Plastic surgery SEO: Give your visibility a quick nip & tuck

Is your plastic surgery SEO bringing you the clients you need to take your business to the next level? Or is it time to give your online presence a complete reconstruction? Search engines like Google are one of the first places people go to find local services these days. 

In fact, 60% of users don’t get further than the Google Business Profile (GBP) and call directly from the listing. So can you really afford for your clinic not to rank? Ignoring your cosmetic surgery SEO leaves a lot of new business on the table (or off the table, in this case). Fortunately, you don’t have to be a surgeon to understand the value of SEO and the ranking factors that will lift your business to better online visibility.

Why SEO for plastic surgeons is so essential

Search engine optimization (SEO) is the foundation of any successful online strategy, especially in competitive fields like plastic surgery. 

SEO is about optimizing website content, improving mobile browsing, obtaining valuable backlinks, getting reviews and building listings. All these elements work together to improve your rankings on search engine results pages (SERPs).

Plastic surgery isn’t something people undergo lightly. There will be a long research phase where potential patients will be gathering as much information as possible. That’s why you should target potential patients with keywords for every stage of the patient journey, from initial doubts to post-treatment care.

While this content is very effective  at attracting patients, it’s local SEO that’s the real game-changer for plastic surgeons aiming to attract nearby patients. Local SEO allows your clinic to become hyper-visible to patients searching for services in your specific area. By optimizing for local SEO, plastic surgeons can dominate the coveted “Local Pack” and significantly increase phone calls and website visits.

An example of top plastic surgery SEO in action

One plastic surgery clinic has set itself head and shoulders above the competition with a strong local SEO campaign that’s paying off in spades. Wave Arcadia Plastic Surgery & Laser Center appears in Google’s Local Pack (also known as the “Map Pack”) for the phrase “plastic surgery Arcadia”. The above example shows that Wave has clearly worked hard to build a strong online reputation, with 150 reviews versus 36 for the second-place entry. Even though Premier Cosmetic Surgery & Med Spa has a slightly higher average rating, the number of reviews gives Wave the edge. In competitive markets like plastic surgery, location plays a key role in deciding which results display in this coveted SERP (search engine results page) real estate. 

But the quantity and quality of reviews can give your GBP the glow-up it needs to stand out from other plastic surgeons in the area. After deciding to take its local SEO more seriously, Wave Arcadia Plastic Surgery & Laser Center saw a 74% increase in website visits and 83% more phone calls. Competitors languishing below third place are unlikely to be enjoying the same level of increased business from search. While this might sound like a lot of work to take on while running a busy plastic surgery clinic, there are fortunately several precision tools on the market to make your SEO a lot easier. 

A cut above the rest: Semrush’s Local Listing Management takes care of the uglier side of local SEO, freeing you up to focus on what you do best. The tool distributes your plastic surgery clinic details to more than 70 top directories, makes managing reviews a breeze, and tracks your progress as you climb to the top of the rankings.

Invest in a flawless Google Business Profile

The first step to your plastic surgery clinic’s local SEO facelift is optimizing your Google Business Profile.

Google is the number one search engine in the world, so having your GBP as complete and accurate as possible is just good sense for plastic surgeon SEO. Attention to detail is the key to successful plastic surgery, and it’s no different with your Google Business Profile: 

1. Start by fixing up your NAP data (name, address, phone number). Don’t try to stuff your business name with keywords if that’s not how your business typically presents itself—you’ll probably get an email from Google to say they’ve changed it. 
2. Make sure your opening hours are correct. If a patient wants to come and visit you in person, you’ll make a horrible first impression if they’re left standing out in the cold. And if your opening hours change around the holidays, update them in good time. 
3. Write a detailed description, including any plastic surgery specializations people might be searching for. You get 750 characters, so make the most of them (but again, no keyword stuffing). 
4. Choose the best GBP categories for your business. If you’re a “plastic surgeon” first and foremost, use that as your primary category and perhaps select “cosmetic surgeon” and “plastic surgery clinic” as secondary categories (you can choose up to 10). 
5. Post photos of your clinic and team. Not only will this help people find your clinic, but it also builds trust as visitors will have a better idea of what to expect when they arrive. 
6. Post updates and news to keep your Google Business Profile looking fresh. You can entice clients in with discounts or show off any recent accolades or patient transformations. 
7. Resolve common doubts in the Questions and Answers section. By letting patients know they’re in the right place without them having to get in touch, you’ll likely increase your conversion rate. 
8. Link to your website. If you have several locations, link to a specific location landing page for that area instead of your homepage. 
9. Add a link for users to book an appointment. This can free up busy receptionists from taking appointments over the phone. Getting your Google Business Profile right isn’t just about improving rankings and conversions on the search engine. Other directories and voice assistants use it to verify your data and provide information for their users (and vice versa). 
In sync: With your Google Business Profile complete, the next step is to connect it to Semrush Local's Listing Management so the tool can make sure all your citations are exactly the same. 

