Link Building for Healthcare Websites: Top 9 Strategies in 2024!
In healthcare, your reputation is everything. Whether you run a clinic or a health-related blog, it’s important to make sure your website is both easy to find and trusted. Building strong, reliable backlinks can help you achieve that.
With the global healthcare industry expected to hit $22.57 Trillion by 2031, having a solid online presence is more important than ever. This guide will walk you through 9 simple strategies that can improve your website’s visibility and build trust through effective link-building for healthcare.
Top 9 Healthcare Link-Building Strategies
Explore targeted strategies to build quality links for your healthcare website and boost your online visibility.
1) Guest Blogging
Guest blogging is a key strategy for building authority in the healthcare industry. Whether you’re focused on link building for doctors or healthcare organizations, writing for healthcare-specific blogs and authoritative medical websites can create valuable backlinks that enhance your site’s credibility. These platforms reach an audience that trusts them, making your content more impactful.
We, at Outreach Monks, have seen real success in this area. A healthcare client named BlueMagic saw their traffic and domain rating increase significantly in just three months through targeted guest posting.
Organic Traffic from 1.5k to 7.5k
Domain Rating (DR) From 18 to 22
This is just one of the many clients we’ve helped, achieving a 99.99% success rate in their link-building campaigns. You can explore these success stories on our Case Study page.
2) Niche Edits
Niche edits involve adding your link to existing content on healthcare websites. This strategy works best when the content is medically accurate and closely related to your field. For example, link building for clinics could involve placing your link in well-respected articles about healthcare services or treatments. This ensures that your clinic is associated with trustworthy information. This boosts your credibility and search engine rankings.
For healthcare websites, relevance and precision is the primary concern. It is not just about acquiring a link; rather, it’s about placing your link in a spot where it becomes helpful. This makes your site more trustworthy and increases confidence with both search engines and users.
- ⇒ When seeking niche edits, prioritize content that already ranks well in search results. By adding your link to these high-performing pages, you increase the likelihood of gaining more visibility and attracting quality traffic.
3) Local Link Building
Local link building helps healthcare providers connect with nearby patients. Follow these steps to boost your local search visibility:
- List Your Practice: Add your healthcare practice to directories like Yelp, Google My Business, and Healthgrades. This not only gives you valuable backlinks but also helps you appear in local searches.
- Contact Local Blogs and News Sites: Find local blogs and news sites focused on health topics. Offer your expert advice or articles.
- Sponsor Local Health Events: Get involved in local health events. Sponsoring these events can lead to mentions and backlinks from community websites and news outlets.
For example, link building for hospitals can include listing your hospital in local health directories and getting featured in regional health news. This helps hospitals rank higher in local searches and connect with nearby patients
The Importance of Local Citations for Healthcare Businesses
Local citations help ensure your healthcare practice is easily found online. Consistent NAP (Name, Address, Phone number) information across directories boosts local search rankings and makes it easier for patients to find you.
At Outreach Monks, we can help you build consistent NAP with our Local Citation Service, making sure your practice stands out to local patients
4. HARO
HARO is a powerful tool for gaining backlinks in the field of healthcare by giving advice on what you know, and receiving links from trusted news sources in return.
How to Use HARO for Healthcare Link Building
- Sign Up and Set Alerts: Register on HARO and set alerts for healthcare-related queries. This ensures you receive relevant opportunities to showcase your knowledge.
- Respond Quickly with Expertise: When you see a query, respond quickly. Make your answer comprehensible, short, and correct. Show your qualifications to prove that you are an expert in the area.
- Provide Accurate Information: Support your answer by using very reliable sources or, better yet, your personal work experience. Being accurate builds trust and will surely improve your chances of being highlighted.
- Follow Up if Needed: If you don’t hear back, send them a friendly follow-up. A quick reminder can put you on top of the journalist’s mind without being pushy.
