A step-by-step SEO checklist you can implement this week — no agency required

This checklist is built for dermatology practice owners, office managers, and marketing coordinators responsible for online presence but not necessarily SEO specialists. It covers tactical, hands-on work that your team can execute in-house, or use to evaluate an SEO agency's scope.

If your practice has a website but ranks below page three for local searches like "dermatologist near me" or "acne treatment [city]", this checklist addresses the gaps. If you have zero local presence, start here before hiring an agency.

This is not a deep technical audit for enterprise healthcare systems. It's a foundation-building guide for single and multi-location dermatology practices (1–5 offices).

Step 1: Claim and complete your Google Business Profile (GBP).

• Go to business.google.com and claim your practice. If already claimed, verify you have admin access.
• Fill every field: practice name, phone, address, hours, website URL. Inconsistency across GBP, your website, and directories kills local rankings.
• Upload 10–15 high-quality photos: office interior, treatment rooms, staff, before-and-after photos (compliant with medical board rules — see compliance guidance below).
• Add a detailed business description mentioning dermatology, specialties (medical, cosmetic, surgical dermatology), and service area.

Step 2: Build NAP consistency across web.

• Audit where your practice appears: Google Business Profile, Apple Maps, Yelp, Healthgrades, Vitals, ZocDoc, your local chamber of commerce, hospital directories.
• Ensure Name, Address, Phone (NAP) match exactly across all platforms. Even zip code format differences ("90210" vs "90210-1234") cause ranking penalties.
• Update any outdated listings immediately.

Step 3: Get baseline GBP insights.

Screenshot your Google Business Profile Insights dashboard showing current phone calls, direction requests, and search queries. You'll return to this metric in 60 days to measure traction.

Step 1: Identify your core procedure pages.

List the treatments your practice offers: acne treatment, botox, dermal fillers, laser hair removal, skin cancer screening, eczema management, etc. Each major procedure gets its own optimized page.

Step 2: Optimize each procedure page for search.

• Title tag: "[Procedure Name] in [City] | [Practice Name]" (e.g., "Botox Injections in Denver | Skin & Wellness Dermatology"). Keep under 60 characters.
• Meta description: 120–155 characters. Lead with problem-solution: "Expert botox injections for dynamic wrinkles. Personalized treatment plans. Schedule a consultation in Denver today."
• H1: Match or near-match your title tag. One H1 per page.
• Body copy: 500–800 words minimum. Cover: what the procedure is, ideal candidates, results timeline, what to expect during appointment, aftercare, cost range (optional but builds trust), patient testimonials, FAQs specific to the procedure.
• Internal links: Link related procedures to each other. E.g., a botox page links to filler page, which links to laser resurfacing. This signals topical authority to Google.

Step 3: Add medical schema markup.

Schema tells search engines what your content is about. For dermatology, use MedicalBusiness and MedicalProcedure schemas. (See dedicated section below for code examples.)

Schema markup is invisible code that search engines read to understand page context. Dermatology sites benefit from three schema types:

1. MedicalBusiness Schema (site-wide, add to footer or header):

Tells Google: "This is a licensed medical practice." Includes practice name, license number (optional but trust-building), credentials, and service area.

2. MedicalProcedure Schema (per procedure page):

Describes the procedure: name, what it treats, expected outcomes, risks, recovery time. Google uses this for featured snippets and procedure carousels in search results.

3. LocalBusiness Schema (on homepage):

Reinforces NAP, hours, phone, ratings. Google already reads GBP data, but explicit schema on-site provides backup confirmation.

Implementation note: Most dermatology practice website builders (Medicover, Zocdoc-integrated platforms) include schema templates. If building custom, use schema.org or Google's Structured Data Helper. Validate output with Google's Rich Results Test before deploying.

Do not: Invent credentials or license numbers in schema. Use only verified, current data. If license number is private practice policy, omit it — never fabricate.

Step 1: Set up review acquisition workflow.

Patient reviews are the second-largest ranking factor for local dermatology searches (after GBP). In our experience working with dermatology practices, systematic review requests outperform passive hope by 5–10x.

• After each appointment, send a follow-up email (day 3–7 post-visit, when results are visible) with a direct link to your Google Business Profile review section.
• Text message is higher conversion: "Hi [patient name]. Thanks for choosing us! Leave a quick Google review here: [shortened GBP link]."
• Offer incentive only if compliant with your state medical board. Many states prohibit paid-for reviews but allow raffle entries or small gifts unrelated to review content.

Step 2: Monitor and respond to reviews weekly.

Set a calendar reminder every Monday to check new reviews across Google, Yelp, Healthgrades.

• Positive reviews: Reply within 48 hours. Template: "Thank you [patient name] for trusting us. We're thrilled with your results. We look forward to seeing you again."
• Negative reviews: Reply within 72 hours, off-site when possible. Offer to discuss offline. Never disclose patient details, treatments, or medical history in public replies — this violates HIPAA. Frame as: "We appreciate your feedback. Please reach out directly so we can address your concerns privately."

Step 3: Document baseline.

Screenshot current review count and average rating. Track monthly. Target: 1–2 new reviews per week per office location.

Technical SEO ensures Google can crawl and index your site efficiently, and patients have a friction-free experience.

Step 1: Site speed audit.

