Why should I spend my clinic marketing budget on SEO?

Did you know that you need to consistently invest in your digital marketing and search engine optimisation (SEO) strategies EVEN IF your veterinary practice currently has closed books?

Yes, really! Let’s explore why.

Firstly, is there ever a legitimate case for stopping SEO investment?

Answer: NO.

It can certainly be somewhat tempting to press the pause button on marketing and SEO during periods when you aren’t accepting new registrations.

After all, you don’t need to chase any more leads right now. So, surely that money could be better invested elsewhere, right?

Right?!

WRONG!

Because here’s the thing:

 

Failing to continually invest in your digital presence will significantly negatively impact the success of your practice in the future.

Why?

SEO is not a one-and-done thing.

But what do we mean by that?

In short:

If you aren’t continually investing in your SEO strategy and exploring new optimisation options, you will quickly start to lose the ranking position you’ve worked so hard to secure in key search engine results pages (SERPs). 

Don’t lose sight of your competitors and don’t forget, the SEO landscape is changing all the time. This means that while you might decide to stop investing in this part of your business, your competitors aren’t going to stop investing in their search strategy.

So, in time, they will reach and likely even surpass your site in SERPs, earning additional visibility and potentially preventing you from connecting with potential clients in the future.

Does this really matter in the short term?

Yes. And here’s why.

We understand that it might not necessarily sound like a total disaster in the short term – after all, your books are closed, you’re not taking on any new clients and your staff are busy!

But you can’t just focus on the short term because there will be a time in the near future when you want to open up your registration process again.

And when that time comes and you find yourself needing to secure additional SERPs visibility, you will need to work extra hard to claw your way up the rankings.

And we’re not exaggerating when we describe the process as ‘clawing’ your way back up.

You see, as your competitors will have had all this additional time to continue to build upon and experience the rewards of their strategies, it will likely require a significant amount of time, resources and investment for you to start gaining back some of the ground they have gained over you.

Why would you want to put yourself through this when you can continue investing in your digital marketing strategy, maintain strong ranking positions, and create a sense of anticipation for the time when your books will reopen?

And why would you want to risk missing out on making valuable connections to pet owners that you can continue to nurture and, eventually, convert into paying clients who appreciate what you do?

The simple answer is: you wouldn’t want to risk any of those things.

So, don’t neglect your practice’s SEO. Even when you think you might be able to get away with it!  

If you’d like us to keep it ticking over so you can stay ahead, ready for when growth is a priority once again, please get in touch with our experts.