- Share and Leverage Your Mentions: When featured, share that mention on your website and social media. Consider reaching out to the publication for further opportunities, like guest blogging. HARO is especially helpful for link building for medical websites, as links from authoritative sources like medical journals or news outlets can significantly boost credibility.
5. Creating High-Quality Shareable Content
For healthcare content, use E-E-A-T: Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. Ensure the content is accurate, functional, and reliable, with sources to support your information.
Target topics relevant to general health issues or expert advice. Develop content formats that can be easily shared, such as blog posts, guides, and infographics. Ensure the contents are healthcare professional-approved so as not to compromise any trust. For example, a link building for healthcare providers strategy could involve partnering with local clinics or specialists to share content.
Because widely shared content attracts links, thereby helps a site gain better authority and actual visibility in search results.
Keep YMYL and the MEDIC Update in Mind
Google pays special attention to pages that affect health, finances, or safety—these are called “Your Money or Your Life” (YMYL) pages. Healthcare content is part of this.
In 2018, Google’s MEDIC update changed how healthcare sites are ranked. The focus is now on showing Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness (E-E-A-T).
For healthcare websites, this means your content should be created or reviewed by qualified medical professionals, backed by reliable sources, and presented in a way that builds trust. If your content doesn’t meet these standards, your site might rank lower.
6. Analyze Competitors’ Backlinks
Use tools like Ahrefs or SEMrush to see where your competitors are getting their best health-related backlinks. Find links from trusted medical websites, health blogs, or important news sites that build up authority over time.
If you’re focusing on link building for dentists, start by identifying your main competitors in dental care. You can do this by searching your keywords on Google and finding which sites rank highest for those keywords. Once you have those competitors, research them using Semrush.
- Enter Competitor’s Domain: Log in to Semrush and go to the “Domain Overview” section. Enter the URL of one of your competitors.
- View Backlink Profile: In the domain overview, scroll down to the “Backlinks” section. Click on “View details” to access the full backlink profile.
- Analyze Backlinks: Look at the list of backlinks to see which sites are linking to your competitor. Focus on backlinks from reputable health-related sites, medical blogs, or news outlets.
- Reach Out: After identifying high-value backlinks, reach out to these sites with your own medically accurate content, offering something similar or better to earn your own backlink.
Let’s take an example of BlueMagic, a hair transplant service in Turkey. To start, search for a competitor using the keyword “Hair Transplant Clinic in Istanbul.” You’ll get results like this:
Next, use a tool like Semrush to analyze your competitor’s backlinks. This will help you identify the websites linking to them. If the backlinks are relevant, create a list of those websites and begin your outreach campaign.
Ensure you select all the visible tabs in the screenshot to find the best websites for starting your outreach campaign.
7. Collaborate with Influencers
To find influencers who can help make your healthcare website trusted, begin by identifying health experts and wellness influencers who match your brand. Look for those who already have a large audience in your niche and can help you build healthcare backlinks.
How to Find Influencers
- Use Social Media Platforms: Run health-related hashtags on Instagram, Twitter, or LinkedIn. Hashtags like #healthtips, #wellness, or #medicalexpert will help you in identifying influencers.
- Tools Like BuzzSumo or Upfluence: Such platforms allow you to discover influencers according to your particular niche, number of following, and the rate of engagement.
- Check Professional Platforms: Websites like LinkedIn or specialized medical forums can connect you with certified healthcare professionals and thought leaders in your industry.
Many influencers, especially those in the healthcare and wellness field, have their own websites or blogs. Once you’ve built a relationship, you can request them to feature your content or link back to your site from their platform.
8. Build Relationships with Other Healthcare Providers
To strengthen your link-building efforts, connect with other healthcare providers in your area. For example, you can partner with local clinics, hospitals, or wellness centers for cross-promotion. You might collaborate on health campaigns, share patient resources, or co-host community wellness events.
