When a potential patient searches for “eye doctor near me” or “LASIK specialist in [city],” you want your practice to show up front and center. While great content and positive reviews make a big difference, technical SEO is what ensures your website can be found and understood by search engines. Without it, even the most polished website can easily go unseen. Below are 4 simple technical SEO strategies that can help your practice attract more patients.
1. XML Sitemaps
An XML sitemap works like a roadmap for search engines. It shows them the most important pages of your website, such as your homepage, services, location, and appointment page.
Submitting your sitemap through Google Search Console helps search engines find new content quickly. This is especially helpful if you regularly publish articles about topics like cataract surgery or dry eye care. A well-structured sitemap makes sure the patients who are looking for your expertise can find you.
2. Robots.txt
This file tells search engines which parts of your website they can access. For example, you want Google to index your service and contact pages but not appointment confirmations or logins. When used correctly, robots.txt keeps search engines focused on the content that matters most to your patients. Just make sure you don’t accidentally hide your key pages.
3. Schema Markup
Schema markup helps search engines understand your website content on a deeper level. Imagine a patient searching for “pediatric ophthalmologist near me” and seeing your practice name, star ratings, and address appear instantly. That is what schema markup can do: they make your practice stand out.
4. Canonical Tags
Duplicate content can hurt your rankings. Canonical tags tell Google which version of a page to focus on. This is especially useful if you have pages for multiple office locations. For instance, if you offer LASIK in two different cities, canonical tags make sure Google knows which version to prioritize. This prevents your site from competing against itself. OM
