How Should a Medical Tourism Website Be Designed? Google Advertising in Medical Tourism
Medical tourism in Türkiye initially began with the promotion of the country natural resources, thermal springs, and healing waters to tourists. However, it remained limited in its early stages because it could not reach sufficiently large audiences. After the 2000s, medical tourism began to develop primarily in aesthetic fields such as hair transplantation and breast aesthetics. Today, it is considered important across many different medical specialties.
With the establishment of the Medical Tourism Unit by the Ministry of Health on March 31, 2010, medical tourism gained a legal framework and came under official supervision. As legal regulations and standards matured over time, the number of illegal intermediaries that had previously dominated the sector and operated with substantial profits decreased to almost none. Medical tourism companies took their place, making it possible for patients from many countries around the world to travel to Türkiye for treatment.
Medical tourism companies that implement effective marketing strategies abroad provide incoming patients with domestic transfer, treatment, accommodation, assistance, sightseeing, and consultancy services.
What Should a Medical Tourism Company Website Look Like?
The most important need for a medical tourism company is to reach international patients and help them make informed decisions by providing information and building trust in Türkiye as a destination for medical treatment. Naturally, digital marketing should be the first and most important marketing tool used to achieve this goal.
So, how can international patients be reached through digital marketing in medical tourism, and what should companies pay attention to? Here is a brief overview:
A company should create a website designed in accordance with the language, social characteristics, perceptions, preferences, and even color preferences of its target country. Social media accounts that work in synchronization with this website should also be established. Naturally, the website should first be developed in compliance with SEO guidelines. Once all preparations have been completed in accordance with the relevant standards, one of the first steps should be launching Google Ads campaigns.
Compared with many high-cost alternatives, such as opening an office or establishing a company in the target country, this method can be considerably more affordable and much more effective.
The starting point is the website. Since the subject is healthcare, the most important consideration is to have a trustworthy and original design. In addition to pages describing the treatments offered, the website should explain how transfer services are provided and how patient assistance is arranged. Patients should feel that they are being cared for and will receive support throughout the entire process.
As with all websites, medical tourism websites must provide accessible communication channels. All necessary contact forms and telephone numbers should be available so that patients can easily get in touch with the company.
When making their decisions, potential international patients pay attention to photographs, videos, and reviews or videos shared by other patients. Therefore, including these sections on the website will be beneficial.
As a medical tourism company, we recommend adding a customer tracking system to your website administration panel to develop and maintain a sustainable business model. This allows you to follow up with patients, stay in contact with them after treatment, and maintain long-term relationships through the software.
We Have a Good Website. How Do We Promote It? Advertising Management in Medical Tourism
If you want your website to reach its target audience quickly, Google Ads is an effective and direct method. You can also achieve successful results through social media and social media advertising.
It is very important to group your objectives when creating advertising campaigns. For example, if you want to reach patients living in the United Kingdom who are interested in dental implant treatment, you should target English-speaking users living in the UK and use the right keywords. Naturally, your website should also be in English.
This approach allows you to analyze campaign results on a monthly or annual basis. Running mixed advertising campaigns can make it difficult to measure results and reduce efficiency by generating unnecessary clicks. As with many business plans, precise targeting is essential here as well.
Finally, I would like to share information that I believe will be useful to entrepreneurs starting a new medical tourism business, covering the treatment and care services offered to international patients in Türkiye.
Types of Medical Tourism According to the Ministry of Health, Department of Medical Tourism
Medical tourism services are classified into the following categories.
Thermal Health Tourism and SPA-Wellness
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Thermal treatments and physiotherapy
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Thalassotherapy
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Hydrotherapy and exercises
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Balneotherapy and peloidotherapy
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Climatotherapy
Where are thermal health tourism and SPA-Wellness services provided? Thermal spa and wellness centers.
Medical Tourism
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Advanced treatments (cardiovascular surgery, radiotherapy, CyberKnife, etc.)
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Transplantation
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Infertility treatments (IVF and other in vitro fertilization procedures)
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Aesthetic surgery, eye care, dental treatments, dialysis, etc.
Where are medical tourism services such as aesthetic surgery, dental care, and eye care provided? Healthcare institutions and organizations.
Elderly and Disabled Health Tourism
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Senior tourism (sightseeing tours and occupational therapies)
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Elderly care services (services provided in nursing homes or rehabilitation centers)
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Rehabilitation services in clinical hotels
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Specialized care and sightseeing tours for people with disabilities
Where are health tourism services for elderly people and people with disabilities provided? Clinical hotels, recreational areas, holiday villages, nursing homes, and similar facilities.
Click Here to Download the Medical Tourism Regulation as a PDF File
Ergün TÜTMEZ
President of Nar Bilişim Digital Agency