SEO Direction Question (WordPress Site): Educational Content vs High-Intent Symptom Pages

Hi Warriors,

I'm looking for insights and feedback from experienced SEOs, especially those who've worked with medical or local service businesses.

Context:
I'm the web developer and SEO working on a WordPress-powered website for a new private medical practice. Recently, I completed on-page SEO work across multiple pages, including:

• SEO titles and meta descriptions
• Readability and content flow improvements
• Internal linking (including schedule/appointment links)

After reviewing search behavior and site structure, the client raised some strategic concerns that I think are worth validating with the community.

Key Feedback from the Client (Summarized):

1.) Current pages are too education-focused
Most existing pages function as medical explainers (for example, "Understanding X condition"), but this may not match how real patients search.

2.) Missing high-intent, symptom-based pages
Patients don't usually Google clinical or academic terms. They search for symptoms and problems, such as:

• Chest pain
• Palpitations / skipped heartbeats
• Shortness of breath
• Fatigue
• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol
• Abnormal EKG
• Sleep apnea
• Weight management / medical weight loss
• Leg swelling
• Dizziness

The client considers these pages critical for patient acquisition and conversions.

3.) Page structure issue
Most pages explain conditions well but lack:

• "Who this is for"
• "When to see a provider"
• "What happens next"
• Clear, conversion-focused CTAs

4.) Major SEO + revenue gap around weight loss
There is currently no dedicated cardiology-led medical weight loss page positioned around:

• Cardiometabolic risk
• Insurance framing
• Heart-health outcomes

The proposed solution is a strong, localized page like:
"Medical Weight Loss for Heart Health in Dallas", connecting obesity, insulin resistance, hypertension, cholesterol, and cardiac risk.

5.) Alignment before continuing work
Since we're now working on an hourly basis, the client wants to pause, align on goals and priorities, then refine and adjust the SEO direction accordingly.

My Questions for the Community:

• For a new medical practice, do you usually prioritize high-intent symptom pages first over educational content?
• Do you still keep educational pages, but treat them as secondary or supporting SEO assets?
• How do you typically balance SEO traffic vs conversion intent in healthcare niches?
• Any best practices for structuring symptom-based pages on WordPress so they're conversion-focused without becoming thin content?

I want to make sure the next steps are SEO-sound, conversion-driven, and aligned with the business goals, especially in a competitive local healthcare market.

Would really appreciate hearing how others here approach this.

Thanks in advance