Strategic SEO for a Plastic Surgeon Practice
Stanley Black ✨
Client: 🩺 Dr. Skoll, Plastic Surgeon
The Challenge: ⛰️ Limited Visibility, Low Conversion, and Fierce Competition
The Results: 🚀 Transforming Search Visibility
+400% Increase in SERP Presence
The Impact: The brand is now visible for 4x more search terms than before. This means we are capturing a significantly wider net of the market and appearing in "niche" conversations where competitors are invisible.
+259% Increase in Impressions
The Impact: This is massive for brand authority. Nearly triple the number of potential customers are now seeing the brand name as a "source of truth." This builds "mental availability," making Dr. Skoll the first choice when they are ready to engage.
+221% Increase in Clicks
The Impact: This is the "money" metric. We’ve more than tripled Dr. Skoll's direct traffic. These aren't just random visitors; because they found him through specific AI-optimized queries, they are higher-intent users.
Multiple Top Rankings
The Impact: Achieving "Position 1" or "Featured Snippets" cements Dr. Skoll's status as a market leader. It provides a sustainable, long-term flow of patients.
The AI Revolution: Gemini, GPT, and the "New" SERP
We've been seeing a massive shift in how people find information. It’s no longer JUST about "blue links"; it's about being the answer inside AI engines.
Explosive Growth in AI Mentions: By optimizing for GEO (Generative Engine Optimization), the brand is now being cited directly by ChatGPT and Google Gemini.
The "Ad Killer" Effect: In many modern searches, AI Overviews (AIOs) and AI-generated answers appear at the very top of the page—often above the sponsored results. Companies are spending thousands of dollars every day on PPC (Pay-Per-Click) ads, only to have an AI-optimized organic result sit right above them for "free".
By winning the AI SERP, the brand is essentially "stealing" the most valuable digital real estate from high-budget advertisers, providing a level of ROI that paid media simply cannot match.
About The Client 🩺
Dr. Skoll's esteemed plastic surgery practice faced a common digital marketing hurdle: while their website attracted traffic from previous efforts, a significant portion of these visitors weren't converting into qualified leads or new patient consultations. The core problem wasn't a complete lack of online presence but a critical need for first-page visibility and authority.
Specifically, the practice struggled with:
Low Organic Rankings: Not having enough top 10 rankings for core and service-related keywords, meaning they weren't visible on page one of Google when potential patients were searching.
Competitive Landscape: Struggling to stand out in a highly competitive market.
Limited Trust Signals: A low number of Google reviews, which hindered immediate patient trust and confidence crucial for conversion in the medical field.
Traffic Quality vs. Quantity: Receiving general website traffic, but not enough of the highly qualified leads who were genuinely ready to inquire about plastic surgery procedures.
This situation highlighted a need to refine the digital strategy to not only attract more targeted, high-intent individuals but also to build trust and guide them towards booking a consultation.
My Strategic SEO Solution:
💡 Focusing on Qualification, Visibility & Conversion
My key strategic pillars included:
Foundational Audit & Opportunity Identification:
I began with a full, holistic, and extensive audit of Dr. Skoll's existing online presence, including a deep dive into competitor analysis, keyword research, and market research within the plastic surgery landscape in the area.
From this research, I identified several key opportunities for quick wins and established a clear roadmap for sustained growth, implementing strategic measures based directly on these insights.
Hyper-Local SEO Optimization:
I intensified efforts on Google Business Profile optimization, ensuring maximum visibility for precise, local-intent queries (e.g., "rhinoplasty in area," "breast augmentation surgeon in area," and core terms like "plastic surgeon in area"). This aimed to capture individuals actively searching for Dr. Skoll's services in their immediate vicinity.
High-Intent Keyword Targeting:
Based on the initial research, I optimized for "money keywords" – terms indicating strong commercial intent (e.g., "cost of facelift in area," "book consultation plastic surgeon"). My strategy included a direct focus on targeted search terms that would convert potential patients, not just informational ones.
