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Why do clinics miss out on conversion search traffic to doctor pages?
Almost every medical clinic website has a section called ‘Our Doctors' listing physicians and providing brief information about them. It is obvious to everyone that this is necessary to build trust with users and potential patients. However, not everyone realizes that doctor pages are also a crucial element of the site’s SEO. Sometimes clinics underestimate the importance of these pages and the traffic they can generate.
In this article, we explain why traffic at doctor pages is so effective in attracting clients to a clinic and how to design them properly to achieve maximum results from SEO.
Wakeup is a search marketing agency based in Abu Dhabi, created to work with search marketing in Google, Yahoo, and Bing. The founders and team have years of expertise in promoting medical organizations.
In this article, we explain why traffic at doctor pages is so effective in attracting clients to a clinic and how to design them properly to achieve maximum results from SEO.
Wakeup is a search marketing agency based in Abu Dhabi, created to work with search marketing in Google, Yahoo, and Bing. The founders and team have years of expertise in promoting medical organizations.
Table of Contents
Why do doctor pages matter?
1. ReImproving E-A-T factors
According to Google, medical websites belong to the YMYL (Your Money or Your Life) category. Search engines evaluate these sites more strictly, as they can influence people’s health. Ranking such sites in SEO is also controlled by E-A-T factors — expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness. If algorithms detect that content is created by professionals and can be trusted, the site will rank higher. Doctor pages are an effective way to impact E-A-T factors.
According to Google, medical websites belong to the YMYL (Your Money or Your Life) category. Search engines evaluate these sites more strictly, as they can influence people’s health. Ranking such sites in SEO is also controlled by E-A-T factors — expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness. If algorithms detect that content is created by professionals and can be trusted, the site will rank higher. Doctor pages are an effective way to impact E-A-T factors.
2. Building user trust
This point is closely related to the previous one. Proper formatting of doctor pages not only affects the algorithms but also builds user trust. Potential patients see a photo, specialization, experience, professional biography, reviews, and articles written by the doctor. This information influences their decision-making.
This point is closely related to the previous one. Proper formatting of doctor pages not only affects the algorithms but also builds user trust. Potential patients see a photo, specialization, experience, professional biography, reviews, and articles written by the doctor. This information influences their decision-making.
3. Less Obvious but Valuable Targeted Traffic
Word of mouth is highly important in medicine. Patients recommend good doctors to each other, and then search for them online. If a clinic’s doctor pages are not well-optimized or not ranked high, users often turn to aggregator websites (independent platforms where patients leave reviews). Consequently, a clinic without doctors pages loses targeted traffic and gives it to classified ads. Based on our experience, doctor pages can receive as much traffic as service pages. We will discuss this in more detail below.
Word of mouth is highly important in medicine. Patients recommend good doctors to each other, and then search for them online. If a clinic’s doctor pages are not well-optimized or not ranked high, users often turn to aggregator websites (independent platforms where patients leave reviews). Consequently, a clinic without doctors pages loses targeted traffic and gives it to classified ads. Based on our experience, doctor pages can receive as much traffic as service pages. We will discuss this in more detail below.
Case study: promotion of a plastic surgery clinic
Doctor pages are an undervalued source of targeted traffic. They can account for a significant share of the total traffic of a site. Here’s an example from our case study of a plastic surgery clinic for which we provide comprehensive search marketing services.
Traffic statistics for doctor pages vs. service pages
According to statistics, during the first 9 months of promoting the site, doctor pages were visited more frequently than service pages. This is logical as promoting service pages required more effort due to competition. Conversely, searches for doctor names were less competitive and quickly ranked high in search results, even though the site was new. Only from the 10th month of work, when the site gained sufficient trust, the share of traffic to service pages began to increase.
Why is traffic to doctor pages so important?
Since this traffic is targeted, it is highly conversional. Even with increased traffic to service pages, the number of leads from doctor pages remains equal to or surpasses the number of leads from service pages:
Conversions from doctor pages vs. service pages
Traffic to doctor pages has less competition. Essentially, it competes only with aggregators, and it usually outperforms them with little effort. The screenshot shows that a search for a doctor’s name first shows the clinic’s page and then the aggregators.
Top 1 — clinic website, Top 2 and 3 — aggregator websites
Traffic potential for doctor pages on medical
We conducted a traffic study* for several clinics in Dubai to determine the potential traffic volume to doctor pages.
*The study was conducted using SEO-specialized software, not direct analytics data, so the figures should be considered average but reflective of the order of magnitude. For a more accurate understanding of commercial traffic potential, branded and informational queries were excluded from the study.
*The study was conducted using SEO-specialized software, not direct analytics data, so the figures should be considered average but reflective of the order of magnitude. For a more accurate understanding of commercial traffic potential, branded and informational queries were excluded from the study.
