Out of all the industries you could possibly do SEO for, healthcare is one of the hardest.
Trying to build an effective SEO strategy that encompasses all the best practices, comprehensive keyword research and ambitious off-site campaigns — all while trying to navigate the choppy seas of compliance, legal and regulations — can certainly be a challenge.
It doesn’t get easier with the content either. To be able to write about delicate healthcare topics — namely not inciting any panic — remain compliant, maintain accuracy and optimise for SEO can be a minefield of its own.
In this guide, we’re breaking down exactly how healthcare organisations can build smart, compliant SEO strategies that show authority, win trust, and deliver real results.
What is healthcare SEO?
SEO for Healthcare is the process of optimising the websites of businesses/organisations in the healthcare sector — for example, clinics, healthcare tech companies and charities — so they perform better on search engines.
As Google places higher and higher emphasis on businesses in the healthcare sector to offer trustworthy, relevant and factually accurate information — and cracking down on misleading information — healthcare marketing SEO is more vital than ever for businesses to stay afloat.
Why is SEO for healthcare important?
Without strong SEO, you can be the best provider of healthcare services and not be known or seen. To be a reputable, elevated voice in the space, you need to be able to show Google that you are the most trustworthy, credible voice around.
It’s not only about rankings. With an increased demand for healthcare, practicing SEO for healthcare is arguably more necessary now more than ever to connect organisations to the people that need them most.
To keep it simple, the main reasons you want to focus on SEO for your healthcare business is to:
- Establish trust by highlighting your clinical expertise and credentials, reassuring patients they’re in safe, knowledgeable hands.
- Stand out in search results by aligning your content with Google’s healthcare-focused quality standards, setting you apart from less credible sources.
- Attract high-intent visitors—people actively searching for healthcare solutions, treatments, or providers.
- Empower patients with clear, accurate, and compassionately-delivered information that supports informed decisions without creating unnecessary worry.
- Stay compliant with healthcare regulations while building a trustworthy and authoritative online presence.
How does SEO for healthcare differ from other industries?
Building a water-tight SEO strategy for any business in the healthcare industry is fraught with potential pitfalls and the process differs from other industries in many ways.
Fortunately, you can still get great results by factoring in a few of these key differences into your own strategy — it just might take a bit more time and effort.
Here are the differences you need to consider when building an SEO strategy for a healthcare client from scratch.
Strict Regulatory and Legal Compliance
If a major part of your strategy is content creation and copywriting, you need to make sure it’s compliant with all legal and regulatory requirements.
Governing bodies – like MHRA in the UK and HIPAA in the US — have strict rules on things like misinformation and how your present information.
Google also has specific guidelines for businesses on what it wants to see in their content. Google is taking a more people-first approach to content — rewarding businesses that make strides in writing accurate, clear content that’s designed to help the reader, not just keyword stuffing to try and improve search engine rankings.
These guidelines are what Google’s crawlers are looking for. They have a hyper-focus on the “higher risk” industries like healthcare and finance — where misinformation can have serious real-world consequences.
Content in these sectors is often referred to as YMYL (Your Money, Your Life) topics — don’t let the name fool you, it includes healthcare.
Making sure your strategy is compliant with regulations is paramount to success.
Content Accuracy and Trust Requirements
Nowadays, Google is trying to raise the bar for quality content — and this needs to be factored into SEO strategies.
We’ve talked about YMYL topics, but you must now prove trustworthiness.
Google’s guidelines also rank content based on their own clever acronym E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness). These guidelines suggest that Google’s desired content should be created by knowledgeable sources, is reliable, and offers genuine value to users.
This means content on “higher risk” topics should be led by experts (in the form of an author bio box or dedicated page), credibly sourced and be transparent on who’s written the content to rank higher.
Higher Risk of Misinformation
Inaccurate health information can have serious and potentially damaging consequences for readers adopting the wrong practices.
SEO strategies must prioritise clarity, accuracy, and responsibility — often requiring input from certified medical professionals or regulatory approval.
Competitive, High-Stakes Keywords
With over 6.75 million searches a day for health-related queries worldwide, highly competitive terms are proving more challenging to rank for.
Terms like “private GP,” “physiotherapy clinic,” or “mental health services” are highly competitive, and boast significant commercial value.
Ranking for these terms requires far more attention to link building, technical fundamental analysis and relevant, savvy content creation than in less-saturated industries.
Sensitivity and User Intent Complexity
Healthcare is a hot-button, sensitive topic, so it’s vital that businesses and agencies factor user intent into their strategies — more so for healthcare.
Searchers may be dealing with personal, urgent, or emotional issues — and might be deeply worried or concerned when trying to find answers.
SEO strategies must cater to this by balancing empathy with their conversion goals, which means not being too intrusive with promotions.
Tips for healthcare SEO
With the “whys” out the way, you’re probably looking for some pearls of wisdom on how to create a bulletproof SEO healthcare strategy. Here are a few crucial tips to consider when planning a strategy for a healthcare client.
Write Medically Accurate, Compliant Content
When writing SEO-led content for a healthcare client, you should always make sure it’s fact-checked and linked back to credible sources.
If you’re in doubt, link your content back to long-standing, credible sources like the NHS in the UK or CDC if you’re writing for American clients. Peer review studies and journals are also considered credible sources here – so don’t avoid them.
If you find conflicting advice, it’s best to mention that alternative advice is available, offer any caveats in the body copy and link to alternative sources as well. You won’t get penalised for being thorough with your research.
Prioritise Local SEO for Patient Acquisition
Many healthcare queries are related to location — whether it be “private GP in [location]” or “dentist near me”, for example.
As well as optimising for location through keyword research and location-targeted content, it helps to maintain an accurate Google Business Profile listings for all clinic locations.
It can be helpful to include building location-specific landing pages in your strategy. Content here can be easily tailored content for each service area.
Demonstrate E-E-A-T
Especially for healthcare, demonstrating your client’s authority in the space is crucial for Google crawlers to look upon your site favourably.
In your content, make sure to include author bios for doctors or clinicians on blog posts.
This should ideally include:
- Full name and professional title
- Medical credentials & licenses
- Current role & experience
- Relevance to article topic
- Professional memberships
- Compliance disclaimer
- Profile photo or professional link
Build Quality Backlinks from Trusted Healthcare Sources
Quality backlinks are a crucial element of building your domain authority in the space as well as improving search rankings – it isn’t all about on-site work.
To get relevant and quality backlinks, part of your strategy should be pitching to reputable guest articles or reactive commentary to medical journals and news outlets.
To make sure it’s compliant, you can also collaborate on PR content with partner clinics or charities to establish your client as thought leader in the sector. It’s also best to avoid spammy directories, as these can hurt your domain authority.
Keep Content Updated
Part of keeping content as accurate as possible is making sure it’s up to date. Innovations in the healthcare and medical field happen all the time, so you need to refresh content regularly to make sure it’s not only relevant but accurate and compliant too.
You should regularly update condition pages, service descriptions, and blog posts to reflect:
- New medical research
- Treatment advancements
- Updated NHS or government guidelines
Google favours fresh, accurate content in YMYL sectors like healthcare — so it’s critical to keep on top of it.
Bolster your healthcare SEO with MRS Digital
Need help growing traffic and links to your healthcare business? Boasting 25 years of experience, MRS Digital’s award-winning team have helped many businesses like yours grow in online presence and boost SERP rankings.
Read more about our Healthcare marketing SEO or contact us today using our quick and easy form. A member of our team will be in touch.