Improved Content & User Experience:
I advised on and optimized service pages and key content to clearly address patient questions, build trust, and feature clear Calls-to-Action (CTAs) that encouraged immediate engagement (e.g., "Request a Consultation," "Call Now"). I also focused on strategies to encourage more Google reviews.
Technical SEO for Performance:
Continuous monitoring and optimization of site speed and mobile responsiveness to ensure a seamless and positive user experience, reducing bounce rates for qualified visitors.
Engagement Tracking & Analysis:
I set up and monitored specific conversion goals in Google Analytics to track actual lead generation activities (e.g., form submissions, phone clicks).
Measurable Results:
📈 From Traffic to New Patients
Leveraging data from Google Business Profile, Google Search Console, Ubersuggest, and Google Analytics, I observed significant improvements in qualified lead generation and indicators of new patient growth:
Surge in Qualified Local Engagements: 📍 Google Business Profile
By optimizing for local search intent, I directly influenced how potential patients found and interacted with Dr. Skoll's practice.
Increased Business Views & Profile Search Results: Demonstrating significant growth in the total number of times Dr. Skoll's Business Profile was viewed by users and appeared in search results compared to the same time range during the previous year.
Value: A rise in these core visibility metrics indicates that more potential patients are encountering Dr. Skoll's practice when looking for related services, directly expanding his reach in the local area.
Direct Actions (Calls & Website Clicks): Business Calls increased by +42.7% and Website Clicks increased by +57.4% compared to the same time range during the previous year.
Value: A direct increase in calls and website clicks from the Google Business Profile signifies more immediate, high-intent leads taking action to connect with the practice.
Targeted Organic Visibility & High-Intent Traffic:
🔍 Overall Site Traffic & Rankings
My focus on high-intent keywords successfully brought more relevant visitors to the website.
Significant Growth in Search Performance: Comparing the last 3 months to the previous 3 months, Dr. Skoll's website saw a notable increase of +1,295 clicks and a substantial +89.5K increase in impressions.
Value: This surge in impressions means Dr. Skoll's content is appearing for a much wider range of relevant searches, while the increased clicks demonstrate that more users are finding his listings compelling enough to visit the site. This is a direct result of expanding visibility and attracting more high-intent traffic.
Improved Keyword Reach, Rankings & SERP Presence: Through optimizing key pages throughout the site, Dr. Skoll's practice started ranking for new and more short/long-tailed keywords related to various search terms potential patients use. This led to a demonstrable growth in SERP (Search Engine Results Page) visibility, with more of his pages appearing for relevant queries.
Value: This broader keyword footprint, including both general terms and specific, conversion-oriented phrases, ensures Dr. Skoll captures a wider audience of qualified leads and appears on the first page for an increasing number of valuable searches.
1st Position in the Local Pack (Map Pack) for the most sought-after keyword, "plastic surgeon area".
In just a few months, the total SERP features increased from only 12 in January to 60 in June.
A few keywords in top positions for Local Pack (Map Pack) rankings.
A few of our most important top-3 rankings and their positional changes (All-time data).
The Conclusion:
✅ Tangible ROI from Strategic SEO
My dedicated SEO work for Dr. Skoll has, and continues to, successfully transition his online presence from simply attracting traffic to consistently driving qualified leads and contributing directly to new patient growth.
By focusing on high-intent user behavior, overcoming competitive visibility challenges, optimizing crucial touchpoints like Google Business Profile and specific service pages, and enhancing the overall website performance, I've enabled the practice to convert online visibility into tangible business success. This case study demonstrates the power of a strategic, data-driven SEO approach in the competitive medical landscape in the area.
Ready to achieve similar growth for your business? Let's connect and discuss your SEO strategy and goals.
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Posted Jul 21, 2025
Discover how I achieved several local pack features & multiple top 10 rankings and more for a local business through strategic and targeted SEO efforts.
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Mar 8, 2024 - Jul 21, 2025
