June 2025

Why Most Clinics Still Struggle to Attract the Right Patients Online Let’s face it, many medical practices today feel stuck. They’ve built a website, maybe even tried a few Google Ads or posted some health tips on Instagram. But the phones aren’t ringing like they used to and online visibility seems to be fading. If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone. In the last few months, we’ve seen a sharp dip in visibility for many healthcare websites. At first, it looked like a content issue or maybe just increased competition. But then we looked closer and realized that Google’s latest algorithm update has reshaped the rules for medical SEO. As someone who balances work between Supreme Hospitals and content strategy at D-Medva, I had a front-row seat to these changes. And in this article, I’ll break down why traditional healthcare marketing tactics are no longer enough, what the new Google update really means and how you can build a resilient strategy that actually connects with patients in 2025. The Real Impact of Google’s March 2024 Update on Medical Sites Google’s algorithm updates aren’t new but the March 2024 Core Update was a game-changer, especially for healthcare websites. It didn’t just tweak search rankings. It demanded a whole new level of credibility, clarity and content structure. This update puts special emphasis on websites that fall under “Your Money or Your Life” (YMYL) categories finance, legal and yes, health. If your medical website contains vague advice, outdated content, or lacks visible expertise, you’re likely already seeing the impact. At Supreme Hospitals, we saw an informative blog post on migraine treatments vanish from Page 1 overnight. No penalties. Just irrelevant, according to Google’s new quality standards. We later realized the post had no medical reviewer, outdated references and too much jargon. After updating the article with clearer language, proper author attribution and recent clinical sources, rankings started to recover. Where Most Healthcare Marketing Strategies Fall Short The most common mistake we see? Marketing like it’s still 2018. Too many practices are stuck in static tactics: outdated SEO plug-ins, content written by non-medical freelancers and generic service pages with zero personality or empathy. Here are three big problems: At D-Medva, we’ve turned this into a checklist called the Content Health Score a simple way to measure whether your blog or landing page is helping or hurting you. Our 4-Part Framework for High-Performance Healthcare Content Here’s the strategy we now use across all client sites, including hospitals, diagnostics labs and specialty clinics: 1. Show Authority and Trust Always name the author and their credentials. If the article is reviewed by a doctor, include that information prominently. Use schema markup to help Google read that metadata clearly. 2. Simplify and Humanize Language Translate complex conditions into plain, accessible language. Think: “If your periods are irregular and your weight keeps fluctuating, it might be your thyroid” not “patients may present with amenorrhea and metabolic variance.” 3. Update and Contextualize Content Medical advice is never one-size-fits-all. Keep updating articles with the latest guidelines and patient use cases. Use structured headings, recent data and clear CTAs that guide the next step. 4. Build Technical Foundations Page speed, mobile readiness and internal linking still matter. Use tools like Search Console, Semrush and PageSpeed Insights to ensure your site’s performance isn’t dragging down content quality. A Real-World Example from Our Hospital One of our highest-traffic articles, “Thyroid Symptoms in Women,” was ranking well until it suddenly dropped. We found three major issues: no author name, a wall of jargon and no cited sources. We rewrote the intro to something simpler: “Always tired? Gaining weight for no reason? Struggling with mood swings or irregular periods? It could be your thyroid.” We added a short expert quote from our endocrinologist and linked to ICMR guidelines. Within two weeks, the article returned to Page 1. That’s the power of clarity, relevance and authority all wrapped into one smart update. What You Can Do Right Now to Protect Your Website Need a tool to guide the process? Try D-Medva’s Content Health Score Framework, a free checklist available on our website. The Future Belongs to Patient-Centric Marketers This algorithm update isn’t a punishment, it’s a push toward better, safer content. If you’re a hospital, diagnostic center, or independent doctor, now’s the time to evolve your strategy. The future of healthcare marketing belongs to those who lead with value, not just visibility. At D-Medva, we bridge the gap between healthcare expertise and digital strategy. From content audits to full-funnel campaigns, we’re helping medical brands build trust and grow with confidence. Let’s turn your website into your strongest referral partner.

