Healthcare SEO is different.
Google calls health content "Your Money or Your Life" (YMYL). They scrutinize it more heavily. Rank it more carefully. And penalize low-quality health content more aggressively.
For good reason. Bad health advice can literally hurt people.
But that doesn't mean you can't rank. It means you need to be better.
What Google wants from healthcare content
Authorship matters
Every health article should have a named author with verifiable credentials. "Written by Dr. Sarah Jones, MD, Board-Certified Family Physician."
Not "Written by the content team." Not "Written by AI." A real person with real qualifications.
Citations matter
Link to studies. Reference medical guidelines. Cite authoritative sources like PubMed, WHO, CDC.
Google wants to see that your content is backed by evidence, not opinion.
Accuracy matters
Have content reviewed by qualified medical professionals. Implement a medical review process. Show last-reviewed dates.
Trust signals matter
HTTPS (obviously). Privacy policies. Clear contact information. Physical addresses. Credentials displayed prominently.
The healthcare SEO checklist
Build your healthcare SEO foundation
Many of these requirements are standard SEO best practices applied with extra rigor.
SEO Checkup covers the foundational tasks. 113 tasks. Step-by-step tutorials. Apply them with the healthcare-specific enhancements above.
Free. No credit card. 30 seconds.
In healthcare, trust is everything. Build it systematically. Start by claiming your Google Business Profile so patients can find your practice.