SEO by vertical · Healthcare
SEO for Healthcare that attracts patients without crossing medical ethics.
Healthcare is the toughest category for Google and for AI models: it is what the industry calls YMYL, content that affects a reader's money or life. Clinics, practices and hospitals need content that ranks while respecting regulated medical advertising rules.
We work in English, Portuguese and Spanish. Headquarters in Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
01Overview
SEO for Healthcare
Before any keyword work, healthcare demands an editorial decision: who signs the content, with what credential, and with what limit on claims. A site that promises a cure, uses before-and-after photos, or makes a claim medical advertising rules do not allow runs a double risk, with the regulator and with the trust Google and AI models place in the source.
We treat that as a prerequisite, not a legal detail bolted on afterward: real E-E-A-T content (experience, expertise, authoritativeness and trust), an identified author, and language a non-specialist can follow, without giving up technical precision.
Because much of healthcare search is local ("near me", a neighborhood name, a city name), local SEO starts in month one, alongside clinic structured data, inside the Response Marketing Method.
- 200+
- companies served since 2017
- R$ 100 M+
- in sales generated for clients
- 24h
- of tracking in the App and on WhatsApp
02Sector
What is different about SEO for healthcare
Google applies a stricter quality bar to medical content than to the average sector, precisely because an information error in healthcare has real consequences. That means domain authority, identifiable authorship and technical accuracy carry more weight here than in most other segments.
Medical advertising follows specific rules on what can be claimed (no promise of results, no before-and-after, no disparaging comparison between professionals). Content that ranks well but breaks these rules is a risk no ranking position offsets.
An optimized Google Business Profile, with the right category, current hours and responses to reviews, tends to weigh as much as the institutional site in the decision of someone searching for care nearby.
03Scope
What is in scope
Every workstream below goes through the same compliance review before it ships, because in healthcare editorial care is not an optional step after production, it is part of production.
E-E-A-T content
Text with identified authorship, technical review and clear language, with no claim medical advertising does not allow.
Local SEO for clinics
An optimized Google Business Profile, LocalBusiness schema and consistent NAP citations across directories.
Healthcare structured data
MedicalOrganization, FAQPage and review markup, where relevant to the type of care.
Sector authority and press
Backlinks and press coverage in healthcare outlets, reinforcing trust for Google and for the patient.
04Technical edge
Structured data that matters in healthcare
Marking up `MedicalOrganization` or `LocalBusiness` with specialty, address and contact method helps Google understand exactly what kind of care the clinic offers. `FAQPage` on a specialty page answers the patient's most common questions before they even book.
- MedicalOrganization or LocalBusiness with specialty and address
- FAQPage on specialty and procedure pages
- Person for the responsible professional, with visible credentials
- Schema review aligned with what medical advertising allows to be stated
05GEO
Patients ask about symptoms before they search for a clinic
It is increasingly common for someone to describe a symptom to ChatGPT or Gemini before looking for a clinic. Clear content, with identified medical authorship and no improper promise, has a better chance of being cited as a reference in that conversation. This sits in the same plan, alongside GEO: SEO for AI.
06Comparison
Healthcare against other regulated sectors
Healthcare and finance share Google's YMYL classification, but the regulation and the type of search differ.
| Healthcare | Finance | |
|---|---|---|
| Advertising regulator | Professional boards for each specialty | Financial market regulators |
| Dominant search type | Local, by symptom or specialty | National, by product or comparison |
| Core schema | MedicalOrganization, LocalBusiness | Organization, FinancialProduct |
07Measurement
What you track in the App
Rankings by specialty and city, review score and Google Business Profile position, organic traffic and AI citations land in the real-time report, with no waiting for month-end.
A new review, good or bad, enters the report so the response to the patient happens fast, since response time to reviews also weighs into the trust Google assigns to the clinic's profile.
08The deliverable
What you receive
Finished work, approved by you in the App and shipped. Not a report that only describes the problem.
E-E-A-T content
Text with authorship and technical review, within allowed medical advertising.
Local SEO for clinics
Optimized Google Business Profile and LocalBusiness schema.
Healthcare structured data
MedicalOrganization and FAQPage marked up by specialty.
Live reporting in the App
Rankings, reviews and AI citations, 24 hours a day.
09Who leads
Who leads your project
The three of them own the process and manage the team on every account. No senior who shows up at kickoff and disappears: they sign off on the plan, review the work and talk to your team.
Digo Garcia
Founder and CAIO
Over 20 years in digital. Built and scaled Letras.mus.br, then worked at Méliuz and in the joint venture with Globo.com. Owns AI, technical SEO and engineering inside every project.
Letras.mus.br · Méliuz · Globo.com
André Mousinho
Chief SEO Officer
Comes from Rock Content, Tray/Locaweb and LWSA. Designs the keyword mapping, the content architecture and the GEO strategy that turns a brand into the answer.
Rock Content · Tray/Locaweb · LWSA
Gabriel Raposo
Chief Authority Officer
Comes from Ambev and Agibank. Owns link building, digital PR and the authority that holds up both rankings and citations inside AI answers.
Ambev · Agibank
And the team behind them: Nathália Barcala (cofounder and COO, governance), Roberto Murta (CTO), Marcelo Ligere (senior advisor, 30+ years, formerly Grupo Globo) and Alfred, the artificial intelligence that runs the day to day: delivery queue, reporting and 24/7 support on WhatsApp.
10Who it is for
Where this work pays off the most
A clinic with a good reputation and low visibility online
Established care built on word of mouth, with almost no new patients from search. Local SEO is usually the fastest win in this scenario.
A network with several locations
More than one clinic or practice, each needing to show up in local search for its own area, without cannibalizing the other locations' pages.
A professional who wants to publish content safely
A wish to educate patients, paired with uncertainty about what medical advertising allows. Editorial review covers that boundary before publication.
11Case studies
Results with a name, a number and a date
Real projects, with what was done and what changed. No generic charts and no promises of a position.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What is SEO for healthcare and why is it different from other sectors?
It is the work of increasing visibility for clinics and practices while respecting medical advertising rules. Google treats healthcare as a YMYL category, with a stricter quality bar.
Can I use patient testimonials and before-and-after photos in the content?
It depends on the specialty's professional board regulations. In general, promises of results and before-and-after photos are restricted, and content is adjusted so it does not break that rule.
Does a Google Business Profile really matter as much as the site?
For local healthcare search, yes. The right category, current hours and responses to reviews weigh directly on the decision of someone searching nearby.
Do you produce specialized medical content?
Content is structured with identified authorship and technical review, following what the specialty requires in accuracy and accessible language.
How long before I see results in healthcare?
Technical fixes and local SEO tend to move rankings in 30 to 60 days. Authority on a competitive term is quarterly work.
Do AI models also recommend a clinic when someone describes a symptom?
Increasingly so. Clear content with identified medical authorship has a better chance of being cited in that conversation.
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