SEO News & Updates - May 2020

Introduction of SEO News

In this inaugural edition of SEO News from DoctorLogic, our in-house SEO expert, Ryan Metcalf, breaks down the biggest trends and Google updates in 2020 so far. SEO News is planned to be a monthly distribution that we hope will give you further insight into the world of SEO, as well as provide a behind-the-scenes look at the information DoctorLogic uses to make innovative platform upgrades.

A Note from SEO Ryan

At this point, we’re all ready for things to return to normal, and the good news is, we can start to see the light at the end of the tunnel. In the digital space, the SEO channel is more agnostic to world events, meaning things operate a lot as if it’s business as usual. This also makes it easier for us to continue to make future optimizations to ensure we’re in good shape when things return to normal. In most cases, our websites are growing significantly in keyword rankings, which is the ultimate goal to get more traffic. Unfortunately, over the last couple of months due to lower search volume, overall traffic was down. When the search volume returns, our websites are going to be perfectly set to capture this rebound.

Over the last few months, we’ve made large SEO optimizations on our gallery, category, and review pages to capture related keyword rankings. This was an area our platform did well in early 2018, but with increased competition and algorithm updates, some of these rankings were impacted. Now with the renewed focus, these rankings should start to return in the coming months.

Now would be a great time to respond to patient reviews across the directory websites, including GMB and Yelp. Google sees those responses as an engagement factor and can lead to better results in Google maps and local results.

If you’re not already doing so, there is a huge opportunity across all practice types to make online consultations a big part of your business model. The search volume has skyrocketed and will probably remain elevated for some time. One of the other future implications is a location-agnostic practice, depending on regulations. This means it would be a lot easier to attract patients across the country, and the specific market locale would be agnostic. In many ways, this could change search behavior, like how the rise of “near me” searches did over the last 10 years. A potential new patient would only need to search “online consultation” and Google may automatically know who is available across the country or the world!

PDF Coronavirus 2020 Search Trends.pdf

The chart above shows February’s vs. March’s monthly search volume trends for online consultation-related searches.

BREAKING NEWS – Google CORE Algorithm Update Announced on May 4 (https://searchengineland.com/google-may-2020-core-update-rolling-out-today-334128)

1. Google announced a new CORE algorithm update last week, which is going to be rolled out over the next couple of weeks.
2. No word yet on what and if this targeted anything, but typically, these updates impact ALL websites. They tend to prioritize or change the influence of certain ranking factors so as long as we’re optimized, we’re going to be okay.
3. They also typically happen on a quarterly basis.
4. Except in very rare cases, we can never specifically optimize for these updates either, despite it being a common sales fear tactic.

Google’s Big Updates of 2020

Download our latest guide that gives insight to some of the biggest updates Google has made so far in 2020!

Click Here To Download

Other Recent Noteworthy Articles

1. How to Rank in Google Maps (https://moz.com/blog/beginner-guide-google-maps-ranking)
   1. We get this question all the time, and the best answer is it’s complicated with lots of different factors.
   2. The biggest things include generating and responding to reviews on GMB and other review websites.
   3. The proximity to what Google has defined as the city center is also a major factor.
   4. A fully and correctly optimized GMB profile.
2. Google Won’t Deny Accessibility Will Be A Ranking Factor at Some Point (https://www.seroundtable.com/google-accessibility-ranking-factor-29273.html)
   1. The title says it all, but accessible websites currently don’t play into ranking algorithms.
   2. That could change in the future though.
   3. Be sure to ask your CSM about our accessibility options for your website.
3. GMB Now Showing Telehealth Links (https://www.seroundtable.com/google-get-online-care-telemedicine-links-29347.html)
   1. If you offer online consultations, it’s recommended to put a link in your GMB profile to help the listing stick out more.
   2. These links have just recently started to appear so the rollout is ongoing.
4. New Sites Require Some Promotion (https://www.searchenginejournal.com/googles-john-mueller-dont-wait-around-for-people-to-find-your-site/360568/)
   1. Just like opening up a new business, you can’t wait for people to come to you. You need to promote it and let people know you exist.
   2. A simple press release could go a long way.
   3. Links on other sites, for example, will help Google crawl your site more frequently, too.
5. SEO More Important in Downturn (https://searchengineland.com/seo-will-be-a-primary-focus-for-marketers-during-the-downturn-says-survey-332372)
   1. While we’re in this current economic state, SEO is becoming the most important marketing channel once again.
6. Google Confirms Page Speed Is A Tiny Ranking Factor (https://www.seroundtable.com/google-site-speed-small-ranking-factor-29368.html)
   1. The title says it all, but there’s not as big of a need to focus on page speed.
   2. Page speed is something we’re constantly working on for your site, but rest assured, it’s not as big of a determinant as you might think.

For further information on these updates and more contact us at 855-522-3600 or email us at sales@doctorlogic.com.