Case Study

Transforming Patient Engagement for an ENT Practice

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Background

A Top-Tier Medical Provider

A well-established ear, nose, and throat practice in the Richmond, Virginia metro area, faced a growing challenge in maintaining its online presence and attracting new patients. With a history of providing top-tier medical care, the practice needed a digital strategy that aligned with its reputation for excellence.

After a previous marketing agency redesigned their website, this ENT practice saw a drastic drop in its search engine rankings, reducing its web traffic to just 14% of expected levels. As a result, the number of leads and appointments plummeted. Additionally, the practice lacked a centralized system for scheduling appointments and completing patient forms online, which became even more urgent during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Simultaneously, their paid advertising efforts were suffering from ineffective conversion tracking, inefficient keyword targeting, and wasted ad spending. To restore its online presence and maximize digital patient acquisition, the practice partnered with Whittington Consulting.

The Challenge

Declining Web Visibility and Inefficient PPC Spend

With these issues stalling growth, the ENT practice faced several critical marketing issues and needed a strategic digital overhaul.

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SEO Decline:

Website changes implemented by a previous agency caused a significant drop in organic search visibility, leading to fewer site visits and lower lead generation.

Lack of a Centralized System:

The practice struggled with an outdated patient scheduling and form submission process, which became a major issue when online check-ins were required during COVID-19.

Wasted Advertising Spend:

Ineffective keyword targeting, lack of conversion tracking, and broad match terms resulted in inefficient ad spend and an inability to measure campaign success.

Underutilization of HubSpot:

The company was not fully leveraging HubSpot's capabilities, leading to difficulties in tracking conversions, managing data, and executing marketing strategies effectively.

Our Solution

A Comprehensive Website & PPC Strategy

To address these challenges, Whittington Consulting developed a multi-faceted strategy focused on improving digital performance, patient experience, and marketing efficiency.

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Website Revamp and SEO Strategy

  • Migrated the site from WordPress to HubSpot to enhance security, improve tracking, and provide a more user-friendly experience.
  • Fixed browser display issues and ensured a seamless user experience across all devices.
  • Implemented Google Analytics tracking to accurately measure appointment requests and optimize marketing impact.
  • Restructured and redesigned core web pages to enhance navigation and improve patient engagement.
  • Launched a consistent content marketing strategy and improved technical SEO to increase organic traffic.
  • Integrated a HIPAA-compliant patient portal for appointment scheduling, form submission, and online check-ins during the pandemic.

Paid Advertising Optimization and Smart Bidding

  • Created segmented campaigns for core service areas, including:
    • Non-branded ENT searches (e.g., "ear, nose, and throat doctors near me")
    • Branded campaign (targeting existing people searching for their practice name)
    • Allergies campaign (focused on environmental allergy treatments)
    • Audiology campaign (targeting hearing aids and audiology services)
  • Implemented HIPAA-compliant call tracking to attribute phone conversions to marketing efforts accurately.
  • Optimized paid advertising bid strategies by using conversion-oriented and value-based bidding, ensuring that ad spend was prioritized toward high-value actions.
  • Added negative keywords to eliminate irrelevant traffic (e.g., food allergy searches, competitor terms, and informational “WebMD-style” queries).
  • Reduced cost per click by 40% while increasing traffic without raising ad spend.

These combined efforts created a well-oiled digital marketing machine, maximizing their digital performance while optimizing efficiency.

The Results

Increased Website Traffic, Leads, and Revenue

The transformation was remarkable, delivering measurable business growth and a streamlined patient experience.

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Website & SEO Performance

  • Increased monthly web traffic from 8,776 visits (2017) to 54,199 (2020).
  • Generated 704,409 visitors to the blog in 2020 due to strategic content marketing.
  • Achieved a 77.15% contact-to-patient conversion rate by 2022.
  • By 2022, the website was bringing in 60,000 visits per month, leading to:
    • 547 new contacts per month
    • 422 new patients per month

PPC Efficiency & ROI Growth

  • Reduced cost per lead from $157 (2018) to just $14 (2019).
  • Achieved 400 first-time callers with less than $2,000 in ad spend.
  • Lowered cost per click by 40% from 2018 to 2022, driving more traffic for the same budget.
  • Increased click-through rates by 55.89% in the first year.
  • By 2021, paid search ads brought in 7,284 visitors, resulting in:
    • 1,600 leads from paid search
    • 296 scheduled appointments

Key Takeaways

  • Strategic segmentation and audience targeting drastically improved ad performance.
  • Accurate conversion tracking and value-based bidding ensured a high return on ad spend.
  • A well-executed SEO and content strategy dramatically increased organic visibility.
  • Integrating digital tools like HubSpot improved patient scheduling efficiency and form submission processes.

A Model for Digital Success in Healthcare

Through a combination of SEO restoration, website optimization, paid advertising efficiency, and smart HubSpot utilization, the ENT practice experienced a complete digital transformation. By prioritizing data-driven decisions, optimizing ad spend, and delivering a seamless online experience, the practice was able to increase patient engagement, reduce marketing waste, and achieve sustainable growth.

This case study demonstrates the power of a well-crafted digital strategy—one that not only restores lost visibility but positions a healthcare provider for long-term success.