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Hey Practice Builders — it's Steve with Healthcare Marketing Vitals!

Last week, we explored how to get patients from AI Mode and ChatGPT search.

This week, I'm diving into something foundational for SEO (and Local SEO in particular) that most practices get wrong: your location pages.

These aren't just "contact us" pages with an address—they're powerful SEO tools that can make or break your local visibility.

Per Google, whether/where you appear in searches like “pediatrician near me” is based on 3 factors:

• Relevance

• Proximity

• Prominence

You can’t control your location (and therefore proximity to the searchers) much once you open your practice.

However, you do have control of your relevance and prominence.

Your location page is one of your primary levers for both.

Get it right, and you'll capture patients actively searching in your area. Get it wrong, and they'll never even see you in the search results.

This directly addresses Healthcare Marketing Roadblock #1 (No Visibility) by optimizing for the local searches that matter most, while also helping with Roadblock #3 (No Market Differentiators) by showcasing what makes each of your locations unique.

In This Week’s Email:

• [30 sec] Best Links: Links for Local SEO

• [4 min] Spotlight: Critical SEO: Your Location Page

• [30 sec] By the Numbers: Local search stats that make you gasp

• [30 sec] Quote for the Week: SEO + Audience

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH SEMRUSH

SEMRush is one of the best known names when it comes to tools for SEO and local marketing.

If you don’t have the budget for a marketing team and want to use a suite of well-tested tools to help your practice get more traffic organically, SEMRush is the way to go.

They also have tools for content marketing with AI, social media, and more.

BEST LINKS

Best Links & Essential Resources for Your Location Pages

Schema Markup Testing Tool - Google's free tool to test and validate your location page schema markup. Essential for ensuring search engines understand your practice information correctly. Test your schema here

HIPAA-Compliant Maps Solution - Freshpaint's healthcare-specific mapping solution that provides the functionality of Google Maps while maintaining HIPAA compliance through Business Associate Agreements. Learn about HIPAA-compliant maps

SEMrush Local SEO - Comprehensive SEO toolkit for healthcare practices to improve local search visibility and track competitor performance. Try for free.

Location Page Template - The template I made you to help with creating the perfect location page. Make a Copy.

SPOTLIGHT

Critical Local SEO: Your Location Page

4 min. read

When a potential patient searches "orthopedic surgeon near me" or "knee specialist in downtown Atlanta," Google makes split-nanosecond decisions about which practices to show.

Having a well-structured and “search optimized” location page boosts your chances of showing up for those patients searching for exactly what you offer where you are.

Why Your Location Page Matters

As I mentioned in the intro, Google's local search algorithm evaluates three key factors when deciding which healthcare practices to show:

Relevance: How well does your practice match what the searcher needs?
Proximity: How close are you to the searcher's location?
Prominence: How well-known and trusted is your practice?

Your SEO optimized location page directly impacts all three.

1. It establishes relevance by clearly communicating your services and specialties for that specific location

2. It connects to proximity by providing precise location data Google can understand (connected to your Google Business Profile location)

3. And it builds prominence by showcasing location-specific reviews and community connections.

But here's what most practices miss: the URL structure itself matters.

✅ Do: Have a location page at /locations/dentist-north-boston or /north-boston-dentist signals to Google exactly where you're located and helps you rank for location-specific searches.

❌ Don’t: be that practice the the url: example.com/locations/location-2 wondering why they never show up in search results!

Real World Example

I was reviewing an orthopedic practice in Dallas and their competitors’ websites and saw this:

Client Practice: has a generic "Locations" page listing their three offices with basic addresses. Is not showing well in search (they had a whole host of SEO issues)

Competitors 1-3: Each had dedicated location pages for each office. For example, one highlighting their downtown location's specialization in sports medicine near the Mavericks training facility, another showcasing their suburban location's joint replacement expertise near the major hospital system.

When someone searches "knee replacement surgeon near Dallas," The competitors location-specific page has every advantage—clear relevance, precise proximity data, and prominence through location-specific reviews.

That’s not all there is to local SEO, but it’s a critical part of the puzzle.

8 Essential Elements Your Location Page Needs

1. Strategic URL and Page Title

Your URL should include the location: /locations/highland-park-orthopedics. Your title tag should combine location + specialty: "Orthopedic Surgery & Sports Medicine - Highland Park in Dallas TX".

The more specific you can be to your location, the better. Don’t use a massive metro area (ex. Dallas) alone. Combine it with a more specific area.

This is especially true if you have multiple locations somewhat near one another. You need each to be clearly distinct.

You also need to have a single H1 (main header tag) that is distinct from your title tag, but closely related, ex: “Highland Park Orthopedic Surgery & Sports Medicine Clinic”.

2. Google Map Embed

Include an embedded map showing your exact location. This serves multiple purposes: it helps patients find you, provides visual confirmation of your location, and sends additional location signals to Google.

