Make some simple fixes and drive traffic to your Drug Treatment Facility
Are you a drug rehab looking for additional traffic to your site? It’s an overly obvious rhetorical question. Everyone in the treatment center industry knows how recent changes and new laws have made it tough to attract attention to your site. The real question is how will you alter your strategy to make the most of these changes. Let’s start with local SEO, which is one of the most overlooked methods of increasing traffic to your site. Local SEO is also one of the most expedient ways to increase traffic to your site.
We have assisted many private treatment centers produce clients from our local SEO work. Do you want to know how we do it? Read on to learn about some of the “low-hanging fruit” that can drive traffic to your site. It starts in your own backyard.
Local SEO for Drug Rehabs
Don’t overlook your own neighborhood when you’re looking to fill your beds. Be aware of some simple tactics that can pull patients from your own backyard. Some of these things are very easy to implement. SEO has become almost a dirty word to treatment center owners. Get that out of your head because I’m going to talk about fast and actionable steps to take to help increase your traffic.
Local Search
Local search is simply your online presence when someone is looking for a service in your area. These searches take place mostly on Google but also include Bing, Apple Maps, and Yelp. Drug Treatment Centers can employ certain search strategies to help your business appear on the first page of the search results.
A very common search is “drug rehabs near me”. You really can’t fake the algorithm here. If you have a local facility in the area of the search and the search engine (like Google) determines that you are relevant and trustworthy, you will show up in the local box.
One thing to note is that you can bid on the top spot in the local box. This is an option on Google if you are approved with LegitScript and have a PPC campaign running. Within the campaign, you need to set up a local extension that has your address listed.
Google 3-Pack
Google local listings are sometimes called the “snack pack”. This is a boxed area that is shown when someone searches for something local. Be aware that the same search may produce different results depending on the device you’re using (mobile versus desktop).
Here are a couple of tips to help you out. Collect more reviews, because it shows that you have trust and authority. Optimize the titles in your site pages and headlines to incorporate geographical clues. Get listed on more local directories. Use the keywords that signal what your prospective patients are looking for. Do you offer, dual-diagnosis treatment, detox only options or an executive track? Make sure those signals are included in your company description.
Write Localized content
You already have an “about us” page. Why not make a page about your local city or county? That way you can help your search rankings when someone looks for a treatment center in your area.
Articles on local history, people, or activities will help your addiction center show itself above your competition in a local search. Why not make the most out of your opportunities? Here are a few additional ideas:
- Write blog posts about local or statewide recovery activities. There are sober round-ups every month.
- Write about employee highlights or promotions. People are interested in articles about the people who make your facility great. Most of your staff probably grew up in your area.
- Write content about the places you go for activities and outings.
- If your facility has several locations, write specific pages for each one.
Local Search Engine Optimization
You can do this by looking into keyword research. This could uncover some local topics that are significant to your immediate area. You should also put your address in several places on your website. And don’t forget to embed a Google map. By including city and state keywords in your content, your future patients know that you can be found in their neighborhood.
Don’t overlook the obvious; your drug rehab should make sure your Google My Business accounts are accurate and up to date. Many centers set it up once and forget about it. A monthly check-up is important. Are your phone number, address, and website shown accurately? Also, double-check your category to make sure it is displayed correctly. There are several tools that can help you check on multiple local listings. One tool I have personally used is Moz.
Drug Rehabs and Social Networks
Do you have a Facebook page? Make sure that you have your address and phone number listed correctly. In your description mention that you take patients locally as well as nation-wide. There are 2 billion active monthly users on this channel. Don’t miss out on potential patients who are looking for help.
Do you have a presence on other social networks? Give them all a review to see where you can update or improve your listings. Sites like Yelp, BBB, Psychology Today, and Rehabs.com are all places where your treatment center could be listed. Make sure that people are seeing what you want them to see.
Also, remember that laws have changed in the last year. For example, it’s no longer legal to pay for travel or referral fees. Are there any listings that have this kind of language? And, while you’re doing some housekeeping … double-check your privacy policy and make sure your copyright date on your site is updated to the current year. Heck, check your terms and conditions while you’re at it.
Power Tips to Get Listed on The First Page
Site Speed (Page Speed)
Page Speed refers to how quickly a page loads. Big beautiful images, slideshows, and videos look great on your homepage, but they might be slowing down your site. Your content needs to load lightning-fast. This is especially true on mobile. By the time your page finishes showing, the person searching is already hit the back button.
No broken links
If you link to other sources, make sure they are working. Nothing is more embarrassing than your website viewer seeing a 404 error (site not found). On the same subject, make sure to include links to pages and posts within your site. Many people overlook this, and it helps your ranking.
Images
Any photos on your site should be compressed. They should also be easy to share and have a good title and description. In other words, none of your images should be named img0022.
Great Titles and headlines
Titles should be descriptive and catchy. Use lots of headlines to make your page easy to read. Images, bullet points, and videos are also great for the reader.
Consistency
Make sure you’re always updating your site. The search engines like regular changes. It signifies that your site is relevant and up to date.
Too Busy to Local Search Changes?
We would love the opportunity to earn your business if you don’t have time to make these kinds of necessary updates and changes. We would be glad to help you. Our prices are reasonable, and we work fast. Give us a call.