These partnerships often lead to mutual backlinks, including hospital backlinks that enhance your site’s authority. This boosts your local SEO and builds credibility within the healthcare community. For instance, if your clinic and a nearby hospital co-promote a health awareness campaign, both can benefit from the increased visibility and trust that comes from being linked with a respected healthcare institution
9. Multilingual Link Building
To reach a broader audience, consider multilingual link building. Start by translating your content into different languages, focusing on communities that speak those languages. Once translated, secure backlinks for doctors on non-English health websites and blogs.
For example, if you have a large Spanish-speaking community, translate key health articles into Spanish and contact popular Spanish-language health sites for backlinks. This approach broadens your reach and boosts your site’s authority within those communities. It shows search engines that your content is relevant and accessible to diverse audiences.
Mayo Clinic successfully used multilingual link building by creating a Spanish version of their website, Mayo Clinic en Español. They translated health articles to better serve Spanish-speaking audiences. This strategy not only supported their existing patients but also attracted new visitors from Spanish-speaking regions.
They secured backlinks from Spanish-language health blogs, news outlets, and medical directories, which boosted their presence in Spanish-speaking communities. This shows how targeting multilingual communities can help expand your online reach.
You can see this in action on their Spanish site: Mayo Clinic en Español.
What to Look For When Building Links for Healthcare?
When building links for healthcare websites, consider these key factors to ensure quality and relevance:
1. Relevance
Make sure the site linking to you is focused on healthcare. The content should match your niche, whether it’s medical advice, wellness tips, or health products. Avoid links from unrelated multi-niche sites.
2. Website Quality
Check the linking site’s overall quality. Look at its design, user experience, and content. A well-organized homepage and clear categories usually signal a focused, authoritative site.
3. DA/DR
Look at the domain authority (DA) and domain rating (DR) of the linking site. Higher scores typically mean a more reputable site, which can pass more SEO value to your site.
4. Top Keywords
Review the site’s top-ranking keywords. If they align with healthcare, the link will be more beneficial for your SEO.
5. Traffic
Consider the site’s traffic and engagement levels. A site with consistent traffic and engaged visitors is likely to boost the credibility of your link.
6. Spam Score
Check the spam score of the linking site. A low score is better; a high score might indicate poor quality or risky SEO practices.
7. Niche Focus
Ensure the linking site doesn’t cover too many topics. A site dedicated to healthcare topics is more valuable for building relevant links.
Why DIY? Let the Professionals Handle It
At Outreach Monks, we’ve been building authoritative links in the healthcare industry for nearly a decade. Tired of searching for a reliable partner to enhance your online presence? Have a look at our case studies that give you the results we’ve gotten for healthcare organizations just like yours.
If you want to make your website more trusted and visible, contact us today. We’ll craft a custom link-building strategy that aligns with your unique healthcare goals.
Conclusion
You can effectively enhance your online presence by following the strategies we’ve discussed. Remember to prioritize relevance, quality, and compliance with industry standards to ensure that your link-building efforts support both your website’s visibility and credibility.
If you need help in implementing them, consider reaching out to experts specializing in healthcare link building. The correct steps taken today will lay the path for the long-term success of your healthcare website in 2024 and beyond.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Link Building for Healthcare Websites?
Link building for healthcare websites involves creating quality backlinks to increase site visibility and trust within the medical community, improving search engine rankings.
Why is Link Building Important in Healthcare?
Link building enhances the credibility of healthcare sites, helps in reaching a wider audience, and improves the site's ranking on search engines like Google.
How Can Healthcare Providers Begin Link Building?
Healthcare providers can begin link building by crafting quality content, collaborating with influencers, guest blogging, and utilizing reputable directories.
What are Common Challenges in Healthcare Link Building?
Challenges in healthcare link building include finding reputable sources, adhering to industry regulations, maintaining ethical practices, and adapting to technological changes.
Where Can I Find Reputable Sources for Backlinking in Healthcare?
Reputable sources for backlinking in healthcare include medical journals, established healthcare blogs, professional medical associations, and well-known medical practitioners.
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Ekta Chauhan
