Tangible SEO results in three months, in a highly competitive market

Introduction

Players in the private healthcare industry have to hold their own on several fronts: they compete both with each other and with the public health sector, where services are often free. Competition is high both online and offline, yet the online opportunities often go untapped, because the larger players move more slowly in the digital space.

Although private healthcare looks like a simple business, its operating model is extremely complex: profitability stands or falls on capacity management. Every unfilled appointment slot or unused capacity is direct lost revenue, which leaves little room for an acceptable cost per order (CPO), and raises the value of channels like SEO.

Challenge

On the paid channels we reached a sustainable and profitable CPO level within a few months, where the paid traffic was fully utilised. At that point we turned towards new methods that require patience and a longer run-up, but hold greater long-term potential.

We agreed on a three-month SEO test period to find out whether search engine optimisation could produce measurable results before committing to a bigger investment.

Solution

We began the partnership on two parallel tracks: building an advanced e-commerce tracking system (so we could see not just the number of bookings but also their details, for which service, with which doctor, at what value), and optimising the paid ads, taking into account the sector’s specific restrictions.

The SEO strategy ran in two phases. Step one: a technical SEO audit and optimisation, that is, putting the foundations of the site in order. Step two: the targeted development of the service areas with the greatest potential, mammography, surgery, orthopaedics, with a comprehensive content strategy, SEO-optimised landing pages and specialist link building.

Channels and tools

Summary

An important note: an improvement in rankings does not immediately mean a proportional rise in traffic. Far more users reach the 15th position than the 36th, but the real breakthrough comes with top-10, ideally top-5, positions. This gradual progress is typical of every successful SEO project. On the strength of the results, the partner decided to continue the programme; we are currently expanding the strategy with further service areas.