If you’re a doctor, clinic owner, or someone working in the healthcare industry with a website, you might have noticed something strange lately. Your website traffic may have dropped. Or some pages that used to rank on Google have quietly disappeared. You’re not imagining things. Google recently rolled out another major algorithm update and this time it seems to be hitting medical websites especially hard. As someone who splits time between interning at Supreme Hospitals and writing content for D-Medva, I naturally got curious. So I did what I do best: I researched, asked around and connected the dots to understand what’s happening behind the scenes. In this post, I’ll explain what the update actually is, why medical websites are feeling the heat more than others and most importantly, what we can do to fix it or avoid the hit altogether. I’ll also share some of my real-world experiences from the hospital and how we’re adapting at D-Medva. What Did Google Change This Time? Google constantly updates its algorithm to improve the quality of search results, but not every update is created equal. Their March 2024 Core Update specifically zoomed in on content quality, trustworthiness and the reputation of the source. And for sites that fall under YMYL (Your Money or Your Life) like finance, legal and yes, medical websites  the bar is now much higher. In plain English: Google now wants to ensure that serious topics (like health and wellness) are covered by people who actually know what they’re talking about. That means being clear about the author’s expertise, backing up claims with sources and avoiding anything that seems vague, outdated, or misleading. Google’s documentation emphasizes EEAT: Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trust. If your blog doesn’t reflect those qualities, even if it has great keywords, it could lose visibility. Why Are Medical Websites Being Hit the Hardest? Let’s imagine a patient searching for “how to treat high blood pressure naturally.” Google now double-checks whether the content comes from a credible medical source. It wants to be absolutely sure that the advice given is not only safe but also supported by professionals. If your page doesn’t mention who wrote it or cite any medical guidelines or studies, it might seem like generic or even risky advice. That’s when Google steps in and pushes it down the rankings to protect users. At Supreme Hospitals, I saw one of our most-read nutrition blogs suddenly drop from Page 1 to Page 5. We couldn’t figure it out at first. But after auditing the page, we noticed it had no author bio, no mention of the hospital and very few supporting references. Once we made those changes, we saw an improvement. What Can You Do to Protect Your Website? Here are the key actions we’re taking for our own platforms and for our clients: What I Learned First-Hand at the Hospital Let me give you a real example. We had a blog titled “Thyroid Symptoms in Women”. It had good information but was written in a very academic language. Our analytics showed high bounce rates. So we rewrote it like this: “If you’re always tired, your weight is acting funny and your periods are off-schedule, it may not just be stress. It could be your thyroid.” That one sentence made a huge difference. Suddenly, readers stayed longer, read other posts and even booked appointments. It ranked back on Page 1 in just two weeks. That’s how powerful clarity and relatability can be. We also added a section written by an endocrinologist to the post, explaining the importance of getting tested. That kind of authoritative addition made the post more credible not just for users but for Google as well. How D-Medva Is Helping Clinics Adapt At D-Medva, we’ve seen firsthand how these changes are shaking up the healthcare content space. One of the tools we now use across all our projects is a Content Health Score. It’s a checklist we developed that looks at: If a blog scores low, we either rewrite or archive it. No compromises. We’ve learned that Google doesn’t just want content. It wants quality care in content form. We also use tools like Google Search Console and SEMrush to monitor which pages are affected and why. This helps us act fast and recover lost visibility before it impacts patient engagement or lead flow. Final Thoughts It might seem overwhelming, especially if you’re already busy running a clinic or handling patients. But the goal behind this update is actually a good one: to ensure people get safe and helpful health information. If you’re a hospital, diagnostic center, or medical blogger, use this update as an opportunity. Audit your website. Identify weak pages. Make your content not just visible but truly valuable. And if you ever feel stuck or need someone to handle it all for you, D-Medva is here. We’re not just marketers. We’re part of the healthcare journey. Until next time, DivyashreeContent Writer @ D-Medva | Intern @ Supreme Hospitals | BSc Pharmacology