You spend time crafting valuable, accurate, and informative content to help people find the healthcare they need. But when they Google their symptoms or search for a specialist, your practice is nowhere to be found. Instead, poorly written, generic articles from competitors—or even outdated content—outrank you.
How is this possible? More importantly, how do you fix it?
The Real Reason Patients Aren’t Reading Your Content
If patients don’t already know your name or practice, how do they find you? When they search for symptoms or treatments, Google ranks pages based on keywords, backlinks, and authority. If you aren’t actively optimizing for these, you’re invisible online.
Here’s how to fix that and start getting more patients to read your content.
1. Target the Right Keywords (Do You Even Know What Keywords You’re Targeting?)
If you aren’t targeting the exact words and phrases potential patients type into Google, you’re missing out.
What to Do:
- Research keywords patients use (e.g., “knee pain specialist near me” instead of “orthopedic expert”).
- Use tools like Google’s Keyword Planner or Ahrefs to find high-search, low-competition terms.
- Place these keywords naturally in headlines, page titles, and throughout your content.
❌ Bad Example: “Our orthopedic clinic offers advanced care.”
✅ Good Example: “Need a knee pain specialist near you? Get expert orthopedic care today!”
If your website doesn’t use the words patients are searching for, Google won’t show it to them.
2. Backlinks: Why Other Websites Need to Link to Yours
Google ranks websites based on their authority, and one of the biggest ranking factors is backlinks (other websites linking to yours).
High-quality health-related backlinks (DA 30+, 40+, 50+) tell Google your content is trustworthy. If your competitors have them and you don’t, they’ll outrank you—even if your content is better.
But How Do You Get Other Websites to Link to You?
If people don’t know you exist, they won’t naturally link to your site. That means you have to take the initiative.
You’ll need to reach out to authoritative health websites and suggest they link to your content. This requires:
- Finding relevant sites in your niche.
- Crafting outreach emails to webmasters or editors.
- Building relationships with medical bloggers and journalists.
This can be extremely time-consuming, which is why many healthcare businesses hire marketing agencies that already have a network of health websites they work with. These agencies streamline the process and secure high-quality backlinks faster.
What to Do:
✅ Get guest posts and backlinks on authoritative health sites, like YourHealthMagazine.net.
✅ Submit your website to medical directories to gain credibility.
✅ Partner with local health blogs and media outlets for exposure.
✅ Work with a marketing agency (like YourHealthMarketing.net) that specializes in health-related backlink building.
The more quality backlinks you have, the higher your Google ranking—and the more patients will find you.
3. Offline Promotion: Reaching Patients Beyond Google
While ranking high on Google is important, not everyone finds healthcare providers online. Many patients still trust printed materials, local health publications, and direct recommendations more than search engines.
If you’re only promoting your content digitally, you could be missing out on a large audience—especially those who prefer traditional media.
How to Promote Your Content & Website Offline
📌 Local Health Publications – Get featured in printed health magazines, newspapers, and medical newsletters that already reach thousands of potential patients. (YourHealthMagazine.net can help with this!)
📌 Handouts & Flyers – Create printed materials featuring health tips, your website link, and QR codes that direct people to your online content. Distribute them at clinics, pharmacies, fitness centers, and community events.
📌 Your Own Print or Email Newsletter – A monthly or quarterly newsletter can provide valuable health insights while keeping your audience engaged. You can send it via email or print copies for your local community.
📌 Community Health Events – Attend local health fairs, wellness expos, or host free workshops where you can hand out materials featuring your website, services, and expertise.
📌 Partnerships with Other Local Businesses – Work with gyms, yoga studios, pharmacies, and wellness centers to display your brochures or feature your content in their materials.
The Challenge of Doing This Alone
While creating and distributing print materials yourself is possible, it requires time, effort, and significant costs for:
- Printing high-quality materials
- Distributing them widely
- Reaching the right audience consistently
Instead of taking on all the costs and logistics yourself, partnering with professional health publications—which already have an established audience and distribution network—can give you much greater reach for less effort.
4. Internal Linking: Make It Easy for Google and Patients to Navigate Your Site
If your website has scattered content with no internal links, Google won’t understand how your pages connect.
What to Do:
- Link related pages together (e.g., “Knee pain? Read about our physical therapy services here.”).
- Use anchor text with keywords (instead of just “click here”).
Google follows links to determine what pages are important—so guide both Google and patients where you want them to go.
5. Social Media Promotion: Boost Your Content’s Visibility
If you post a great blog but never promote it, fewer people will see it. Google favors pages with engagement and traffic.
What to Do:
- Share your content all over social media (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Threads, Twitter/X, even create videos of your content and share those on YouTube and TikTok. You need to post where your patients spend their time online!).
- Get shares from local influencers or medical professionals.
- Post snippets of your articles on forums and groups where patients ask for advice.
Social media doesn’t just drive traffic—it builds trust and authority.
6. Email Blasting: Reach Your Target Market Directly
Many doctors and health businesses focus on Google rankings and social media, but email marketing remains one of the most effective ways to stay connected with potential patients. Unlike search engines—where you wait for people to find you—email allows you to reach your audience directly with important health information, updates, and promotions.
How to Use Email to Stay in Front of Potential Patients
✅ Build an email list – Offer a free health guide, wellness tips, or exclusive updates in exchange for email sign-ups.
✅ Send regular health updates – A monthly or weekly email featuring informative articles, treatment options, or patient success stories helps maintain engagement.
✅ Segment your email marketing – Not every patient is the same. Tailor content for different groups, such as parents, seniors, or people managing chronic conditions.
Reaching a Larger Audience Through Established Newsletters
If you don’t have the time or resources to build and manage an email list yourself, consider leveraging existing health-focused newsletters. For example, Your Health Magazine has been sending weekly email updates to a growing audience of dedicated readers in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. for years.
For local health professionals, getting featured in a trusted, established email newsletter can be an easy way to reach people already interested in health-related content—without the time and effort of building a list from scratch.
Whether you handle email marketing in-house or partner with an established publication, direct communication with your audience keeps your practice top of mind and helps patients stay informed about their health options.
Maximize Your Visibility Online & Offline
🔹 Google rankings bring in digital traffic
🔹 Offline promotion builds credibility in your local community
🔹 Combining both ensures you reach as many potential patients as possible
🚀 Want to be featured in top health publications and expand your reach? YourHealthMarketing.net can help!
📞 Call: 301-805-6805
🌎 Visit: YourHealthMarketing.net
Final Thoughts: Your Patients Need You—Make Sure They Can Find You
If you’re not showing up when patients Google their symptoms or treatments, you don’t exist to them. Your expertise, location, and quality of care won’t matter if they can’t find you.
The good news? You can change that. By using keywords, backlinks, offline promotion, social media, and email you’ll attract more patients and grow your practice.
Your patients are searching. Make sure they find you.