Use pagespeed.web.dev. Test your homepage on mobile. Target score: 75+. Common issues:

• Large uncompressed images → compress to 100–200 KB per image
• Third-party scripts (ad pixels, analytics) → defer non-critical scripts
• No mobile viewport → add <meta name="viewport"> to HTML head

Step 2: Mobile responsiveness.

Use Google's Mobile-Friendly Test. Ensure buttons are touch-friendly (44x44px minimum), text readable without zoom. Dermatology searches spike on mobile (patients researching on-the-go).

Step 3: SSL certificate (HTTPS).

Your site must use HTTPS, especially for patient inquiry forms. Check: your URL bar shows a padlock icon. If not, contact your hosting provider or web vendor immediately.

Step 4: HIPAA-compliant analytics.

Standard Google Analytics can inadvertently log protected health information (PHI) if forms capture patient names or conditions without proper anonymization. Use HIPAA Business Associate Agreement (BAA) with your analytics platform, or use healthcare-specific alternatives. Document this compliance posture for patient trust and audits.

Step 5: XML sitemaps and robots.txt.

Verify you have a sitemap.xml and submit to Google Search Console. Ensure robots.txt doesn't block important directories.

Procedure pages are your ranking engine. They're search intent magnets because patients actively search for specific treatments. Here's the blueprint:

Page structure:

• H1: Procedure name + benefit or city. "Botox for Dynamic Wrinkles in Denver"
• Hero image: Licensed stock photo or your own professional before-and-after (compliant with medical board rules).
• Short intro (50–100 words): Problem statement. "Dynamic wrinkles form when you smile or frown. Botox relaxes the muscles underneath, smoothing those lines."
• What is [Procedure]? (150–200 words): Clinical explanation without jargon. Link to related procedures once.
• Ideal candidates (100–150 words): Age range, skin type, realistic expectations. Template: "If you have moderate to severe wrinkles, fair to olive skin tone, and want results without downtime, you're a candidate."
• The process (200–300 words): Appointment timeline, what happens during, anesthesia or numbing, expected discomfort level.
• Results & timeline (100–150 words): When to expect results (e.g., "You'll see 50% improvement at day 3, full results at day 7–10"), duration (e.g., "Results last 3–4 months"), maintenance frequency.
• Aftercare (100–150 words): What to avoid (sun exposure, exercise for 24 hours, etc.), normal side effects, when to call the practice.
• FAQs (4–6 questions): Real patient questions from your staff. Schema markup will surface these in search results.
• Patient testimonials (50–100 words each): 2–3 reviews. First name + initials of last name only. No health conditions or medical history in testimonials (HIPAA compliance).
• Cost/financing (50–100 words): Price range ("$400–$800 per syringe") and payment options. Transparency builds trust and filters unqualified leads.

Internal linking strategy: If the patient has botox and is interested in dermal fillers for volume, link the filler page. If they're interested in laser resurfacing post-botox, link that page. Each link should have contextual anchor text: "Many patients combine botox with dermal fillers for fuller lips" (link: dermal fillers).

PHASE 1: FOUNDATION (WEEKS 1–2)

1. ☐ Claim and verify Google Business Profile at business.google.com
2. ☐ Audit NAP consistency across Google, Apple Maps, Yelp, Healthgrades, ZocDoc
3. ☐ Update all listings to match website (exact name, address, phone format)
4. ☐ Upload 10–15 office and treatment photos to GBP
5. ☐ Screenshot GBP Insights baseline (calls, direction requests, queries)
6. ☐ Add detailed GBP business description mentioning specialties

PHASE 2: ON-PAGE (WEEKS 3–4)

1. ☐ List core 5–10 procedure pages your practice offers
2. ☐ Research keyword intent for each procedure ("botox near me" vs. "how much does botox cost")
3. ☐ Write/rewrite H1, title tag, meta description for each procedure page
4. ☐ Create 500–800 word body copy per procedure (use template above)
5. ☐ Add schema markup (MedicalBusiness, MedicalProcedure, LocalBusiness)
6. ☐ Validate schema with Google Rich Results Test
7. ☐ Add internal links between related procedures

PHASE 3: REVIEWS (WEEKS 5–8)

1. ☐ Create review request email template
2. ☐ Set up SMS follow-up workflow (Twilio, Telnyx, or built-in EHR feature)
3. ☐ Assign team member to monitor and respond to reviews weekly
4. ☐ Document baseline review count and rating across all platforms
5. ☐ Set monthly review acquisition goal (e.g., 4–6 new reviews per location)

PHASE 4: TECHNICAL (WEEKS 6–8)

1. ☐ Test homepage speed at pagespeed.web.dev (target 75+)
2. ☐ Compress images to under 200 KB each
3. ☐ Test mobile responsiveness on iPhone and Android
4. ☐ Verify HTTPS (padlock icon) on all pages
5. ☐ Confirm HIPAA BAA with analytics platform or switch to HIPAA-compliant tool
6. ☐ Submit XML sitemap to Google Search Console
7. ☐ Check robots.txt doesn't block important directories

PHASE 5: MEASUREMENT (ONGOING)

1. ☐ Set up Google Search Console for keyword ranking tracking
2. ☐ Monitor GBP Insights weekly for phone calls, direction clicks, impressions
3. ☐ Track new patient volume month-over-month
4. ☐ Review page analytics: which procedures drive most traffic, which convert best
5. ☐ Reassess at month 3, month 6 — expect ranking improvement in months 3–4