Most practice owners assume they just need “more marketing.” But marketing without strategy is just expensive noise. The real issue is usually one (or all) of these three specific blockers. 

Blocker #1: You’re invisible on Google

When someone searches for a medical provider in your area, where do you show up? If you’re not in the Google Map Pack (the three practices with maps that appear at the top of search results) or on page one of organic results, you essentially don’t exist to a new patients. 

Think about your own behavior. When’s the last time you clicked to page two of Google results? Probably never. 

Here’s the problem: Most practices haven’t optimized their Google Business Profile, don’t have enough reviews, and have websites that Google doesn’t trust or understand. So even though you’ve been in business for 15 years and provide excellent care, Google ranks newer practices with better digital presence above you. 

Local SEO (the process of showing up in local searches) isn’t automatic. It requires consistent effort: updating your profile, earning reviews, creating content that answers patient questions, and building authority online. 

If you’re not doing this work or paying someone to do it, you’re invisible to the majority of people searching for exactly what you offer.

Blocker #2: Your Website Doesn’t Convert Visitors into Patients

Let’s say you do show up in search results. Great. Someone clicks through to your website. Here’s a sobering statistic: 87% of patients who visit a medical practice website never contact the office. They bounce. They leave. They move on to the next option. Why? 

Your website has friction points that create frustration:

• No online scheduling: In 2026, patients expect to book appointments online, just like they book restaurant reservations or hair appointments. If they have to call during business hours, many won’t bother. 

• Slow load times: If your site takes more than three seconds to load on mobile, half your visitors are already gone. 

• Unclear next steps: Your homepage doesn’t clearly tell them what to do. Is the “Contact us” button buried at the bottom? Is your phone number hidden? Do they have to click through three pages to find out if you accept their insurance?

• Outdated design: If your website looks like it was built in 2010, patients assume your practice is stuck in the past too. Fair or not, your website is a reflection of your practice’s quality in their eyes. 

Your website should do one job: turn visitors into booked appointments. If it’s not doing that, you’re paying for traffic (through SEO or ads) that goes nowhere.

Blocker #3: You Have No System to Stay Top of Mind

Here’s what happens most often: A potential patient finds your website. They like what they see. But they’re not ready to book right now. Maybe they’re at work, or they want to talk to their spouse first, or they’re comparing a few options. 

They close the tab. And they forget about you. Without a system to stay top of mind, you lose 90% of interested patients who don’t book immediately. Growing practices use simple tools to capture these people:

• Email capture (offering something helpful like a new patient guide in exchange for an email)

• Retargeting ads (showing ads to people who visited your site but didn’t book)

• Automated follow-up emails (reminding people to schedule or offering helpful health tips)

These aren't pushy sales tactics. They're gentle reminders that you exist and you're here to help when they're ready. But most practices do none of this. They let hundreds of interested potential patients slip away every month because there's no follow-up system in place.