Searches on the Internet are going local. Not only are Internet users searching for products and services closer to home, using search terms like ‘plastic surgery chicago’, many of the search engines now offer local search features.
This can be of particular importance when it comes to plastic surgeon marketing on the Internet. Though traveling is not unusual with some procedures, hair transplantation for instance, potential patients may feel more comfortable staying local for other procedures. That’s why it’s important that your website for your plastic surgery practice can be found by those local searchers.
There are several ways that you can optimize your site for local searches. First, look for a local online directory for your city. These are often available for even the smallest communities and provide information about local merchants, government services, community groups and more. Because the goal of these sites is to promote the community, you can usually list your website for free. Your local Chamber of Commerce may be able to tell you if an online directory exists for your city. There are also online state or regional resources meant to promote business and tourist opportunities. Many of these are run by a state or regional authority though some are privately-owned. Online directories like BizHiway.com and SuperPages.com often provide free listings for city- and state-specific searches. Banner ads, enhanced listings, and pay-per-click ads are usually also available for a fee. There are also specialty online listings for similar businesses, so listing your practice with other plastic surgery practices is another option.
Another great way to capture local audiences is to optimize your pages for local searches and submit them to the major search engines and directories. For instance, rather than creating a page around the keyword phrase ‘plastic surgery’ or ‘facelift’, make it more specific and target the keywords ‘plastic surgery New York’ and ‘facelift New York’ instead. Also be sure to promote your business offline by including your website address on your business cards, print ads, invoices and the like.