If you’re working towards getting web traffic to your dermatology practice’s website, knowing what keywords to target and how to go about targeting them is the first step.
There are countless tools a trained search engine marketer has to discover keywords that can drive the kind of web traffic that has the potential to convert into new patients.
This article covers the kinds of keywords dermatologists can target in both their SEO and PPC campaigns to generate more leads and attract new patients to their practices.
If by any chance you’ve been looking for a dermatology marketing agency and you would like to speak with someone at Sagapixel about how we might be able to help your practice, please click here.
Dermatologists Keywords for SEO
Dermatologists need to create dedicated practice pages optimized around the highest volume keywords for the conditions they treat.
The most common SEO “keyword” mistake we see on dermatology websites is the lack of dedicated pages for these conditions.
In other words, your dermatology practice can increase the likelihood of ranking for a keyword such as “acne scar subcision” by building a dedicated page optimized for that keyword. A catchall “conditions we treat” page will never be relevant enough to rank for a competitive keyword.
Writing content around these conditions that link back to these dedicated procedure pages can also help them to rank better.
Articles addressing these keywords not only clarify concerns people may have about their skin, but also generate trust in your business. Other keywords include those about the business of dermatology including price, services you provide, and location-specific pages for the areas you serve.
Despite what they say, Google is likely paying attention to how (or if) visitors engage with your website.
The basis of ranking on Google and other search engines is having a solid understanding of what topics and keywords you want to rank for. For dermatologists, this means building a strategy around the services you offer like “acne dermatologist,” “dermatology mole,” and “dermatologist skin tag removal” among others.
Essentially, you want to have pages focused on keywords related to the services your dermatologist practice provides. These pages and their keywords should have an intent on converting a visitor.
According to Google Keyword Planner, the top dermatologist keywords include:
Keyword | Avg. Monthly Searches |
dermatologist near me | 823000 |
advanced dermatology | 110000 |
dermatology associates | 40500 |
best dermatology near me | 27100 |
pediatric dermatologist | 22200 |
associates in dermatology | 22200 |
dermatologist specialist | 22200 |
dermatology consultants | 18100 |
pediatric dermatologist near me | 12100 |
black dermatologist near me | 12100 |
cosmetic dermatology | 9900 |
integrated dermatology | 9900 |
dermatology san antonio | 9900 |
kaiser dermatology | 8100 |
dermatology clinic | 6600 |
center for dermatology | 6600 |
elite dermatology | 6600 |
cosmetic dermatology near me | 6600 |
the dermatology specialist | 6600 |
vivida dermatology | 5400 |
The complicated part of this is correctly identifying which keywords have what intent and which ones are worth working on. Are people searching “acne dermatologist” looking for a practice for treatment, an educational article on what an acne dermatologist does, or to become a dermatologist?
After that, you want to identify keywords for any other content you want to produce. Ideally, these topics support your services in some way like clarifying different elements about a treatment or the options for a specific concern. The purpose of these topics is to educate readers and answer their questions to build trust in your business.
Now, it’s not as simple as creating a basic keyword list and writing content on them. You need to curate a list and support all of them with other pieces of content.
Typically, these other pages target what SEO’s refer to as “long-tail keywords.”
Aim for Dermatology-Related Long-Tail Keywords
Long-tail keywords are basically phrases with more specific intent rather than 1, 2, or 3 word queries. Typically, these are specific questions someone has and they turn to Google or another search engine for the answers. Long-tail keywords for dermatologists usually help in clarifying treatments or business questions.
The benefit of long-tail keywords for dermatologists is they usually come with a specific intent related to seeking a service. Short-tail keywords are fine for articles defining a term or for serving as the basis of a content strategy, but long-tail keywords are what will get you ranking for more and more topics which then drives organic traffic which then generates leads.
Now, long-tail keywords for dermatologists don’t need to be several words long. If you want to rank for nearby towns and cities, “dermatologist in [location]” technically serves as a long-tail keyword and helps localize your business in other areas. It’s more specific and serves the intent of someone looking for a dermatologist in their area.
What’s more, dermatologist long-tail keywords present an opportunity to answer specific questions, demonstrating your knowledge and expertise and showing a reader you can be trusted with their care.
For example, a long-tail keyword you may want to address for your dermatology practice is “is it a good idea to see a dermatologist?” This topic addresses the benefits of seeing a dermatologist which in turn may help in convincing someone on-the-fence to go see one; ideally, your practice.
Now, unlike short-tail keywords, you can generally just write content on long-tail topics. This is generally because the intent is much clearer for these search terms. Of course, the trick with long-tail keywords for dermatologists is actually finding them and then analyzing them for traffic potential.
Another benefit of targeting long-tail keywords is they generally have less competition. A keyword like “acne dermatologist” is going to be more competitive than “when to see a dermatologist for acne.” Of course, the intent might be a little different for the page you want to make. In this case, the former fits better as a service page, describing how your business offers acne treatments, while the latter works better as a blog explaining when someone should see a dermatologist for their acne. It’s a slight difference that shifts how you should approach writing the content.
