Run this 45-point hospital SEO audit before your next marketing meeting

This checklist is designed for hospital marketing directors, web managers, and SEO-aware executives who want to understand the scope of hospital SEO before hiring an agency or building an in-house program. Each section ranks items by impact and implementation difficulty.

How to use this: Work through each domain in priority order. Mark items complete as you audit. Items marked "quick win" can be finished in 30 days and typically improve rankings or click-through rates immediately. Items marked "foundation" take 6-12 weeks but improve faster progress later. Items marked "compliance" must be correct — they're not optimization, they're legal requirements.

If your team lacks technical skills for any section, that's normal. Many hospitals outsource technical SEO, schema markup, and analytics setup. This checklist tells you what to ask for, not what you must build yourself.

Quick Wins (Complete in 30 days):

• Mobile usability audit via Google Search Console → fix major issues (buttons too small, text unreadable)
• Core Web Vitals check → identify pages below 50th percentile for LCP, FID, CLS
• Broken link audit using Screaming Frog → fix internal broken links and 404 chains
• HTTPS validation → confirm all pages load over HTTPS, no mixed content warnings
• Robots.txt review → ensure robots.txt isn't blocking search crawlers from main content

Foundation (6-12 weeks):

• XML sitemap audit → verify all important pages are included, priorities set, last-modified dates current
• Crawl budget optimization → identify crawl traps (infinite calendars, session parameters) and fix
• Page speed optimization → compress images, minify CSS/JS, enable caching, consider CDN for imagery
• Duplicate content audit → consolidate thin pages, implement canonicals for duplicate parameter variations
• Internal linking audit → ensure service line pages receive 2-3 contextual internal links from relevant hub pages

Compliance:

• Analytics implementation check (HIPAA-safe) → verify no PII in URLs, event names, or custom dimensions; use server-side tracking
• Cookie consent setup → hospital sites should default to no-tracking until consent, especially if treating any patient data

Service line pages (cardiology, orthopedic surgery, emergency care, etc.) are where hospitals rank for condition and treatment keywords. These pages must balance patient education with commercial intent.

Quick Wins (30 days):

• H1 audit → each service line page has one unique H1 naming the service, not the hospital name
• Meta description audit → 120–155 characters, includes service name + key benefit or feature
• Keyword mapping → assign 2-4 primary keywords per page; audit against competitor pages to avoid internal cannibalization
• Call-to-action audit → each service line page has clear "schedule appointment" or "request consultation" button above the fold
• Image alt text → add descriptive alt text to all clinical/facility images; include service-relevant keywords naturally

Foundation (6-12 weeks):

• Service line page template → standardize structure across all service pages: overview → conditions treated → procedures/treatments → why choose us → physician bios → FAQs
• Condition keyword clustering → for high-volume conditions (e.g., knee pain, heart disease), create dedicated pages; avoid burying answers in generic pages
• Internal linking density → each service line page links to 3-5 related services, 1-2 relevant physicians, and 1 location page
• Schema markup (Service + LocalBusiness) → structured data telling Google what service is offered, by which doctors, at which locations
• Content length and depth → aim for 800-1200 words on high-priority service pages; include patient testimonial section if available
• FAQ schema → mark up service-specific FAQs ("What to expect," "Recovery time," "Insurance questions") for rich snippet eligibility

Physician profiles are often ranking pages but are rarely optimized. Patients search by doctor name and specialty; a missing or thin physician page costs clicks and appointment requests.

