While it is an accepted fact that Google’s search engine algorithm has changed quite a bit over the years, one thing still remains true − people use search engines to find information about veterinary services in their area. When someone searches online for veterinary providers in a specific geographic location, chances are they want to find your animal hospital.

Upgrade Your Veterinary Website for Google

One veterinary marketing strategy you should definitely try is to improve your veterinary website so it ranks higher in the search engine results pages (SERPs). In veterinary medicine, as in other industries, if you rank high up on the first page of Google, you should get a lot of new veterinary patients. The key to having your veterinary website ranking well on Google is to optimize your website with Search Engine Optimization, aka SEO.

Research targeted keywords and make sure your veterinary website content is useful to people who are searching online. Your veterinary website should include content that consists of the target keywords you have researched.

Make Sure Your Veterinary Website Looks Good on All Devices and Loads Lightning Fast

In veterinary medicine, it is important that veterinary websites also look good on smartphones and tablets since this is how a lot of people find veterinary services. If your veterinary website does not load properly on all major devices you could lose out on potential veterinary clients.

To get the most out of veterinary marketing, your veterinary practice website should be designed with a “mobile-first” approach. Your veterinary website should also be optimized to load fast. If you need help designing and managing your veterinary website, please reach out to us at the VET Marketing Agency. We’ll show you a few sample designs and how affordable a new veterinary animal hospital website can be.

Setup a Veterinary Blog and Post Often

Google loves content and especially fresh new content. To ensure you appear on page 1 of results, develop rich content that includes long paragraphs with detailed information about veterinary care, pet training tips, and nutrition advice for dogs and cats. In veterinary medicine, creating a veterinary blog is one of the best veterinary marketing strategies you can employ. You should post new articles on your veterinary practice blog frequently and always include a call to action at the end of your veterinary blog posts such as “click here” or “get more information about veterinary services at…”

Claim and Maintain Your Google My Business Listing

Google My Business is a very useful veterinary marketing tool. Your veterinary practice should claim and maintain your Google My Business listing by adding correct veterinary business information, including:

• How long you have been in business
• Your veterinary hours of operation (including opening/closing hours)
• The veterinary hospital’s physical address
• Phone number of the veterinary clinic
• An image (or images) of your veterinary clinic

Obtain Customer Reviews

Google My Business provides your veterinary practice with an easy and trusted way to obtain and showcase your customer reviews. Consider placing a tent card at your check-out desk which can include a QR code directly linked to your Google My Business review page. Make it easy for your customers to leave a review and ask them specifically to do so when checking out. Oh and be sure to respond to all your Google My Business customer reviews, even if they’re (hopefully) 5-star reviews. Doing so shows potential new customers you care about your reputation and your customers.

Collect Customer Email addresses, Always, and Email Customers Often

In veterinary medicine, one of the best veterinary marketing strategies is to nurture your veterinary customers so they will become regular veterinary customers! This includes sending out periodic veterinary newsletters containing useful information about animal health and general pet wellness.

You should have a veterinary newsletter template ready to go that you can use regularly and usually send via email. If you don’t have veterinary newsletter templates ready you can always use a veterinary marketing software that will automate veterinary marketing for your practice. Your veterinary practice newsletter can consist of useful veterinary information such as pet nutrition advice and pet health care tips. Pro-tip: Sign-up for our marketing newsletter by visiting us at the VET Marketing Agency.

Post on Social Media, Facebook and Instagram at a Minimum

Veterinary social media is a marketing must these days. While Facebook and Instagram are commonly used veterinary marketing tools, veterinary professionals may be missing out on veterinary marketing opportunities by not posting to other veterinary social media sites like TikTok and Snapchat.

Here at the VET Marketing Agency, we recommend all veterinary practices post at least twice per week on each social platform to ensure customers remain engaged with your practice. Customer engagement levels can be improved by launching contests and seasonal promotions.

Create “Back-of-The-House” Videos for Your Veterinary Practice

A veterinary practice video is a creative marketing tool that can be used to showcase your veterinary services. This type of veterinary marketing provides patients with an opportunity to see what goes on at your animal hospital and it’s a great way to showcase your team members as well. At the VET Marketing Agency, we recommend veterinarians simply use their mobile devices to create simple videos that will resonate with existing and potential new customers.

Give back to Your Community

One way veterinary professionals can increase their veterinary clinic’s branding and networking opportunities within the community is by participating in local animal health events like pet adoption days, health fairs, and parades.

Spend some time each week researching animal-related nonprofits in your veterinary practice’s area and find out if your animal hospital would be able to partner with these animal organizations on vet marketing endeavors to help them get their message out.

We’re Here to Help with Your Marketing Initiatives

If veterinary marketing is a struggle for you, you can reach out to us at the VET Marketing Agency. We have veterinary practice marketers that are ready to work with you on your vet marketing initiatives.

The VET Marketing Agency is the premier provider of digital marketing and social media engagement services to the veterinary animal hospital industry. Services include veterinary website design and development, veterinary search engine optimization, veterinary paid advertising programs, social media marketing, and engagement services for animal hospitals, and 24/7 reputation management services for veterinarians.

Headquartered in New Jersey, the VET Marketing Agency offers full-service, cost-effective digital solutions to ensure its veterinary customers remain competitive and, on the marketing cutting edge. The VET Marketing Agency is a certified Google Partner and a member of the Veterinary Hospital Managers Association (VHMA).

To find out more about the VET Marketing Agency, visit VETMarketingAgency.com or call (800) 609-7657 ext. 700.