How to Rank Higher on Google: A Guide for Functional Medicine Websites

February 25, 2025
SEO tips

You’ve likely come across many articles on improving your Google rankings, but most are written for SEO professionals—not healthcare practitioners like you. That’s why we created a simple, actionable guide to help you boost your practice’s online visibility, even if you have little to no technical experience. Here’s what you can do to improve your rankings.

Optimize Your Website With Pages for Treatments and Conditions

Creating individual pages for each treatment you offer and each condition you treat is essential for improving your website’s SEO and attracting more patients. Prioritize writing treatment pages first, then focus on condition pages to provide a comprehensive resource for potential patients.

Many practitioners worry patients won’t read long pages, but our data shows otherwise. Many people want detailed information about your practice, treatments, and approach before booking an appointment.

How to Write High-Converting Treatment Pages

You don’t need dedicated pages if you offer therapies or modalities that are only part of a broader treatment plan. Instead, focus on the treatments patients would call to inquire about or schedule directly.

Each treatment page should include the following:

  • Scientific Explanation: Describe the science behind the treatment and why you use it in your practice.
  • Conditions Treated: Outline which conditions the treatment helps with and link to relevant condition pages.
  • FAQs: Address the most common questions patients ask before scheduling an appointment. Think about what people frequently ask during calls or consultations—chances are others have the same questions.

How to Write SEO-Optimized Condition Pages

When creating condition pages, focus on the conditions most relevant to your practice. You don’t need a page for every condition you’ve ever treated—just the ones you want to attract more patients.

Each condition page should include the following:

  • Comprehensive Symptom List: Be as detailed as possible, including symptoms that may not be commonly mentioned in search results.
  • Potential Underlying Causes: Provide insight into the root causes of the condition and how your practice addresses them.
  • Treatment Approaches: Explain how you treat the condition and link to the relevant treatment pages.
  • FAQs & Common Misconceptions: Address common myths and misconceptions about the condition. Also, include what patients can expect from treatment at your office.

By structuring your website with dedicated pages for treatments and conditions, you enhance user experience, improve search engine rankings, and make it easier for potential patients to find and trust your practice.

Update Old Content On Your Site

Google rewards websites that have fresh content on the site, but that doesn’t always mean new pages. Part of a well-rounded SEO plan is to update the pages and blogs on your website as often as needed to keep the information up to date.

We don’t recommend that you delete all of the content and start over….unless it is completely useless. Instead, rework the content to remove the outdated details and add blocks of new information that a potential patient needs to know. 

Optimizing Your Website’s Menu and Provider Pages for SEO

Regularly reviewing your website’s menu pages ensures that outdated or irrelevant content isn’t hurting your search rankings or confusing visitors.

Remove Outdated Content

Many websites still have COVID-related policies or old office procedures that no longer apply. If your site includes outdated information, it’s time for a refresh. Additionally, check for mentions of past staff members or providers who are no longer with your practice.

Managing Staff Listings on Your Website

Due to frequent turnover in medical offices, we generally recommend not listing extended staff members on your site. Instead, consider:

  • Use a group photo on your About page to showcase your team without needing frequent updates.
  • Keeping provider listings limited to those who directly impact patient search behavior.

Patients rarely notice if individual staff members change, but outdated provider listings can create confusion and credibility issues.

Optimizing Provider Pages for Search Rankings

Unlike general staff, providers can drive search traffic, so it’s beneficial to create individual provider pages optimized for their names. Each provider page should include:

  • A professional bio with relevant specialties and credentials
  • Conditions they treat and services they offer
  • Internal links to related service pages
  • Clear calls to action for booking an appointment

By keeping your site updated and strategically optimizing provider pages, you enhance user experience while improving SEO performance.

How to Update Old Blog Posts for Better SEO and Engagement

Refreshing old blog posts is a great way to improve search rankings, boost traffic, and keep your content relevant. However, when updating a post, follow these best practices to maximize its effectiveness.

When to Update the Publish Date

If you make significant updates to a blog post—such as adding 200-300 words of new content—you can republish it with a new date. This signals to search engines that the content is fresh and relevant.

Do not update the publish date if you’re only making minor changes, such as:

  • Adding a few keywords
  • Fixing typos
  • Removing or rewording a sentence

Ways to Improve and Refresh Old Blog Posts

Beyond adding new text, consider these strategies to enhance an old blog post:
Add Visuals: Incorporate infographics, updated images, or videos to make the content more engaging.
Write Key Takeaways: Summarize the main points at the top of the post for quick readability.
Improve Internal Linking: Link to relevant blog posts you’ve published since the original post.
Enhance the Call to Action: Ensure your CTA is clear and compelling and encourages reader engagement.
Update Outdated or Blurry Images: Replace low-quality visuals to improve user experience.

By consistently optimizing older content, you can improve search rankings, drive more traffic, and keep your site valuable for readers.

Boost Your Search Rankings with More Reviews

Generating new reviews is one of the simplest and most effective ways to increase your search traffic. Reviews build trust with potential patients and send positive ranking signals to Google.

Create a Review Request System

If you don’t already have a process in place to request reviews from patients after their appointments, now is the time to implement one. Regularly sending your review link increases the likelihood of receiving feedback and improving your online reputation.

If you’re concerned about negative reviews, you can selectively send the request link to patients who had a positive experience. However, it’s important to have a system in place to track this. Consider using a spreadsheet to log review requests and responses.

A CRM or patient management system to note whether a review link has been sent.

Not every patient will leave a review, but consistency is key. The more frequently you send review requests, the more responses you’ll receive over time.

Review Strategies for Therapists

If you’re a therapist and industry regulations prevent you from directly requesting reviews from clients, there are still ways to strengthen your online presence. You can:

  • Ask colleagues, mentors, or professional connections to leave reviews about your professionalism, expertise, and collaboration.
  • Focus on building a strong profile with detailed credentials, blog posts, and other trust-building content to establish credibility.

Since therapists often have fewer reviews due to ethical constraints, even a handful of positive endorsements can make a significant difference.

Create Social Profiles And Listings

Creating profiles on relevant platforms helps doctors improve their online presence, attract patients, and boost credibility. Here’s a list of places where doctors can create professional profiles:

Medical Directories & Review Platforms

Professional Medical Associations & Networks

Local & General Business Directories

Social Media & Content Platforms

Mental Health & Therapy Directories

The more profiles and directory listings you create, the stronger your online presence becomes. These listings act as social signals, reinforcing your website’s legitimacy in Google’s eyes. Think of them as credibility “votes” for your site. Google also expects businesses to have a certain number of backlinks, and building these profiles is a great first step in meeting that expectation.

Contact Us Today For SEO

We gave you several things you can do on your own to help you boost your website in search results. However, this is just the tip of the iceberg. There are many other tasks we do each month to help our clients generate more search traffic. Contact us today and we’ll be happy to evaluate your website for errors and put together an SEO strategy that gets results. 

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