Quick Wins (30 days):

• Physician directory audit → compile a master list of all actively practicing physicians; cross-check against website physician pages
• Missing pages → create a page for every physician listed in your directory (or in your Google Business Profile)
• Profile H1 and title tags → format as "[Physician Name], [Specialty]" or "[Physician Name] — [Specialty] at [Hospital]"
• Credentials and board certification → display clearly, with board organization links where appropriate

Foundation (6-12 weeks):

• Physician schema markup (Doctor + EducationEvent + PracticeLocation) → tells Google the doctor's specialty, education, affiliated locations, and accepting new patients status
• Service associations → link physician pages to all services they offer; in reverse, link service pages to physicians who perform them
• Patient review schema (AggregateRating) → if you have patient reviews by physician, mark them up for search visibility
• Bio standardization → ensure each physician has 200-300 words of biographical content including education, training, specialties, published research
• Photo optimization → use professional, consistent headshots; add alt text including physician name and specialty

Compliance:

• License and credential verification → link to state medical board or verify annually; outdated credentials harm trust and can trigger Google penalty flags

For multi-facility hospital systems, local SEO determines whether patients find your specific location, the right department, and current hours. GBP is the single highest-impact factor for local appointment requests.

Quick Wins (30 days):

• GBP verification audit → claim all location profiles (main hospital, urgent care, specialty clinics); verify with phone or address verification
• Service listing consistency → ensure all locations list identical services (or mark unavailable with closed service designation)
• Hours and holiday updates → set accurate hours for each location; pre-set closures for known holidays
• NAP consistency audit → hospital name, address, phone across website, GBP, and citations must match exactly — fix any variations

Foundation (6-12 weeks):

• Local landing pages → create location-specific pages for each major facility; include address, hours, directions, local physicians, GBP embed, phone click-to-call
• Local schema markup → Organization schema for main hospital + LocalBusiness schema for each location (with geo coordinates, hours, service area)

Note: This section assumes multi-facility structure. Single-hospital systems should still treat this as priority; local rankings often decide patient acquisition cost.

Trust signals tell both Google and patients that your hospital is legitimate, patient-focused, and reliable. Missing or outdated trust markers reduce click-through rate and conversion.

Quick Wins (30 days):

• Review generation workflow → implement post-appointment email or SMS request for Google reviews; track request volume and completion rate
• Review response audit → set a standard for responding to all reviews (positive and negative) within 48 hours; designate an owner
• Google Posts setup → publish 2-4 posts per month announcing news, events, appointment availability changes
• Website trust badges → display HIPAA compliance statement, accreditation logos (Joint Commission, etc.), where relevant

Foundation (6-12 weeks):

• ADA accessibility compliance audit → run axe or WAVE scan; fix WCAG 2.1 AA violations (alt text, heading hierarchy, color contrast, form labels). This is a legal requirement, not an optimization.
• Privacy policy and cookie consent audit → ensure privacy policy discloses all data collection, tracking, and third-party tools; HIPAA-aware hospitals must state no patient data is collected without explicit consent

Compliance Requirement:

• FTC compliance for patient testimonials — if displaying patient reviews or testimonials as marketing content, verify they are genuine and clearly labeled; false or undisclosed reviews violate FTC Health Breach Notification Rule and state advertising law

Not all 45 items have equal impact. Use this matrix to sequence work based on effort and revenue potential.

High Impact, Low Effort (30 days):

• Mobile usability fixes, service line H1 corrections, GBP verification, review request workflow setup, NAP consistency corrections

High Impact, Medium Effort (6-12 weeks):

• Physician profile schema, service line page templates, page speed optimization, local landing pages, physician profile creation

Medium Impact, Low Effort (30 days to ongoing):

• Google Posts, review monitoring and response, internal linking cleanup

Medium Impact, Medium Effort (6-12 weeks):

• ADA compliance audit, analytics HIPAA audit, FAQ schema implementation

Strategic (3-6 months):

• Condition clustering and content strategy refinement, advanced crawl budget optimization

Recommendation: Finish all "High Impact, Low Effort" items before scaling budget or hiring. These items typically improve rankings and click-through rate within 30-60 days. Then move to schema and template work, which compound over time.

