Patients researching a doctor read 5–10 reviews before booking. They compare ratings, weigh recency, and read the practice's responses to negative feedback. Google's local pack algorithm reflects this: review velocity (reviews in the last 6 months), rating freshness, and response engagement matter more for medical practices than for almost any other vertical. A practice with 30 thoughtful reviews from this year ranks above one with 200 reviews from 2022 — and the patient choosing between them feels the same way.
The keyword landscape for medical marketing is favorable. "Medical practice marketing" sees 1,300 monthly searches. "Medical website design" sees 1,400. "Medical practice SEO" sees 350 — almost no competition for the category. The category isn't crowded with experienced operators; most generalist agencies don't understand the HIPAA constraints, the credentials signaling, or the review-driven trust dynamics that actually move medical local pack rankings.
A medical practice's website does different work than a service business's. It's not selling — it's reassuring. Named providers with credentials. Accepted insurance plans listed clearly. New-patient forms that don't make people give up halfway through. Photos that show the actual office, not stock imagery. Patient-portal links that work. The conversion isn't a click — it's a phone call, an online appointment booking, or a new-patient form. The infrastructure has to support that.
1,300
Monthly searches for "medical practice marketing"
90%
Of patients use online reviews to evaluate physicians
Software Advice, How Patients Use Online Reviews, 2020
5–10
Reviews patients read before booking a new provider
Industry research aggregate