Local SEO Checklist for Medical Practices: 15 Quick Wins
An actionable local SEO checklist for medical practices looking to improve visibility in Google Maps and local search results.
When patients search “doctor near me” or “urgent care [city name],” does your practice appear? Local SEO determines whether you show up in those critical searches—and whether patients choose you over competitors.
The good news: local SEO for medical practices isn’t rocket science. Most improvements are straightforward, and you can implement many yourself. This checklist covers 15 actionable items that will improve your local search visibility.
Why Local SEO Matters for Medical Practices
Before the checklist, let’s establish why this matters:
Patients search locally. The vast majority of healthcare searches have local intent. Nobody drives 50 miles for a routine checkup.
The Map Pack dominates. Google’s local 3-pack (the map with three business listings) appears prominently for local searches. Ranking there drives significant traffic.
Mobile searches convert fast. “Near me” searches on mobile often lead to same-day contact. These are high-intent patients.
Competitors are optimizing. If you’re not working on local SEO, practices that are will outrank you.
Learn more about medical practice SEO
Google Business Profile Optimization (5 Items)
Your Google Business Profile (GBP) is the foundation of local SEO. These optimizations are highest priority.
1. Claim and Verify Your Profile
What to do:
- Go to business.google.com
- Search for your practice
- Claim the listing if it exists, or create one
- Complete verification (usually postcard, phone, or email)
Why it matters: You can’t optimize what you don’t control. Unverified profiles have limited functionality and credibility.
Time required: 15 minutes to claim, 1-2 weeks for verification
Priority: Critical—do this first
2. Complete Every Profile Field
What to do:
Fill out every available field:
- Business name (exact legal name—no keyword stuffing)
- Address (exact match to your website)
- Phone number (local number preferred)
- Website URL
- Hours of operation (including special hours)
- Business description (750 characters max)
- Services offered
- Attributes (wheelchair accessible, LGBTQ+ friendly, etc.)
- Opening date
Why it matters: Complete profiles rank better. Google rewards businesses that provide comprehensive information.
Time required: 30-45 minutes
Pro tip: Use the business description to naturally mention your specialty and location, but write for patients, not search engines.
3. Choose the Right Categories
What to do:
- Select one primary category (most specific to your practice)
- Add relevant secondary categories (up to 9 additional)
Primary category examples:
- “Family practice physician” (not just “Doctor”)
- “Ophthalmologist” (not just “Eye care center”)
- “Nephrologist” (not just “Medical clinic”)
Secondary categories might include:
- Medical clinic
- Medical office
- Specific services you offer
Why it matters: Categories tell Google what searches you’re relevant for. Wrong categories = wrong search results.
Time required: 10 minutes
Warning: Don’t add irrelevant categories hoping to rank for more searches. This backfires.
4. Add High-Quality Photos
What to do:
Upload at least:
- Logo
- Cover photo
- Exterior photo (helps patients find you)
- Interior photos (waiting room, exam rooms)
- Team photos
- Any relevant equipment photos
Specifications:
- Minimum 720px on shortest side
- JPG or PNG format
- No stock photos (Google may remove them)
Why it matters: Profiles with photos get significantly more engagement. Photos build trust and help patients know what to expect.
Time required: 1-2 hours (taking and uploading photos)
Pro tip: Add photos regularly, not just once. Monthly additions signal an active business.
5. Manage and Respond to Reviews
What to do:
- Monitor reviews regularly (set up notifications)
- Respond to ALL reviews—positive and negative
- Keep responses professional and HIPAA-compliant
- Thank positive reviewers genuinely
- Address negative reviews constructively (take offline)
Response template for positive reviews: “Thank you for the kind words, [Name]! We’re glad we could help. We look forward to seeing you at your next visit.”
Response approach for negative reviews: “We’re sorry to hear about your experience. We take all feedback seriously. Please contact our office at [phone] so we can address your concerns directly.”
Why it matters: Review quantity, quality, and recency all impact rankings. Responses show engagement and professionalism.
Time required: 5-10 minutes per review
Warning: Never confirm someone is a patient in your response. Never discuss specific care details. Keep it general.
On-Site Local SEO (5 Items)
Your website needs to reinforce local relevance.
6. Optimize Title Tags and Meta Descriptions
What to do:
Include location in key page titles:
- Homepage: “Atlanta Dermatology | [Practice Name] | Skin Care Specialists”
- Service pages: “LASIK Surgery in Dallas | [Practice Name]”
- About page: “About [Practice Name] | Denver Eye Care Since 2005”
Meta descriptions should also include location naturally.
Why it matters: Title tags are a primary ranking factor. Location signals tell Google where you’re relevant.
Time required: 1-2 hours to audit and update
Pro tip: Don’t force location into every page. Focus on key pages: homepage, service pages, contact page.
7. Create Location-Specific Content
What to do:
- Service area page describing locations you serve
- Individual city/neighborhood pages if you serve multiple areas
- Local content mentioning community involvement
Example: A practice serving multiple suburbs might create:
- /service-area/ (overview)
- /service-area/alpharetta/
- /service-area/roswell/
- /service-area/johns-creek/
Why it matters: Location-specific content signals relevance for local searches in those areas.
Time required: 2-4 hours per location page
Warning: Don’t create thin, duplicate pages just changing the city name. Each page needs unique, valuable content.
8. Ensure NAP Consistency
What to do:
Your Name, Address, and Phone number (NAP) must be identical everywhere:
- Website (header, footer, contact page)
- Google Business Profile
- All directory listings
- Social media profiles
Exactly identical means:
- “Suite 100” vs “Ste 100” vs “#100”—pick one format
- “Street” vs “St.”—be consistent
- Phone formatting: (770) 555-1234 vs 770-555-1234
Why it matters: Inconsistent NAP confuses search engines and may cause them to question your legitimacy.
