How to Target the Right Traffic with Healthcare SEO
10th Feb 2023
Success in today’s increasingly busy digital landscape, is often driven by how effective your SEO and search marketing strategies are. Healthcare businesses are becoming much more aware of how SEO can benefit their online visibility, by enhancing their digital presence and attracting more website traffic, and why investing in SEO for healthcare is crucial to a sustainable long-term strategy.
Understanding nuances between branded and non-branded traffic and how each can support Health Care Professionals (HCPs) across the buying cycle is a major consideration when creating an effective healthcare SEO strategy.
This article will look in depth at the two different kinds of traffic, and how you can effectively optimise your healthcare website.
What is the Difference Between Branded and Non-Branded Traffic?
Taking control of your brand’s presence on SERPs (Search Engine Result Pages), plays a large part in dictating how prospective buyers and stakeholders engage with your brand. At Varn Health our work with previous healthcare clients has been geared towards amplifying brand visibility across two key channels: branded and non-branded organic traffic.
Branded Traffic
Branded traffic refers to visitors who find your website by searching for your brand name specifically. This type of traffic is often highly targeted and is made up of individuals who are already familiar with your brand or have previously interacted with it.
Branded traffic typically has a higher conversion rate since visitors are already aware of your brand and may be seeking out specific products or services. This is why it’s so important to gain control over your branded traffic to give you more brand visibility as well as reduce the third-party sites that may offer similar things.
While branded traffic is valuable, it won’t significantly expand your reach beyond existing customers or clients. Relying solely on branded traffic could limit your growth potential and overlook opportunities to attract new patients or clients.
Non-Branded Traffic
On the other hand, non-branded traffic involves visitors who discover your website through generic or industry-related search queries, rather than searching specifically for your brand. For instance, a user searching for “cardiologist near me” and finding your cardiology practice’s website would constitute non-branded traffic. This type of traffic is broader in scope and has the potential to reach a wider audience.
Non-branded traffic can significantly expand your online reach by attracting individuals who may not be familiar with your brand but are actively seeking healthcare information or services. However, it can have a lower immediate conversion rate as visitors are still in the research or consideration phase of their buyer’s journey.
By building a two-pronged approach to branded and non-branded traffic, you can build more awareness of your brand for people who know it, whilst delivering a positive first impression to those who don’t.
Empower Health Care Professionals (HCPs) Throughout Their Buying Cycle
Healthcare professionals (HCPs) and patients are always searching for conditions and potential treatments. You should focus on the organic channels they are researching on, in turn, it’ll allow you greater influence over your brand touchpoints. Effective healthcare SEO should aim to support HCPs across the buying cycle, by creating content and optimising your website to address the diverse needs and preferences of HCPs and patients at each stage of their journey.
Do you need support to improve your healthcare website rankings?
If you want to learn how to drive more non-branded traffic to your site whilst gaining better control over your healthcare-branded rankings and visits, then get in touch with Varn Health today.
