Local SEO for Rehab Centers
Getting Your Treatment Center Atop Google Maps and More
From the moment a potential client (or their anxious family member) encounters your facility, what do they see? In many cases, the answer will be your Google Business Profile (perhaps more commonly known as a GMB) and its About Us, latest Updates, Services, Products, and more!
Is your treatment center profile putting your facility in the best possible light? And if you are a multi-location rehab, are you managing each as effectively as possible? Although your GMB matters for all clients, is it also speaking specifically to the potential clients in neighborhoods near your alcohol and drug rehab centers who are looking for help?
Helping you get the answers to a confident 'Yes!' to all three questions is the reason for this inaugural newsletter on local SEO for rehab centers from myself and the team at Ads Up Marketing. So keep reading, and we'll cover all the bases!
Effectively Completing a Rehab's GMB or Google Business Profile
The very first part of getting your bases covered in every aspect of optimizing local SEO for alcohol and drug rehab centers is to complete all the fields in the 'Edit Profile' setting that should be pretty clear on the backend of your Google Business Profile.
We'll review the importance of Categories later, so we'll skip to the Description, Website, and Social Profiles (a new addition). Don't stuff too many keywords in the Description, but be sure to highlight the basics: city and state of residence, accreditations, specializations, levels of care, the ability to accept dual diagnosis or mental-health primary clients, and the more important elements of your facilities amenities or other details.
Tracking Google Business Profile Performance and Conversions
When it comes to the website field, adding an Urchin Tracking Meter (UTM) that allows Google to properly attribute visits to your Google Business Profile is important. It's fairly straightforward, just visit the link above and then revise your website field with the updated URL.
The ability to add social profiles manually is a relatively new function offered on the GBP backend. Make sure to hit all the major ones, and feature your YouTube channel if it applies. (You can also add the videos using the 'Add Photo' function a few spots away from the 'Edit Profile' button)
Finally, don't forget to look at the 'More' section down below and add any of the traits of your business that apply, from wheelchair accessible to veteran-owned.
What are the Proper GMB Categories for a Rehab Center?
The rundown on Categories is quick and painless. The topic GMB Categories used by behavioral health centers for their Google Business Profiles are the following:
The top two are the key ones to check the box unless your facility is strictly for mental health clients. The others can vary by your preference and ability to meet the searchers' needs (a consulting Psychiatrist with a private practice for instance).
The Importance of a Uniform Presence for NAP Consistency
This one will tie into the next section, and both address the need for a consistent Name | Address | Phone number across all web and directory listings.
There are a few exceptions to this, with a dedicated number usually assigned for tracking purposes to landing pages, social media images on posts, and other applications in which you want to specifically measure the effectiveness of a single approach.
Other than that, you want your NAP to be consistent, specific to location, and spread far and wide across the digital landscape!
Assigning a Team Member for GMB Messages
Don't take on all the work yourself, assign rehab GMB for local search and SEO to a team member or outside local SEO service.
Rather than taking on the task of answering GMB Messages, or even making sure your Google Business Profile is fully updated (see below) it often makes sense, except for the smallest of facilities, to assign a specific team member or outside service to represent your treatment center.
That way your response to potential leads from Messages will be prompt and accurate, and the images and style of your Updates will be consistent.
Representing Your Rehab With the Right Updates
Touching quickly on the topic of the 'Add Update' function on the backend of the GMB dashboard is a must since these will be your prominent talking points, links to your latest blogs, and announcements for major events.
Make each one clear and succinct, with either an image that communicates your message, text overlay, or both. It's also a good place to feature location-specific pages, blogs, or offerings your facility has for the local area (think, IOPs for My City or Suburb, PHP in My State, etc).
Adding Visuals and Videos for Potential Clients
In keeping with the above, make your visuals, both videos and static images, as consistent as possible. And then share them!
The 'Add Photo' function on your GMB also allows videos, and if you've got a YouTube channel, this can offer the perfect jumpstart. Just import those, as well as mirror any facility pics from your site, and this forms a solid beginning.
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Are Services and Products Needed on GMB for Rehabs?
In short, yes. In particular, the Services are helpful for better appearance in local search results; a few of these include.
Anything that is a distinct track or level of care in your continuum deserves a spot here. And while not technically 'Products,' it can never hurt to mirror these Services with images and a corresponding landing page through that function as well.
Making Location-Specific Rehab Landing Pages
We've touched on this briefly already, with our comments on regionally specific Updates. Now the idea is to take the Location approach a step further and link from your GMB/GBP to each of your local city and region pages.
What are the towns and cities from which local searches attract the most clients for you and even for competing addiction treatment centers in the area? If the numbers are significant enough, it makes sense to craft a page that appeals to the locals from each neighborhood and region.
Adding Insurances Accepted to a Google Business Profile
While fairly self-explanatory, covering the necessary providers, in-network and otherwise, that your facility can accept is a direct way of getting more qualified leads and potential clients enthusiastic about attending your rehab center.
To check this box, go to the 'Insurance' function on the GMB dash, and then sort through the relevant insurance companies and specific plans (there are many!) that your Admissions team confirms.
Be sure to check and update this regularly as your agreements with providers change or as coverage details of desirable policies shift.
Catching Air: Citations and Profile Links for Rehab Local SEO
Just like a sail, your rehab and website traffic will perform optimally when it covers the most surface area. In this case, the surface area is the Web in its entirety, and the more points for local business listings where your treatment center has a profile or presence, the better.
You can accomplish this by visiting sites like Merchant Circle, Manta, and, of course, the bigger competitors to Google Maps (where your Business Profile appears prominently in search results) like Apple Maps and Bing Maps.
Regional Backlinks and the Other Signals of Local Authority
Whether through press releases picked up by local media outlets, positive mentions due to community outreach, relationships with local recovery community organizations, or otherwise, spreading the word about your rehab to ears in your home city and state matters.
Not to mention, these sorts of pickups also help Google and other search engines determine the relevancy of your treatment center for those seeking your services in the local area.
Reputation Management as a Pillar of Local SEO Efforts
As we near the home stretch, let's touch on the aspects of the digital realm that either bolster or tarnish the all-important reputation of an addiction treatment center. Among the more important areas for brand mentions include:
Reviews as a Focus for Reputation Management
Put simply, getting reviews for your rehab helps local SEO out significantly. Be sure to ask satisfied former clients (and their loved ones) to submit reviews on your behalf to your GMB. Then respond quickly on behalf of your rehab.
Making this a priority will help performance increase measurably once you have covered all the above points. The function on the backend of your GMB profile called 'Ask for Reviews' provides a quick link that can be sent in an email (or text) to make the process easier for program alumni and family members.
Reaching Out for a Confidential Consultation
Coming back to our initial set of questions: is your team or SEO company positioning your rehab centers for success in local search results?
If you would like a complimentary look at your local SEO strategies from an agency dedicated exclusively to behavioral health providers, send me a DM directly to schedule, or visit the Ads Up Marketing site and fill out our contact form.