maybe your office has moved. Sometimes it’s just flat out wrong and there’s nothing on earth that can explain why. The best way to combat incorrect information is to “claim” your business listing. Claiming a listing, which is normally followed by some kind of verification that you really are the owner of the business, gives you complete control over the information these sites show about you and your practice. Some sites, including Google Maps, also allow you to add extras like your web address, a contact email, and lots of juicy details about your specialties. Neglecting your local listings can lead potential patients to incorrect addresses, wrong phone numbers, and, in some cases, directly to your competition.

3. Do you have a Yellow Pages listing?

Many businesses make the mistake of canceling their Yellow Pages listings because they believe it isn’t bringing them any business. Nearly everyone in the 21st century looks for these things online now, anyway, right? While it’s true that your prospective patients are searching online more often, canceling your print listing entirely can actually hurt your online presence as well. Where do sites like Google Maps get that pre-populated information? Many times they’re buying it from a source like Yellow Pages. Keep your Yellow Pages listing, even if it’s just a bare minimum of info – no full page ads needed.

4. Are you using social media?

It’s not enough to simply have a website anymore. You have to support it. Just as a multivitamin can support a healthy lifestyle, using social media to reach potential patients can support your website. Internet users today like to engage, and are more likely to seek out the services of someone they see not just as a member of the online community, but as an approachable human being. Start a Facebook fan page for your practice and make short posts there. Use Twitter to announce your latest specials, the arrival of some special equipment, or your support for your daughter’s junior high soccer team.

5. Are your patients leaving online reviews?

Realistically, your patients probably need a little bit of a nudge when it comes to online reviews, but that nudge can pay off in spades. Sites like Google Maps favor local business listings with reviews, and they can be reassuring to any prospective patient researching your practice. Some of the best review sites are Google Maps, Yelp and Health Grades. One of the easiest ways to get reviews is to ask your patients if they would mind giving you an email address. Then send an email asking for a review, being sure to include links to some of the review sites mentioned. What if you get a bad review? My advice is not to worry too much about it. For more information about what you can do about bad reviews, the White Hat, Black Belt SEO blog  offers an excellent list of ideas.

6. Do you blog?

Recent data from HubSpot indicates that businesses who blog have 67% more leads than those who do not. Testing conducted by Page 1 Solutions, LLC, a web marketing agency specializing in the medical and legal industries, showed that clients who blog consistently improve their first page rankings by an average of 10%. A blog provides a continuous stream of news and fresh content, which is good for searchers and search engines alike since both prefer the newest information available. Additionally, every blog post provides an opportunity for social media engagement when you link to that new blog post on Facebook and Twitter for your fans and followers to see.

7. Are you participating in online medical forums?

Thanks to the proliferation of medical information online, today’s medical consumer is extremely aware of possible diagnoses before they ever talk to a doctor. Some of the places that prospective patients seek advice are in medical-themed forums such as Medhelp or DoctorsLounge, where general patient questions are answered by real doctors. The savviest of these doctors include a signature line including their own Web addresses in every response they give, which provides links back to their own practice websites. The more active you are, the more these “backlinks” accumulate, the stronger your website’s presence becomes, with the added bonus of becoming known online as an expert in your field. Getting started is usually painless, with a little verification required to make sure you really are a doctor. White Hat, Black Belt has more information about the e-patient phenomenon available on its blog.

8. Do you  use pay-per-click advertising?

When you pull up a page of search results on Google, the links at the very top in the beige box and those running along the right side are all paid advertisements. Businesses bid on placement in your search results and pay a fee to the search engine if you click on their ad. This kind of advertising is called pay-per-click, or PPC, and it can be an excellent way to supplement your other online efforts. Figure out what your top keywords are, place your bid, set a budget, and you should be good to go. Some businesses rely entirely on PPC, forgoing other efforts such as terrific website content, attracting links from other sites and social media campaigns. However, the best approach is one which involves more than just PPC alone.

9. Do you know your top keywords?

Figuring out what keywords you should use on your website and in your PPC campaigns can be overwhelming. The best advice is to concentrate on your specialties. If you’re a cosmetic surgeon, “cosmetic surgery” is probably a better keyword than “doctor”. Additionally, extremely generic words like “doctor” are nearly impossible to rank for, while “Springfield pediatrician” is both more attainable and better targeted to the sort of patients you’re hoping to attract. Once you have your list of keywords, make sure they are used on your website and in your PPC campaigns.