Marketing Your Practice: Top Digital Marketing Strategies for 2026

Looking to level up your practice’s digital marketing? We’ve created a list of top digital marketing strategies for 2026 you can put into action today — to put you on the path to more success in the year ahead.

Top Digital Marketing Strategies for 2026

Be real.

Consumers want authentic site and social content. Use photos of you and your staff. Take your audience behind the scenes. Showcase your culture, your personality, and your team’s personalities. It doesn’t have to be perfect. Imperfect is not only OK, it’s embraced.

Be human.

AI is the next thing, but exercise caution in marketing. Use AI to boost your creativity, not replace it. Consumers are looking for interaction that’s conversational and real. And while you’re creating a lot of content for the bots’ benefit, humans still read your site and your posts — readability and a bona fide human voice are key.

Keep it short.

Short-form video is currently the king of content. Whether you’re on TikTok, Instagram, or YouTube — or all three! — create videos of no more than 60 seconds to really engage your audience. Some content suggestions: Offer tips, do a Q&A, share relevant information, or highlight customer testimonials.

Think entertainment.

Today’s social platforms are less about social and more about entertainment, and it’s all about that short-form video. If you’re creating content, entertainment is your sweet spot. Entertainment isn’t limited to bells and whistles — engaging and interesting work, too. For ads, placements within short-form video feeds are your best bet for attention.

Do an update.

When was your last website update? Some questions to ask: Is your site mobile-friendly? These days it’s mission critical. What do patients and prospects experience on your site? How is your navigation? Can visitors easily book appointments online? Are forms simple to access and use, and are they secure and HIPAA compliant? Does your site answer questions patients ask? Is your call to action is clear and visible at every opportunity? (Hint: It needs to be.)

Get faster.

Your site’s load time will risk more than interest from patients who jump if it takes too long. Google and AI also penalize slow sites in their rankings. You’re aiming for load time under 2 seconds. Fast!

Keep it interesting.

Focus your website content on what your patients are most interested in. Sounds simple, but many sites don’t do it. Educational content, FAQ sections, and procedure explainers are all winners.

Polish up your SEO.

Though search strategies are shifting, smart search engine optimization is still of value (though we recommend adding GEO and AEO as well — see our next two tips). Create content that adds value — be consistent, clear, and share your expertise.

Jump into GEO.

Generative engine optimization is next-gen SEO. Search is now the complete digital universe — beyond Google, it’s in apps, social media, AI chats, everywhere. Wherever your audiences are looking for info and recommendations, that where you want to be.

Add AEO.

It’s not just more marketing alphabet soup, answer engine optimization is critical to the evolving search landscape. If you want to get into the AI-generated summary, you need to optimize for AEO. Focus on FAQs, procedures, and patient concerns.

Clean up your business profile.

Optimize your Google Business Profile by making sure it’s accurate: hours, services, contact information, everything. Google Maps dominates in mobile search, meaning some users will click directly on Maps results and never even visit your website.

Bonus Tips: What NOT To Do

We’ve given you a list of things you can (and should!) do to amplify your digital marketing strategies in 2026. Now here’s a short list of what not to do — just in case.

Don’t stuff keywords.

Jamming keywords into your content for the sake of keywords (or to “trick” the bots) is a big no-no. This isn’t new news, but it’s worth mentioning that this tactic hurts much more than it helps.

Don’t stay silent.

Consumers want to interact with you and your practice. One-way social posts are no longer acceptable. Reply to comments and respond in a timely fashion. It’s a conversation.

Don’t make it complicated.

Use words and concepts that are easy to understand. If you have to get technical, offer an explanation. Avoid jargon and unfamiliar medical terms, which alienate your audience. Keep it simple!