Promoting Your Medical Practice on the Internet

A generation ago, medical professionals marketed their medical practice in two basic ways: word of mouth and print advertising. But as popularity of the World Wide Web continues to grow, internet marketing is rapidly becoming a standard for most medical practices.

There are several ways to market your medical practice on the internet, but by far the most essential step is to establish a website. A website is not only a way that potential clients can get a sneak peak at you and your staff; it's a way for you to highlight your strengths, accomplishments and showcase your practice.

Studies have shown that over 75% of internet users do medical research on the web. That's a huge market of potential clients that can be reached by having a website. When people reach your site through a search engine, your audience is highly targeted; these people are already searching for a service your practice offers. This is a distinct and huge advantage the internet has over traditional marketing methods.
Another advantage of marketing your medical practice on the internet is that potential clients can be reached any time of day and from anywhere in the country.
Something to keep in mind: Because potential clients use search engines like Google to find potential medical practices, it is very important for your website to be "search engine friendly", meaning that it comes up high on the list of search results. If your site doesn't come up on the first page of the results of a search, chances are it will get overlooked. You must optimize your website for the search engines. You can do this on your own and put in the hours on top of your regular working hours, or you can consult a professional SEO (Search Engine Optimization) firm to handle this task.
The most important thing to remember when optimizing your site is to provide good, relevant content. A blog with updates on news and information related to your medical specialty is a great way to keep your site in the top 10 of Google's search results, as well as provide your clients and potential clients with useful information. All of these things ultimately build your clientele and create loyalty in the ones you already have.