Search engine optimization (SEO) changes fast, but many of the problems we see today are the same ones we saw a decade ago. For plastic surgery and medical spa websites, even small SEO errors can limit visibility, waste marketing dollars, and frustrate potential patients.
Many of our new clients come to us with an existing website, a site that has done little for their practice. We can usually guess the problems we’ll find before we ever see their pages. Despite the fact that SEO best practices are widely published, the same technical and strategic mistakes continue to appear across new client sites in 2025.
It’s our belief that search engine optimization and web development are not separate disciplines. Effective websites are built with the search engines—and your users—in mind. Here’s an updated look at the most common SEO mistakes we find on medical and aesthetic practice websites today, plus a few quick fixes to help you correct them.
1. Sites That Can’t Be Crawled (aka ‘Spidered’)
Search engines employ programs called crawlers or spiders to discover and index your pages. To stay ahead of millions of new pages added daily, they follow links that are easy to find and often skip content that’s hidden or inaccessible.
We still encounter navigation built entirely in JavaScript, images, or animations that search engines can’t read. Even though these tools may look great for human visitors, your site must offer clear, text-based navigation paths and an XML sitemap so crawlers can easily reach every key page.
Quick Fix: Use HTML or CSS menus instead of Flash or image-based navigation, and verify that Google can index your pages through tools like Google Search Console. Our analytics team uses these same diagnostics to confirm that client sites are fully visible to search engines.
2. Duplicate or Recycled Content
Search engines want to deliver unique, trustworthy information. When they encounter duplicated manufacturer-supplied content or copy pasted from other practices’ sites, they often deprioritize those pages in search results.
This issue still plagues medical and aesthetic websites, where boilerplate procedure descriptions are common.
Quick Fix: Replace duplicate manufacturer text with first-party content that explains your unique approach, results, and patient experience.
3. Thin or Low-Value Content
Search engines are in the business of answering questions and solving problems. If your procedure pages rely mostly on short blurbs, images, or embedded videos without substantive text, Google may interpret them as low quality.
Aesthetic practices should aim for rich, educational copy (500 words or more per key service page) written in natural language that addresses real patient concerns.
Quick Fix: Expand thin pages with detailed explanations of benefits, recovery timelines, candidacy, and common FAQs.
For guidance on how a modern, user-first website supports both visitors and search engines, see our post on how med spa and plastic surgery websites go beyond first impressions.
4. Lack of Local Targeting
Local SEO is essential for private practices. Search engines rely on visible address information, city names, and regional references to connect you with nearby patients.
Unfortunately, we still see contact details embedded in images (which search engines can’t read) and copy that omits any mention of location.
Quick Fix: Place your full practice name, address, and phone number (NAP) in text format on every page, and weave location keywords, such as “plastic surgery in Austin” or “medical spa near Fort Worth,” naturally into your copy.
Learn more about improving your local SEO for aesthetic practices.
5. Ignoring Core Web Vitals & Mobile Performance
This is a newer mistake, but one that’s increasingly common. Slow page speeds, intrusive pop-ups, and unresponsive layouts directly affect your search rankings and user experience. Since Google’s Core Web Vitals became a ranking factor, site performance is SEO.
Quick Fix: Optimize images, remove outdated plug-ins, and ensure your website is mobile-first and fast to load.
6. Over-Optimization & Outdated Tactics
The old tactics don’t work anymore and can even hurt your rankings. Keyword stuffing, doorway pages, automated link exchanges, and META tag obsession are relics of a bygone SEO era.
Today’s algorithms reward clarity and user intent, not manipulation.
Quick Fix: Write for your patients, not for the algorithm. Focus on useful, readable content with natural keyword integration.
7. No Strategy for Conversion
Finally, too many practices chase rankings without thinking about what happens after the click. SEO success is measured not just by traffic, but by patient inquiries and consultations.
Quick Fix: Pair every optimized page with a clear call-to-action, such as contact forms, clickable phone numbers, or consultation scheduling tools. This helps turn visibility into measurable results.
The Bottom Line
Effective SEO for plastic surgeons and medical spas is about structure, substance, and strategy. Avoiding these common SEO mistakes will help you earn stronger rankings, deliver a better user experience, and convert more visitors into patients.
If you’d like expert help identifying technical issues or crafting high-performing content for your practice, contact our team for an SEO assessment.
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