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Can we compete with webmd, mayoclinic, etc...

by Heathj
14 replies
  • SEO
    • |
I found a niche in the health genre that I am interested in making a site for. When I check the competition, I notice that webmd, mayoclinic, health.harvard and other authority sites are the top ten sites.

These sites are strong on age, pr and back links, but very weak every where else. Seems to me that they are not really competing for that particular key word, but that it just shows up on one of their articles and they are ranked high because of the rest of their site.

So, the question is, can I compete with these sites or should I steer clear of them?

Thanks
#compete #mayoclinic #webmd
  • Profile picture of the author jessicalynn
    I don't think you should worry about competing with those sites. Are you planning on setting up a gigantic directory type site like webmd? You said you have a specific niche in mind, so I'm guessing not.

    Health is an evergreen topic-people are always looking for info and are motivated to purchase products that can solve their problems. I think you should go for it. Just try to rank for keywords related to your niche and set yourself up as an authority (also in your niche.)

    I think that comparing a site targeting a very specific niche and a larger health related site is kind of like comparing apples and oranges.
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  • Profile picture of the author FreeMeal
    I've had a one page, EMD (medical condition), beat MayoClinic's page for the same medical condition keyword. That was with zero backlinking, if that encourages you.
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  • Profile picture of the author Christine Brady
    Originally Posted by Heathj View Post


    So, the question is, can I compete with these sites or should I steer clear of them?
    Absolutely you should go for it - "competing" with them, I wouldn't pay so much attention to.

    Competition is a good thing - it means consumers are searching for the product or service you are looking to create.

    Don't depend on Google rank for your own traffic, use it to judge popularity, but look outside of Big G for your traffic.

    Forums, articles, social networking - plus tons of other things can bring you all the traffic you desire and more!
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  • Profile picture of the author WebPen
    Remember that there's more to IM than SEO....

    So yes, you can still go for it.
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  • Profile picture of the author theebookcavern
    I'd go for it. There's no reason you can't outrank them plus I'm sure there's a few variations on the keyword where these authority sites don't rank so well.

    Tom
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  • Profile picture of the author WallyHancock
    Everyone here has said "yes" and I agree. Health is huge. There are a million conditions, treatments, phrases and questions on the minds of just about everyone with an Internet connection.

    My recommendation however, is to translate into European languages - there is hardly ANY competition for most health-related topics and demand is increasing exponentially!
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  • Profile picture of the author high_plains_drifter
    Im in the exact same situation and whilst i havent out ranked them yet im pretty sure i will be able to.

    Currently for my keyword -

    WebMD - #6
    MayoClinic - #7
    Me - #8
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    • Profile picture of the author myob
      You can successfully compete with them by directing your marketing to targeted newsletters, blogs, and offline medically-related mass magazines or trade journals. Writing articles for these outlets completely bypasses any of the more entrenched SEO methods.
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      • Profile picture of the author RedWaterDub
        Originally Posted by myob View Post

        You can successfully compete with them by directing your marketing to targeted newsletters, blogs, and offline medically-related mass magazines or trade journals. Writing articles for these outlets completely bypasses any of the more entrenched SEO methods.
        Hi.. Could you please elaborate on that? --especially the off-line medically related mass magazines or trade journals.. are you saying to write articles for actual paper magazines?.. or what do mean exactly ..

        thanks
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  • Profile picture of the author BacklinkBuilder
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    • Profile picture of the author Mike Anthony
      Well this is going to be one unpopular post in this thread but

      I hope most of you never rank if you are looking to rank for medical conditions (slight different if it herbs or nutritional subjects.)

      As someone that has to do some research for some relatives because of their health problems recently I have yet to find a single marketer that had anything useful to say on health topics. Nothing more than looking a buck at the expense of someone's health problems and the advice? Its been near deadly. There are people who might have the expertise fine but most of you don't have a lick of anything to say since you are not medical experts

      IF webmd, mayoclinic etc rank on the first page then I'd rather read them than I would any marketer. Most untrained people should just stay out of giving medical advice or guidance. You can't even do reviews because you don't have the background. So much in IM you can do than pretending to be capable of giving medial advice.
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      • Profile picture of the author RedWaterDub
        I don't think I need to be a medical expert to give info regarding home remedies for whatever, I know you mentioned it's slightly different for herbs etc..but those same sites still dominate the serps for such terms...
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        • Profile picture of the author Mike Anthony
          Originally Posted by RedWaterDub View Post

          I don't think I need to be a medical expert to give info regarding home remedies for whatever
          Hey I'm giving an end user take on it. I don't expect marketers to like it but I think there are lines to be drawn on some public health issues. My herb comment was only in regard to nutrition not home remedies. Marketers have no business giving medical advice PERIOD.

          My child's pediatrician gave me a great story of two kids from the same family. One came in and had just the cold and he being thorough insisted the other one come in even though they had the same symptoms (to different degrees) - the 2nd kid had strep. LOts of lay people would have recommended aspiring and fluids.

          AS a end user I would actually complain if I saw those medical sites less. I want trained medical opinions in health searches not marketers who are looking to sell an affiliate product or get clicks from adsense.
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        • Profile picture of the author jxam69
          Originally Posted by RedWaterDub View Post

          I don't think I need to be a medical expert to give info regarding home remedies for whatever, I know you mentioned it's slightly different for herbs etc..but those same sites still dominate the serps for such terms...
          I read some advice about a herbal remedy for treating ear infections in children - the product claimed a 90% cure rate.

          And I believe them - because when I researched the problem properly I found that 90% of middle ear infections in children clear up by themselves.

          It's this kind of crap that shouldn't be published - reviews of products which have no evidence for their efficacy, and at best do no harm - at worst they can cause long term problems because they cause delays in getting real treatment.

          IMers with no medical background should either stay from providing medical advice, or follow proper scientific procedures for evidence.

          PS - I actually turned down a lucrative SEO/Online Marketing contract for a medical product because it was 4 times more expensive than the product it was trying to replace, but all the research showed it was no more effective than the original - so yeah, I put my money where my mouth is.
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          This space will be awarded to the first WSO owner who can prove they make Million$ from their methods.

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          • Profile picture of the author limekyln
            I recently suffered a bad case of gout. My big toe swelled up huge, got angry and shiny red. I couldn't raise it, lower it or even breath on that thing. All I wanted to do was cut it off.

            I read everything I could about gout on the net. And you know what? It's all just regurgitated crap. Everyone just parroting some other site's misinformation and repeating folklore and wives tales. It was a lot like much of the SEO advice on this forum.

            When it came down to it, I trusted the information from Mayo Clinic more than all the keyword targeted, artificially ranked, no name MFA sites combined.

            Even if you got your site ranked for medical advice, you'd need to walk the walk by having research based facts and evidence and it would help if you had a PHD (verifiable) and several years of experience in your subject.

            I am personally looking for authenticity, credibility and research based information when I look for medical advice on the net. Can you provide that? Or are you just hoping to profit from the gullible undereducated masses trolling for free medical advice and believing that whoever is ranked #1 on google must be telling the truth crowd?
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