SEO audits for medical practices
Medical practice websites carry an accessibility obligation that most other local businesses don't, and missing alt text is their most common fault.
Note: this is one of our smaller samples. The figures indicate a direction rather than a precise measurement.
What we found
Across 58 practice websites found by searches for 'doctor', the average was 79.3 and half scored 84.5 or better. It is a modest sample, so read the figures as a direction rather than a measurement.
Alt text was the single most common problem, missing on 33 of the 58 sites. That is the highest rate of the ten trades we have 40 or more sites for, and it is notable given that patients are among the groups most likely to rely on a screen reader.
Title tags were close behind, failing on 31 sites. Practices frequently title every page with the clinic name, so the page about after-hours care is indistinguishable from the page about billing. Meta descriptions are split: 19 sites had one of the wrong length and 16 had none at all.
Every fault, and how often
Half the sites scored 84.5 or more. By band: 63.8% scored 80 to 100, 22.4% 60 to 79, 10.3% 40 to 59 and 3.4% under 40. Of the businesses these searches found, 14.7% had no website at all.
| Fault | Sites with it | Points it costs |
|---|---|---|
| Images missing alt text | 33 of 58 | 6 |
| Title tag length | 31 of 58 | 4 |
| No structured data | 19 of 58 | 8 |
| Meta description length | 19 of 58 | 3 |
| Missing meta description | 16 of 58 | 12 |
| No H1 heading | 14 of 58 | 8 |
| No Open Graph tags | 13 of 58 | 4 |
| Multiple H1 headings | 12 of 58 | 3 |
| Missing canonical link | 11 of 58 | 4 |
| No sitemap.xml | 8 of 58 | 6 |
| No robots.txt | 8 of 58 | 5 |
| Thin content, under 200 words | 7 of 58 | 8 |
| Not served over HTTPS | 6 of 58 | 15 |
Measured October 2026 from ppclift's own audits of sites found by searches for ‘doctor’, each website counted once however many searches found it; sites that could not be read are left out, the same way as the research post. Points are out of the 100-point score.
Sample finding
Six of the 58 practice sites were not served over HTTPS. That is a small number, but at 10% it is the highest rate of any trade we have 40 or more sites for, against 3.5% for dentists, and it matters more here than anywhere: any form on those pages, an appointment request or a contact form, sends what a patient types unencrypted.
What a typical site is missing
The median practice site scores about 84. The faults most likely to account for the gap are image alt text (6 points, missing on 33 of 58 sites), the title tag (4 points, 31 sites) and structured data (8 points, 19 sites). For a practice, structured data is the one that changes what patients see: opening hours, whether the practice bulk bills and whether it is taking new patients are the questions people ask, and markup is how a search engine or assistant reads the answers from the site itself.
How to pitch it
- Accessibility is the honest lead here, and it's a stronger one than ranking. Under the Disability Discrimination Act an inaccessible site carries real exposure, and practice managers understand compliance language.
- Per-page titles matter more than usual in this vertical, because patients often search for a specific service rather than for the practice.
- Structured data for opening hours and whether the practice is accepting new patients answers the two questions people actually ask.
Questions about medical practices
Is alt text a legal requirement for a medical practice website?
In Australia the Disability Discrimination Act applies to websites that provide a service, and the Human Rights Commission's guidance points to the WCAG standard, which requires text alternatives for images. An audit is not legal advice, but 'your site may be hard to use for patients with a screen reader' is a concern most practice managers take seriously. 33 of the 58 sites had images without alt text.
Should each service have its own page?
Yes. Patients often search for the service, such as 'skin check', 'travel vaccinations' or 'after hours GP', rather than the practice name. A page per service with its own title is what lets the practice appear for those searches, and 31 of the 58 sites failed even the basic title-length check.
Do practices still need a website if they are listed on booking apps?
The booking app ranks for the app. Of the practices these searches found, 14.7% had no website at all and depend entirely on listings they do not control. Their own site is where opening hours, services and new-patient status can be stated in their own words.
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