1. Potential Traffic Volume for Doctor Pages
Let’s start with the queries frequency. The frequency of searches for doctor pages is the percentage of searches in Google with doctor names from the total number of search queries leading visitors to the clinic’s site.
According to the study, the frequency of searches for doctor pages compared to the overall search frequency of the site directly depends on:
For example, a site of a cosmetic surgery clinic with one doctor on staff averages 2 to 4% of the total query frequency per doctor page.
For multi-specialty clinics, this figure ranges from 3 to 10%, depending on the clinic’s scale and total number of services.
However, to delve deeper, let’s move from query frequency to position and traffic data.
Let’s start with the queries frequency. The frequency of searches for doctor pages is the percentage of searches in Google with doctor names from the total number of search queries leading visitors to the clinic’s site.
According to the study, the frequency of searches for doctor pages compared to the overall search frequency of the site directly depends on:
- The number of doctors in the clinic;
- The total number of queries for the site.
For example, a site of a cosmetic surgery clinic with one doctor on staff averages 2 to 4% of the total query frequency per doctor page.
For multi-specialty clinics, this figure ranges from 3 to 10%, depending on the clinic’s scale and total number of services.
However, to delve deeper, let’s move from query frequency to position and traffic data.
2. Average position for doctor pages
To confirm the hypothesis that queries related to doctor pages are easier to rank in search results compared to other queries, we compared average positions for doctors with average positions for the site overall. The research methodology was as follows:
To confirm the hypothesis that queries related to doctor pages are easier to rank in search results compared to other queries, we compared average positions for doctors with average positions for the site overall. The research methodology was as follows:
- We selected sites of four clinics in Dubai of varying specializations and sizes from the top 10 in Google;
- Using professional software, we determined the average position of queries leading traffic to each clinic;
- We separately analyzed the average position of queries related to doctor pages on these same sites.
Research Results:
Thus, regardless of the site’s optimization level, size, and profile of clinics, doctor page positions are always higher than the average site position.
Thus, regardless of the site’s optimization level, size, and profile of clinics, doctor page positions are always higher than the average site position.
3. CTR of traffic to doctor pages compared to other site pages
We compared query frequency with site traffic data (CTR) and found the following:
With an average site position in Google of 13.4: the site’s overall CTR is 7%. However, the CTR for doctor pages is 14%.
With an average site position of 7.5: the site’s overall CTR is 11%. However, the CTR for doctor pages is 32%. This means that, on average, doctor pages receive three times more clicks than other site pages, despite many queries ranking the site in the Top-10.
With an average site position of 3: the site’s overall CTR is 16%. However, the CTR for doctor pages is 22%. This means that even when most site pages are in the top 3, doctor pages receive 8% more clicks.
The research shows that doctor pages have high potential for targeted traffic. Even if the site is not ranked high for main services, doctor pages can drive targeted traffic, which is crucial for clinics, especially during early stages of SEO promotion.
We compared query frequency with site traffic data (CTR) and found the following:
With an average site position in Google of 13.4: the site’s overall CTR is 7%. However, the CTR for doctor pages is 14%.
With an average site position of 7.5: the site’s overall CTR is 11%. However, the CTR for doctor pages is 32%. This means that, on average, doctor pages receive three times more clicks than other site pages, despite many queries ranking the site in the Top-10.
With an average site position of 3: the site’s overall CTR is 16%. However, the CTR for doctor pages is 22%. This means that even when most site pages are in the top 3, doctor pages receive 8% more clicks.
The research shows that doctor pages have high potential for targeted traffic. Even if the site is not ranked high for main services, doctor pages can drive targeted traffic, which is crucial for clinics, especially during early stages of SEO promotion.
Based on our experience promoting clinic sites in other markets, we can say that the proportion of direct traffic to doctor pages of a clinic site compared to the site’s total search traffic can reach up to 30%. This represents a huge commercial potential that can be quickly achieved through SEO!
When do clinics need doctor pages?
Of course, doctor pages are needed by any clinic, but in some cases, they are critically necessary:
- If the clinic is new and does not have an established reputation. In this case, the doctors' reputations can fill this gap.
- If the clinic has a new website. Promoting a site for service queries takes a lot of time due to high competition. Promoting doctor queries is much easier—traffic and leads can be obtained faster.
- If the clinic works in a sector where doctor expertise is critically important (surgery, plastic surgery, dentistry, reproductive technologies).
How to design doctor pages to generate leads and traffic?
We recommend displaying the doctor section prominently in the site’s main menu and naming it ‘Doctors' or ‘Specialists.' Avoid hiding this section with phrases like ‘About Us' or ‘Our Team.'
