I have a confession to make. I went to the chiropractor for the first time ever during quarantine.
My family had been bugging me to go and get myh back checked out for years, but I resisted a visit like I thought it was a root canal. Cracking bones always makes me nauseous and I don’t even like getting massages from strangers. But finally, the pain was too annoying, and I did a quick google search to find a well-rated chiropractor in my neighborhood, and my life was immediately changed for the better. Thanks, Dr. Raj!
So I’m here to spread wellness and pay it forward. First of all, chiropractors do *way more* than crack backs. And luckily, I do way more than just write blog posts; I also have some valuable knowledge on how to show up on Google search results pages.
Chiropractor SEO tips
Here are our best SEO tips for chiropractors.
Refresh your Google My Business listing
Let’s start at the beginning. If you don’t have a Google Business account, it’s way past due. By listing your business through Google, you’ll put yourself in the running to be listed in local searches for chiropractors and on Google Maps. And if you’re already there, keep your account up-to-date and at the top of the rankings by optimizing your Google My Business listing — add new photos, hours, or list chiropractic services.
Eighty percent of users search to find local information. This means it’s time to let people know that you’re local and ready to take on new chiropractic patients.
Bonus points: Allow patients to book an appointment directly through Google. This takes some ongoing maintenance and integration with your current booking service, but it’ll be worth it. Not just for SEO! Everyone hates calling to make doctor’s appointments (take it from a millennial), and the ease will increase bookings.
Optimize on-page keywords
This is a little trickier than setting up Google My Business. You’ll want to make sure that the copy and images on your website use keywords that reference queries; think “chiropractor” and the name of your city and state.
The easiest way to do this? If your website is built through a platform like Wix, WordPress, or Squarespace, they typically have plugins that will help analyze the keywords in your web copy. My personal go-to tool is Yoast. However, you can also use free online tools to analyze if you’re keyword stuffing or mentioning “chiropractor” the appropriate amount.
Here’s a plus: If you’re working with an SEO partner, they can take care of this step for you!
Encourage online reviews
I always appreciate a restaurant or shop owner asking about my experience and encouraging me to leave a review online. Particularly because I rely on others’ reviews to judge whether any business deserves my money. And Google relies on those reviews to judge if a business is worth appearing in a user’s search.
Find ways to ask for reviews for your practice to build up social proof and get found on Google. You should also respond to those reviews, even if it’s just to say thank you. Google reports that consumers find businesses that respond to reviews 1.7x more trustworthy than those that ignore them.
Offer discounts for check-ins
Like adding reviews, photos, or refreshing information on Google My Business, check-ins indicate to Google that your chiropractic practice is open for business. Not only can you encourage your patients to leave reviews on Google, Yelp, and Groupon, it’s the perfect place to offer discounts. I love a nice 5% discount on my meal or massage or gym class — it’s enough to entice me and not too much that you’d hurt your business by offering it to everyone.
The easiest way to offer check-in as an option is through Yelp. You can find more information on it here. You can also encourage your patients to tag your location on Facebook and Instagram.
Collaborate locally for backlinks
Think: local directory listings. NextDoor. Sponsoring Facebook fundraisers. Just like blog posts, Google looks for links that reference your website or business to determine your authority on the SERP. The more you can get other businesses and websites in your area to talk about your chiropractic practice, the better your SEO will be.
I mention local backlinks because being mentioned by other businesses in your area will give more credit to your local SEO. However, there’s nothing wrong with getting national backlinks (and recognition). Anytime your business is mentioned anywhere, ask them to link back to you and provide them with the link so you can direct some people to the homepage, others to a services page or a blog post, and so on.
Bolster NAP (Name, Address, Phone) listings
While I want to say this is to encourage you to take naps — on a roller table perhaps? But, no. Instead, your chiropractic practice should focus on spreading the name of your business, address, and phone number around any domains you can.
Yes, we’re talking about your website, Yelp, Google My Business, Facebook, local listings, and anywhere you can think of. These listings will re-confirm to Google that your information is correct when your potential patients are looking for your address. Google hates to be wrong, and you will get punished if your details are incorrect.
Pro Tip: Keep a Google Doc or spreadsheet of all the places you have your NAP details listed. That way, if you change address, phone numbers, or add a new chiropractor to your practice, you know just where the information needs to be updated. (There are also listings management services that can help you with this.)
Be specific about chiropractic services
The real reason I didn’t go to a chiropractor until recently? I had no idea what kind of treatment they offered. Treat your website like a product display, if chiropractic services were products. The more specific you can get with pricing, regimen, time frame, and so on, the better.
Adding these details and depth to your website will increase session duration (aka website visitors will stay on your website longer). That indicates to Google that your website is a worthwhile read, provides good information, and it should be displayed on the search results page.
It’s important to note that you have to have *really* good insurance to get chiropractic services covered. For that reason, be specific about the health insurance you accept and the price of services without insurance.
Optimize your website for mobile browsing
Ever been driving around and yelled at Siri to find the closest gas station? For me, it’s usually the closest convenience store, I always need to have candy on-hand. More than half of all searches take place on a mobile device. And Google operates with mobile-first indexing now, which means that the mobile version of your website is indexed first by crawlers.
Make sure that your website can be easily navigated on a smaller screen. Let’s assume you’re a full-time chiropractor, not a web developer. It may be worth it to get a web design + SEO consultant on board to make sure all the elements of your site are prime for mobile browsing. You’ll need to make sure there’s alt text for mobile, that your mobile page load times are up to snuff, and eliminate any unfriendly elements that aren’t meant for mobile.
With all the working-from-the-couch we’ve been doing, it’s prime time to get out of the house and get your posture in check. Use these tips to go forth, appear in search engine results, and attract all the patients your books can handle!
Want more healthcare marketing tips and ideas? We’ve got you covered:
