At Wildcat Digital we know how hard it can be to compete with the big players in the veterinary industry. That’s why SEO can be so useful. It can help you appear above competitors when pet owners need you. Wildcat Digital have helped one independent surgery achieve just that and in this article we give you the top 10 tips that we’ve learnt from that journey.
So, how do you do SEO for vets? A successful SEO campaign is tailored to the individual business, its industry, and the region in which it operates. For vet SEO, it’s important that you:
Read on to learn more on how to do SEO for vets with our expert team.
SEO isn’t a one-size-fits-all marketing tool; for an SEO campaign to be successful it must be tailored to individual business needs, the wider industry in which it operates, and for their local area/region.
As such, SEO for vets will differ from SEO for eCommerce or education, for example. What works for one campaign won’t necessarily work in another industry. Nonetheless, it’s an incredibly useful tool to add to your marketing strategy, particularly as businesses and marketing become evermore reliant on the internet.
Below, our SEO experts list their top vet SEO tips to help you get started. Alternatively, get in touch with us today to learn more about our Vet SEO service and how our team could help your business punch above its weight online.
Learn how to do SEO for vets from the experts at Wildcat Digital.
With any SEO campaign, it’s a good idea to first focus on the basics. Think of it like cooking; you wouldn’t start making a fancy three-course meal without first cleaning the kitchen! Solid foundations set your website up for success and remove issues that may hold it back in the future.
A Technical Site Audit is a great way to check the health and functionality of your website before moving on to other tasks. Learn more about this in our recent blog post about the importance of Technical Site Audits.
A solid keyword strategy that is tailored to your services and the local area is crucial for veterinary SEO success. If you’re gaining traffic from London, but your surgery is based in Manchester, it’s unlikely to improve your bottom line.
Using a keyword research tool like SEMRush or Ahrefs, begin searching for veterinary terms relevant to your business + your local area (or where you want to rank). For example, if you want to be recognised as the top veterinary cardiologist in Manchester your keyword choices should reflect this.
Once you have a list of your chosen keywords, you then need to map them against relevant pages on your website. If no such page exists, make a note of the pages you need to create for later. You’ll need this information when you begin optimising the content on your website.
It’s also important to recognise that keyword research isn’t a one-time thing at the start of the campaign. For many of our clients we regularly review keyword performance after optimisation to see where we can further improve the website. This means further keyword research, keyword mapping and, where appropriate, additional content optimisation.
A great way to support your localised keyword strategy is to follow that up with claiming or optimising your Google Business Profile. This quite literally puts you on the map for anyone searching relevant terms in your area.
There are a few other things you can do for local SEO, such as:
Blogs are much more useful than most businesses give them credit for. This is especially true in industries like vets where there is a huge opportunity to showcase your knowledge, experience, and authority. If you want to do vet SEO right, start putting aside a few hours a week to write blogs that will help to:
At Wildcat Digital, we helped our veterinary client, Knutsford Vets achieve over 40,000 users per month with a strong content marketing strategy. This worked out at around a 370% increase in traffic in just 2 years. Learn more about our SEO campaign with Knutsford Vets in our vet SEO case study.
We understand how hard it is to compete against the increasing number of chain veterinary clinics that are popping up all over the place. Helpful resources such as factsheets and content about common veterinary conditions are great for retaining existing clients and videos are particularly great for common FAQs and How-Tos.
Providing clients with a resource about their pet’s condition which answers all of their questions will go a long way in positioning your clinic as their trusted local vet. It will also help retain clients. This is especially true of online resources that are set up with booking links and contact information. This will also help your website to grow under one of Google’s latest algorithm updates – the Helpful Content update. This update was designed to reward websites that create content for people, rather than solely for SEO purposes. It aims to elevate content that adds unique value to the internet which genuinely offers helpful advice and information to users.
A client of ours wanted to do more to attract patients within their specialism of ophthalmology which led us to creating a number of factsheets on common ophthalmology conditions. These factsheets serve a number of purposes; they offer great user experience to help retain existing clients, but also target relevant keywords and FAQs to attract new clients. Further to this, sharing their knowledge and experience helps to build up both perceived and domain authority.
It’s always a good business decision to align yourself with other local businesses. It’s also a great strategy for SEO. Such relationships can help you to build backlinks which are essential for improving your SEO. Backlinks essentially tell search engines that your website is trustworthy and contains content that is good and useful enough to link to.
To do this, consider who the relevant businesses in your area are (this may be groomers, dog walkers, kennels, catteries etc.). From here, you can request to provide them with a relevant guest blog which links back to your website.
If Patsy and Edina come to mind when we say PR, think again! PR is a great way to boost your backlink profile, both locally and nationally. Apply your voice to national pet-related issues (e.g. bonfire night, summer heatstroke) and create a press release that not only provides all of the relevant information, but promotes you and your clinic as an authority.
Backlinks are great for vet SEO, but the coverage alone is great for business and raising your profile if you’re featured in local publications.
One example of this is when we managed to get one client of ours featured in both local and regional press with an article about Alabama Rot that linked back to the article on their website. This brought in over 2000 page views in its first month. We’re always on the lookout for national issues relating to pet health ready to provide the local angle for our clients.
People love convenience. Setting up your website to allow for online bookings is almost guaranteed to increase your bookings as your traffic begins to pick up. We strongly advise that once your online booking system is set up and ready to go, optimise your key pages (especially service pages!) with booking links.
It’s also a good idea to track your bookings and related web events through analytics. This gives you a bit of an idea of how your campaign is performing in terms of leads and conversions, but also provides you with tangible insight into what your users are most interested in. Use Google Analytics and Tag Manager to set up this tracking.
Not strictly SEO for vets; perhaps more marketing for vets. Engaging with your existing clients through email and social media campaigns will go a long way in retaining those customers and ensuring that they keep you in mind for future veterinary appointments.
This is particularly beneficial when it aligns with your content SEO efforts. Promote your blog posts, resources, new services, offers and more through channels such as email and social media and utilise this as another way of driving traffic to your website.
In one of our campaigns, we used an online email marketing tool to keep existing customers engaged. These emails included news from the surgery, information about services and also featured recent articles. All of which pointed back to the website.
Again, not really SEO, but Google Ads (and other paid media sources) can greatly benefit your SEO campaign. SEO and Ads typically go hand-in-hand, helping you to rise against the competition. In our campaign, we used Google Ads to bid on specific location-based keywords to ensure Knutsford Vets always came out on top in their local area.
Our SEO experts have given you their top tips on doing SEO for vets in this blog, but, if you don’t quite have the time, skills or confidence to do it yourself, get help with our vet SEO service. We have experience positioning a local veterinary surgery as the top independent surgery in the region, ensuring that they rank No.1 for relevant search terms and driving over 40,000 users per month. Learn more about our vet SEO campaign here, or get in touch to arrange a free consultation today.
Content Strategist & Team Leader
Founder
Our founder, Will Hitchmough, worked at a number of high profile Sheffield Digital Agencies before founding Wildcat Digital in 2018. He brings an extensive knowledge of all things related to SEO, PPC and Paid Social, as well as an expert knowledge of digital strategy.
Digital Marketing can be a minefield for many businesses, with many agencies ready to take your money without knowing how to deliver results. I founded Wildcat Digital to deliver digital success to businesses with smaller budgets in a transparent way.
Content Strategist Team Lead
With a degree in Marketing and a background in more traditional, offline marketing, Chloe joined Wildcat in 2021 after deciding to move into the digital marketing industry. She joined us as a Content Specialist and quickly moved up the ranks, becoming a Content Strategist and later an SEO Team Leader.
Outside of work, Chloe is an avid creative. If she’s not knitting, you’ll likely find her behind a sewing machine or in the kitchen trying (and often failing!) to make sourdough.
SEO Account Director
Paul has a strong background in SEO, having previously founded and ran a successful eCommerce business, as well as running a personal blog that achieves an average of 17K users per month. Paul’s knowledge of SEO is extensive, with a strong emphasis on client handling and technical SEO.
Outside of work, Paul enjoys spending time with his family and staying active with weight lifting and combat sports.
Head of Operations
Nadea joined Wildcat in 2021 and has since overhauled the way we work. She has a background in various administrative, operations and HR roles, which gave her the experience and skills needed to lead and organise a growing business.
Outside of work, Nadea loves anything that keeps her active, but she especially enjoys hiking, camping and mountain biking.
SEO Account Manager
With a background in sales, Molly is a natural Account Manager, brilliantly handling any issues that come her way. Having joined us as a Digital Marketing Executive, and working part-time through her final year of University, Molly is a shining example of how hard work pays off. She is now an SEO Account Manager with a particular interest in Content and Client Management.
In her spare time, Molly loves to get out in nature, hiking and exploring the Peak District. She also loves cooking and likes to unwind with a bit of yoga.
Senior PPC Account Manager
Libby joined Wildcat in 2021 as our first PPC hire. With a degree in Digital Media Production, a Master’s in Digital Media Management and previous experience in Social Media Management, Libby hit the ground running and has since climbed the ranks to Senior PPC Account Manager and has a particular interest in the eCommerce sector.
Outside of work, Libby likes gaming, and cooking and likes to keep active by lifting weights.
SEO Team Leader
Jasmine joined Wildcat in 2022 with a strong background in SEO and Account Management. At the time, she was finishing up a Level 4 Apprenticeship in Digital Marketing from the Chartered Institute of Marketing, and has since worked her way up to SEO Team Leader. Jasmine excels at content writing and promotion, and particularly enjoys finding creative ways to join the dots on multi-channel campaigns.
In her spare time, Jasmine volunteers at a charity, helping combat loneliness & social isolation experienced by older neighbours. Outside of Wildcat, she owns a catering company, Savery Grazing, creating delicious grazing tables & platters for a range of events. She also loves skiing and exploring the Peak District.
Senior PPC Executive
Prior to joining Wildcat, Braden founded and ran his own Social Media Management agency where he gained valuable skills in growing brands’ online presence, which has since proven invaluable in his role at Wildcat.
Outside of work, Braden is a big football fan, regularly travelling to Pride Park to support Derby County. He also enjoys watching and playing snooker, hiking in the Peak District, and attending air and car shows.
Senior SEO Executive
After spending ten years managing businesses, restaurants, cafes and event spaces across Sheffield, Jon decided to change careers and joined Wildcat as an SEO Executive in 2022. He especially enjoys the client management side of the job, helping them to understand digital marketing and ways in which they can build their business’s presence online.
Outside of work, Jon likes to keep fit with running, badminton and football, and also loves music.
SEO Executive
Rachel joined us as a graduate, having recently graduated from Sheffield University with a degree in English Literature. Since joining, Rachel has proven herself to be a Content Queen, and particularly enjoys getting stuck into projects that allow her to explore her creative side.
Outside of work, Rachel enjoys a wide range of hobbies, including rugby, singing, reading, and spending time with her family and three labradors.
PPC Team Leader
Carl joined Wildcat in 2023 with a wealth of experience in PPC. He has experience working with a wide range of clients, industries and budgets, from small local businesses all the way to international e-commerce businesses. Carl has a particular interest in strategic planning and forecasting. He is passionate about data analysis and creating sustainable long-term cross-channel strategies.
In his spare time, Carl enjoys keeping fit by lifting weights, bouldering and running. He’s also a keen musician, having played the double bass and bass guitar for 20 years.
Team Lead & Technical SEO Account Manager
With a degree in Computer Science and SEO experience dating back to 2017, Dariusz has a wide range of SEO skills and knowledge. His specialist knowledge of Technical SEO has firmly landed him the title of Wildcat’s Technical Wizard, and he has recently taken on the responsibility of Team Leader for the Panthers Team.
In his spare time, Dariusz loves hiking, experimenting and trying new coffees and loves learning new things. He is currently learning more about CRO and AI and how this could benefit our clients.
SEO Account Manager
With a degree in Film and TV production, and a varied career history, Jamie made the move to marketing with a Masters degree in Digital Media Management. He has since worked in SEO at Agencies across Sheffield, before joining Wildcat and working his way up to SEO Account Manager. Jamie has a particular interest in backlinks and Digital PR and has recently gained a client a valuable backlink from Forbes!
In his spare time, Jamie is an avid foodie and loves trying new restaurants and cuisines. He also loves to travel and spent a year travelling to Australia after university.
SEO Executive
Andy joined Wildcat in 2023 after starting his digital marketing career in-house for a local Sheffield company. Since joining, he has developed a strong interest in Technical SEO and has strong skills in Account Management.
Outside of work, Andy loves music and plays in a couple of bands. He also enjoys rock climbing, cycling, photography and good food.
Client Success Coordinator
Siena joined us in 2023 with a background in sales and digital marketing. She leads on client relationships across the company, ensuring that our customers are happy throughout their journey with us, from their initial consultation through to onboarding and beyond.
Outside of work, Siena enjoys travelling and getting stuck into the local culture. She likes to make the most of her experiences and particularly enjoys watching sunrises and sunsets from beautiful locations around the world.
Senior SEO Executive
Thea has a wealth of experience in SEO, having previously worked for other Digital Marketing Agencies in Sheffield. She has a particular interest and skills in Technical SEO, but is more than willing to get stuck in and give anything a go.
Outside of work, Thea spends most of her time with her children, but also loves reading, photography and gardening.
PPC Executive
Before joining Wildcat, Tom worked across different industries, building skills in sales and customer service. He later developed a passion for digital marketing whilst working on personal marketing projects and freelance ventures, and gained numerous certifications in PPC and Social Media.
Outside of work, Tom enjoys staying active by going to the gym and hiking. He also loves travelling and motorbiking.
Head of Growth
Rich joined us in May 2024 to head up our growth team. With years of experience helping other agencies to grow, Rich joins us at an exciting time as Wildcat is working on a five-year plan to become one of the biggest agencies in the UK.
Outside of work, Rich is a father to three children, which keeps him very busy! He’s also recently started running again to keep fit and loves a bit of DIY.
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