This section should list all doctors with brief information (photo, full name, specialization) and provide links to detailed individual pages. Here’s a checklist of elements that should be on a doctor’s page:
This section should list all doctors with brief information (photo, full name, specialization) and provide links to detailed individual pages. Here’s a checklist of elements that should be on a doctor’s page:
- Photo
- Full name, experience, and specialization
- Education and additional information
- Licenses and certifications
- Call-to-action button: ‘Book an Appointment'
- Appointment cost
- Services: Link to separate service pages where potential clients can find more information and ‘before/after' photos if relevant
- If the doctor performs aesthetic procedures, include ‘before/after' photos or case studies
- If there is a chain of clinics, specify the location where the doctor practices
- Reviews of the doctor: show reviews from both the clinic’s site and independent platforms and aggregators
- Additional information related to the doctor: promotions, special offers related to the doctor’s services
Example of a doctor profile page: the description, links to services, specialization, experience, nationality, languages, location, etc.
To create a doctor’s page that generates traffic and conversions, it is better to refer to aggregators, whose main traffic comes from doctor queries:
Example of doctor page layout on aggregator sites
Example of how to structure information so it doesn’t overwhelm the page and is engaging for users:
www.novomed.com/doctors/dr-ibrahim-melki/
www.novomed.com/doctors/dr-ibrahim-melki/
How to interlink doctor pages with other sections?
Linking is necessary for optimizing site navigation and improving behavioral factors. More engaged visitors (reflected in metrics such as bounce rate, time on site, and number of pages viewed) help sites rank higher. For search engines, this signals that the site is user-friendly and interesting.
Here’s how to interlink doctor pages with other sections:
Here’s how to interlink doctor pages with other sections:
- With the main page of the site. Implement this as follows:
- With service pages.
- With articles in blog or service descriptions. If the authors are doctors (which is the best option for showing expertise and building trust), there should be links to their pages.
Doctor quotes in blog and service texts work well for E-A-T factors of the entire site. They help confirm content expertise and serve as additional interlinking to doctor pages.
Common mistakes on medical websites
Let’s discuss some mistakes to avoid in designing doctor pages on clinic websites:
1. Complete absence of doctor information: not mentioning doctors, lacking their photos and descriptions of competencies, or other details makes the site impersonal and less trustworthy. Remember, potential clients trust the experience and expertise of specific people rather than the organization as a whole. This also impacts the site’s ranking in search results: developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/creating-helpful-content
2. Difficulty finding doctor pages: there’s no filter or division by departments on the ‘Our Doctors' page, and no interlinking on service pages.
Users should have an opportunity to find the doctor they are interested in easily, regardless of which page they opened first.
3. Overly general information: providing vague details about the doctor without specific specialization, experience, practice locations, and other details undermines professionalism.
Correcting these basic mistakes helps sites achieve higher rankings because doctor pages validate the site’s expertise. Additionally, the site gains more targeted traffic.
What else to know about SEO promotion of doctor pages?
Here are some universal recommendations for improving SEO on doctor pages:
- Doctor pages should be more user-friendly and detailed than pages on aggregators. A good solution is to structure information in a card format, dividing it into thematic tabs for easy navigation. Aggregators often display information linearly, requiring scrolling.
- Use available snippet options and display features: for example, using Schema.org microdata for doctors.
Schema.org microdata for doctors
This is a standard semantic data markup introduced by Google, Bing, and Yahoo! It systematizes content for search engines and creates an enhanced snippet, making it stand out in search results. It’s implemented in HTML code with special attributes and does not require creating separate export files.
Currently, in Dubai, only aggregator sites actively use snippet expansion features to make sites stand out in search results and increase CTR.
This is a standard semantic data markup introduced by Google, Bing, and Yahoo! It systematizes content for search engines and creates an enhanced snippet, making it stand out in search results. It’s implemented in HTML code with special attributes and does not require creating separate export files.
Currently, in Dubai, only aggregator sites actively use snippet expansion features to make sites stand out in search results and increase CTR.
In addition to doctor information layout, it is also important to monitor their reputation on external sources and include working with doctor reviews in the main SERM and search marketing strategy.
Conclusion
Doctor pages offer the most targeted and therefore conversion traffic, with low competition in search results. By making relatively small efforts to improve these pages, you can quickly achieve top positions for doctor queries and enhance user experience. Don’t miss this opportunity and let this targeted traffic be captured by aggregators. Utilize it to increase trust in the entire site and improve the rankings of other pages.
We hope the recommendations in our article have helped you see new opportunities for attracting clients. If you’re looking for a diligent and proactive partner for your business needs, we’re always ready to help. Feel free to reach out to us for an audit, strategy development, and implementation by writing to start@wakeupdigital.io.
We hope the recommendations in our article have helped you see new opportunities for attracting clients. If you’re looking for a diligent and proactive partner for your business needs, we’re always ready to help. Feel free to reach out to us for an audit, strategy development, and implementation by writing to start@wakeupdigital.io.
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