Most hospital websites either don't use physician schema or use incomplete markup. Here's a minimal working example for a cardiology physician page:

<script type="application/ld+json">
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Doctor",
  "name": "Dr. Sarah Chen",
  "image": "https://hospital.com/images/dr-chen.jpg",
  "description": "Board-certified cardiologist specializing in heart failure and preventive cardiology",
  "medicalSpecialty": "Cardiology",
  "qualification": [
    {
      "@type": "EducationEvent",
      "name": "MD, University of California Medical School",
      "url": "https://medschool.ucsf.edu"
    },
    {
      "@type": "EducationEvent",
      "name": "Board Certification, American Board of Internal Medicine — Cardiology",
      "url": "https://www.abim.org"
    }
  ],
  "worksFor": {
    "@type": "Hospital",
    "name": "City Hospital",
    "address": {
      "@type": "PostalAddress",
      "streetAddress": "123 Medical Plaza",
      "addressLocality": "Springfield",
      "addressRegion": "IL",
      "postalCode": "62701",
      "addressCountry": "US"
    }
  },
  "knowsAbout": ["Cardiology", "Heart Failure", "Preventive Cardiology", "Coronary Artery Disease"],
  "contactPoint": {
    "@type": "ContactPoint",
    "contactType": "Appointments",
    "telephone": "+1-217-555-0100"
  }
}
</script>

Add this to the <head> of every physician profile page. Update name, specialty, qualifications, hospital details, and contact info. This schema helps Google understand the physician's credentials and display them in search results and knowledge panels.

Hospitals often publish service pages without consistent structure. Here's a template that works for search and patient conversion:

Page Structure:

1. Hero Section: H1 (service name), 1-2 sentence intro, CTA button ("Schedule Appointment")
2. What Is [Service]? (150-200 words) — plain-language overview, no medical jargon, patient benefit focus
3. Conditions We Treat (bullet list with internal links) — 4-6 key conditions; each links to dedicated condition page if available
4. Our Approach (200-300 words) — hospital's methodology, technology, why it matters to patients
5. Procedures & Treatments (2-3 subsections, 200 words each) — detail most common treatments with patient education tone
6. Why Choose [Hospital] for [Service]? (150-200 words) — differentiators, quality measures, outcomes data if available
7. Meet Our Physicians (physician cards or short bios) — list 3-5 key physicians in specialty with headshots, credentials, links to full profiles
8. Patient Testimonials or Stories (optional but high-impact) — 1-2 brief patient outcomes; mark up with schema
9. Frequently Asked Questions (6-10 questions) — "What to expect," "Recovery time," "Insurance," "New patient process"; mark up with FAQ schema
10. Next Steps / CTA Section: Appointment request form or phone number with click-to-call

Use this structure consistently across all service line pages. It improves ranking potential, increases conversion rate, and simplifies content maintenance.

"We don't have time to do all 45 items." You don't need to. Start with the 12 "Quick Win" items in the priority matrix. They take 30 days and typically improve rankings or clicks within 60 days. Return to foundation items quarterly.

"Our website platform doesn't support schema markup." Most modern CMS platforms (WordPress, HubSpot, Sitecore) support schema through plugins or built-in tools. If your platform truly doesn't support it, this is a platform limitation worth escalating to IT. Schema is standard, not optional, for hospitals.

"We have too many physicians to create individual profiles." Fair. Prioritize: actively practicing, high-volume specialties, and physicians who generate patient inquiries. Create profiles for the top 30-50 first; build out remaining physicians quarterly. Quantity of pages matters less than quality and visibility of high-revenue physicians.

"Google doesn't favor hospitals; we're just seeing saturation." Google does favor hospitals, but it favors authoritative hospitals. Saturation in local results usually means competitors have better schema, more location pages, cleaner GBP, and fresher content. This checklist closes those gaps.

"We're HIPAA-compliant, so we don't need the compliance sections." Being HIPAA-compliant for patient records is different than being HIPAA-compliant for marketing website analytics. Many hospital websites collect PII in analytics without realizing it. Audit your analytics setup separately; this is a legal obligation, not an optimization nice-to-have.

Use this checklist to assign tasks and track completion:

DOMAIN 1: TECHNICAL FOUNDATION

DOMAIN 2: SERVICE LINE PAGES

Remaining domains (physicians, local, trust signals) follow same format. Print and assign ownership for each item. Review completion monthly.