Listing your plastic surgery clinic across the web

Now your Google Business Profile is looking like a million dollars, you can move on to building out your other business listings. 

Listing your plastic surgery clinic online doesn't stop at Google. Your clinic needs to have a consistent presence across multiple online directories to build authority and trust with search engines. This consistency is crucial for maintaining high rankings in local searches, as search engines cross-check data across different platforms to validate the accuracy of your business information.

Preston Powell, CEO of Webserv, the digital marketing agency that manages Wave Arcadia Plastic Surgery & Laser Center’s local SEO, said they were able to quickly boost their client’s web presence using one simple tool. 

Get your success stories on the SERPs

When it comes to plastic surgery search engine optimization, reviews are essential. No one wants to go under the knife if the doctor in question has received poor reviews on Google. Because it’s such a big decision, people may actually travel much further for a plastic surgeon with a great online reputation. And on top of making users feel confident about booking an appointment, great reviews also influence your local rankings. Reach out to satisfied patients with a text asking for their feedback and include a link to your Google reviews . SMS is considered one of the most effective channels to get people to take action because it has such a high open rate (some sources put it as high as 98% ). Negative reviews happen to the best of businesses, so if you do get one as a plastic surgeon, it’s important to leave a well-thought-out reply. 

If the critique has merit, explain in your response how you’re going to make amends and the steps you’ll take to prevent it happening again in the future. Don’t be tempted to respond to criticism defensively. It might be uncomfortable to see a blemish on your otherwise perfect online complexion, but your replies are public, so it’s best to counter with a balanced approach. Efficient assistant: Responding to reviews is hard work when you have a long list of patients to see. Instead of drowning in notifications, let Semrush Local's Review Management tool collect them all in one tidy stack until you’re ready to get back to them.

Plastic surgery SEO content: What your website says about your clinic

New plastic surgery clients need to feel confident they’re in the safe hands of a professional that knows what they’re doing. So when they’re doing their online research, potential patients are likely to check your website for evidence of your expertise and trustworthiness. Create content that makes it clear you’re an authority on plastic surgery and provide useful information that will put anyone interested in getting in touch at ease. 

Focus on common pain points that past patients have expressed and explain why your plastic surgery clinic is the best solution. FAQ sections achieve this efficiently, and also boost your chances of appearing in Google’s “People Also Ask” section on SERPs. Before-and-after pictures are what people will be looking for, so if you don’t have easy-to-find case studies, potential patients might bounce from your website in favor of a competitor. Use local keywords in your website content to help search engines understand you’re a local business that serves your specific area. For clinics that see clients from a wide geographical area or have multiple locations, creating specific landing pages for each zone is a good idea both for SEO and conversion rates. 

Thorough consultation: Semrush subscribers get access to so much more than the powerful Listing Management tool. The platform is also one of the industry leaders for:  

• Keyword research
• On-page SEO
• Competitor analysis
• Content marketing
• And link building

Embed handy Google Maps into your location pages and use local business schema markup to make it 100% clear to search engines where they can find your NAP data. Plastic surgeon SEO content is also a great way to attract industry-relevant backlinks. Natural links from relevant sources are like a little vote for the quality of your content and will help push your business up in both local and organic rankings. 

For local links, consider a blog to keep people informed of any community causes you’re involved in. For example, a simple donation to a local charity could get your blog a lot of shares on social media, as well as links from high-authority local news websites. But your content can only make the best possible impact on your plastic surgery SEO if it’s mobile friendly, properly structured with the correct HTML tags, and loads quickly. Consider hiring a web developer to make sure everything is running smoothly. 

What seems to be the problem? Not sure how to identify technical flaws in your plastic surgery website? Leave it to Semrush to point out any missing H1 tags, meta descriptions, and alt-tags with a site audit. That way you can rest assured your content is healthy as well as beautiful.