Time required: 1-2 hours to audit, varying time to fix
Pro tip: Create a master document with your exact NAP format. Reference it for everything.
9. Add LocalBusiness Schema Markup
What to do:
Add structured data to your website that tells search engines:
- Business type (MedicalBusiness, Physician, etc.)
- Address
- Phone number
- Hours
- Geographic service area
Example (simplified):
{
"@type": "MedicalBusiness",
"name": "Your Practice Name",
"address": {
"@type": "PostalAddress",
"streetAddress": "123 Main St",
"addressLocality": "Atlanta",
"addressRegion": "GA",
"postalCode": "30301"
},
"telephone": "(770) 555-1234"
}
Why it matters: Schema helps search engines understand your business. Can enhance how you appear in search results.
Time required: 1-2 hours (may need developer help)
Pro tip: Use Google’s Structured Data Testing Tool to verify implementation.
10. Embed Google Map on Contact Page
What to do:
- Get embed code from Google Maps for your location
- Add to contact page
- Include driving directions text if helpful
Why it matters: Reinforces location to search engines. Helps patients find you.
Time required: 15 minutes
Citation and Directory Management (3 Items)
Citations are mentions of your business across the web.
11. Claim Major Healthcare Directories
What to do:
Claim and optimize profiles on:
- Healthgrades
- Zocdoc
- Vitals
- WebMD
- RateMDs
- Yelp
- Facebook Business
For each directory:
- Claim the listing
- Verify information matches your NAP exactly
- Complete all available fields
- Add photos where possible
- Monitor for reviews
Why it matters: These directories rank well themselves and pass authority to your practice. Also where patients look for doctors.
Time required: 30-60 minutes per directory
Priority order: Healthgrades, Zocdoc, Yelp, then others
12. Fix Incorrect Citations
What to do:
- Search for your practice name + city
- Check top results for incorrect information
- Contact directories to fix errors
- Use services like Yext or BrightLocal for scale (optional)
Common issues:
- Old addresses from previous locations
- Wrong phone numbers
- Duplicate listings
- Misspelled names
Why it matters: Incorrect information confuses search engines and patients. Inconsistency hurts rankings.
Time required: 2-4 hours initially, ongoing monitoring
13. Build Industry-Specific Citations
What to do:
Get listed in specialty-specific directories:
- Medical association directories (state medical association, specialty societies)
- Hospital affiliation directories
- Insurance provider directories
- Local business directories (Chamber of Commerce)
Why it matters: Industry-relevant citations carry more weight than generic directories.
Time required: 2-4 hours
Review Strategy (2 Items)
Reviews are both a ranking factor and a conversion factor.
14. Implement a Review Generation System
What to do:
- Ask satisfied patients for reviews (timing matters—ask after positive interactions)
- Make it easy (provide direct links to Google review page)
- Train staff on how to ask
- Consider automated follow-up emails (check HIPAA compliance)
- Use QR codes in office linking to review page
When to ask:
- After a successful treatment outcome
- When patients express satisfaction
- At checkout after routine visits
How to ask: “We’re glad we could help! If you have a moment, we’d really appreciate a Google review—it helps other patients find us.”
Why it matters: More reviews = better rankings + more patient trust. Consistent review velocity matters.
Time required: 30 minutes to set up system, ongoing 2 minutes per ask
Warning: Never offer incentives for reviews. Never ask for only positive reviews. Both violate Google guidelines.
15. Monitor and Respond to All Reviews
What to do:
- Set up Google Alerts for your practice name
- Check review platforms weekly
- Respond to every review within 48 hours
- Track review volume and average rating over time
Why it matters: Response rate signals engagement. Addressing negatives shows professionalism. Patterns in reviews reveal operational issues.
Time required: 15-30 minutes weekly
Implementation Priority
If you can only do some of these, prioritize:
Immediate (This Week)
- Claim/verify Google Business Profile
- Complete all GBP fields
- Set correct GBP categories
- Ensure website NAP matches GBP exactly
Short-Term (This Month)
- Add photos to GBP
- Optimize homepage title tag
- Claim Healthgrades and Zocdoc profiles
- Respond to existing reviews
- Implement review generation process
Medium-Term (Next Quarter)
- Create service area content
- Add schema markup
- Fix citation inconsistencies
- Optimize service page titles
- Claim remaining directories
Ongoing
- Regular photo additions
- Consistent review generation
- Review monitoring and response
- Citation monitoring
DIY vs. Professional Help
You can likely handle yourself:
- GBP optimization
- Review management
- Basic directory claims
- Photo updates
- Simple title tag changes
Consider professional help for:
- Schema markup implementation
- Large-scale citation cleanup
- Technical SEO issues
- Competitive markets requiring aggressive strategy
- Ongoing optimization and reporting
Measuring Success
Track these metrics monthly:
- Google Business Profile views: Are more people seeing your listing?
- GBP actions: Calls, website visits, direction requests
- Local pack rankings: Where do you appear for key terms?
- Review volume and average rating: Are reviews growing?
- Website traffic from local searches: Organic traffic from your city/region
Ready to Improve Your Local Visibility?
At MedTech Consulting, we help medical practices dominate local search results. Whether you need a comprehensive local SEO strategy or help with specific optimizations, we’re here to help.
Contact us for a local SEO consultation.
Related reading: Medical Practice SEO Services | Healthcare Marketing Services | Our Service Area