Make sure this map isn’t on any page with patient data or PHI.

⚠️ Important Note: While Google Maps embeds are beneficial for SEO and user experience, there are nuanced HIPAA compliance considerations that vary by practice type and page content. The HHS guidance on online tracking technologies provides detailed information, though key portions were vacated by a federal court in June 2024. We'll dive deep into these compliance questions—including Google Maps, review responses, and website tracking—in next week's newsletter. ⚠️

3. Location-Specific Provider Information

Don't just list who works there—connect your providers to the local community:

"Dr. James Rodriguez has been serving the Highland Park community for 12 years and serves as the team orthopedist for three local high school football programs."

Mention the actual high schools names (in this example) or organizations. You can even link to them and ask them to link to you. This increases your local relevance.

4. Unique Services and Specialties at This Location

Different locations often serve different populations. Highlight what makes this specific location special:

• "Our Highland Park location specializes in sports medicine and offers same-day MRI services for athletes"

• "This location features our dedicated joint replacement center with minimally invasive surgical suites"

5. Location-Specific Technology and Amenities

Mention unique equipment, technology, or features available at this location:

• "On-site digital X-ray and MRI facilities"

• "Dedicated physical therapy center with underwater treadmill"

• "Minimally invasive arthroscopic surgery suites"

6. Local Landmarks and Accessibility

Help patients understand your location in context: "Located in the Highland Park Medical Center, directly across from Legacy West and one mile from the Dallas North Tollway."

If you are associated with other practices, providers, or hospitals, mentioning them will also help—but don’t link to any competitors!

7. Location-Specific Reviews Integration

Pull in reviews that specifically mention this location or providers who work there. This builds prominence for that specific address.

8. Proper Schema Markup

Implement schema tags for MedicalOrganization, Review, AggregateRating, MedicalBusiness (including medicalSpecialty) as well as any services. This structured data helps Google understand exactly what you offer and where.

The Technical Foundation That Powers Results

Your location page's SEO success depends on proper technical implementation:

Internal Linking: Connect your location page to relevant service pages ("Learn more about our minimally invasive knee replacement") and provider bios.

Mobile Optimization: With 77% of Americans using smartphones for searches, your location page must load quickly and display perfectly on mobile devices.

Schema Markup: Proper structured data tells Google exactly what medical services you offer, your location coordinates, operating hours, and review ratings.

📧 NEXT WEEK: Your HIPAA & Marketing Compliance Questions Answered

Next week's newsletter will tackle the most common (and controversial) HIPAA compliance questions in healthcare marketing - from Google Maps embeds to review responses to website tracking.

🧠 Got a specific compliance question that keeps you up at night? Reply to this email and I'll address it in next week's deep dive.

Making Implementation Simple

Creating effective location pages doesn't have to be overwhelming. We've developed a comprehensive location page template with step-by-step instructions to help you:

• Generate compelling, location-specific content

• Optimize for the specific searches your patients are making

The template includes everything from content structure to technical implementation guidance, making it easy for you or your web team to create location pages that actually drive patient acquisition.

The Bottom Line

Your location page is where SEO strategy meets patient acquisition. When done right, it helps Google understand exactly what you offer, where you're located, and why patients should choose you.

Every day you delay optimizing your location pages, potential patients are finding and choosing competitors who have invested in this foundational element of local healthcare marketing.

Don't let your location page be an afterthought—make it the patient magnet it's designed to be.

BY THE NUMBERS

Local Search Counts

1. 500% increase in "near me" searches in recent years, with patients increasingly searching for healthcare providers closest to their location.

2. 62% of people have searched for health information on their phones.

3. 70,000+ health-related searches every minute happening on Google, emphasizing the massive opportunity for well-optimized practices.

4. Customers are 70% more likely to visit a business with a complete Google Business Profile, highlighting the importance of comprehensive location information

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

When you’re ready, here are 3 ways I can help

I help practices grow their revenue through digital marketing, through targeted, blended search marketing (SEO, Pay-Per-Click Ad) campaigns & dedicated patient reactivation and retention strategies.

I do this using our “Full Schedule Protocol”.

If you want to earn more and grow your practice, book your free call. Spots are limited and fill up each week.

1. Reply to any newsletter or send me an email at [email protected]. I read and respond to every email!

2. Get in front of our audience of healthcare leaders & professionals if you provide a service or product that could help them. I vet everyone carefully for this.

3. Book a free strategy call for precise steps you can take to market & grow your practice more effectively 👇

*Some links in this email may be affiliate links. They support this free email at no cost to you. Your support of our sponsors means a great deal to me and goes a long way.

That’s All for Now

Have a great week Practice Builders—and remember, your location page is working for you 24/7!

See You Next Week,

Steve

P.S. Don't forget to reply with your HIPAA compliance questions for next week's deep dive!