Examples of Dermatologists Long-Tail Keywords
Some examples of long-tail keywords for dermatologists include:
- dermatologist who specializes in hair loss
- dermatologist who specialize in black skin
- what dermatology services are covered by insurance
- does dermatologist do allergy testing
- how much does a dermatologist cost
Now, the People Also Ask box on Google is a great, free method for finding related phrases to add to your site. All you need to do is use a base keyword and check to see if that query has a People Also Ask box on the results page somewhere. Here are a few more examples using this method:
- What problems do dermatologists treat?
- Is it a good idea to see a dermatologist?
- Why do people go see a dermatologist?
- Do dermatologists remove moles?
- What are the most common dermatology concerns?
- How often should I ask my dermatologist?
- How much does it cost to see a dermatologist for acne?
That last entry is a good example of building on a short-tail keyword, in this case “dermatologist cost,” and narrowing down the focus to the cost for a specific concern; acne. You can use a similar method for a lot of different short-tail keywords to expand into long-tail topics.
Dermatologists Keywords for PPC
The PPC keywords you should be bidding on in your dermatology practice’s Google Ads campaigns are not the same as those you should target through organic search.
The main difference is that Google Ads often prevents advertisers from bidding on keywords with low search volume—exactly the type of “long-tail” keywords we often target through SEO.
Another difference between keywords planning for SEO and PPC is that while SEO targets more specific keywords such as “dermatologists in NYC that accept Aetna insurance,” a more appropriate keyword to bid on would be “dermatologist NYC,” which would trigger an ad for either of these searches.
Ideally, you want your SEO keywords to align with your PPC campaigns. Building a strong SEO presence can help with your ad click-through rate and can give you an edge in placement. While you target specific keywords in your PPC campaigns, having pages specifically targeting those keywords in-content helps funnel traffic to that page.
Branded Keywords
These are the keywords that include your business name (or that of a competitor). That said, they could also include keywords and phrases like “[brand] + dermatologist” to try and work it into dermatology-related searches. You want to target your branded keywords to help ensure your business shows up above your competitors who will almost definitely try to push your ads out. Targeting branded keywords also helps in localizing your business in the search results.
Broad Keywords
These keywords are the broad terms related to dermatology. Keywords like “dermatology,” “dermatologist,” and “skin doctor” are all examples of these queries. You want to target these with more of an intent of expanding your reach with the possibility of driving traffic but more about seeing if your business’s name shows up more and more.
Long-Tail Keywords
These serve about the same purpose as they do for SEO and organic traffic. Targeting long-tail keywords in your PPC campaign means less competition and higher intent, so the conversion rate is usually higher for these terms and there will usually be fewer competitors fighting for the ad space.
Transactional Keywords
These keywords are closest to the end of your buyer’s journey. Put simply, these are keywords to target for people who are actively looking for some sort of dermatological service and just need to pick the provider. Keywords like “dermatologist who specializes in black skin” or even one as simple as “dermatologist near me” are examples of commercial PPC keywords.
Competitor Keywords
These keywords usually comprise of competitor branded keywords. Essentially, the idea is to outrank your competitors for their own brand name in Google ads listings. Generally, the higher up you are, the more clicks and conversions you’ll get, so pushing competitors down or even out of the space for their own keywords gives you an edge.
Some example PPC keywords you could target as a dermatologist include:
- Your brand name + dermatologist
- Dermatologist in [location]
- Acne dermatologist
- Benefits of seeing a dermatologist
- Competitor name + dermatologist
Build a Thorough Negative Keyword List
Part of building an effective PPC campaign for your dermatology business is to create a thorough negative keyword list. These keywords help define which queries you don’t want your ads to appear for.
A major part of building an effective PPC campaign is to create a list of negative keywords. That is, keywords you don’t want your site showing ads for. Usually, negative keywords help narrow down the queries your ads show up for, meaning you don’t waste your budget on placements that won’t drive any leads.
For dermatologists, these keywords are most likely going to include terms for treatments you don’t offer. Maybe there’s a specific medicine you don’t use or a popular new treatment you haven’t implemented quite yet; whatever the reason, including negative keywords helps ensure potential patients aren’t coming to your business and leaving disappointed in wasting their and your time.
Make sure to consider all the terms and topics you don’t want your dermatology practice to run ads for and build a thorough negative keyword list to ensure you waste as little of your budget as possible on ads that won’t drive traffic or leads.
As you might imagine, there’s no reason to have a negative keyword list for your SEO—it usually doesn’t cost anything when someone visits your website but isn’t a right fit customer.
Hire a Professional to Do the Work For You
Of course, dermatologists are busy running their business. You want to provide the best service possible to your patients and may not have the time to focus on your marketing efforts as much as you’d like to.
Finding a good SEO company that also provides PPC services to do the keyword research and content production necessary to get your business ranking in Google helps you maintain focus on running your dermatology business.