As we enter 2020, online marketing is becoming more important than ever, especially for local businesses like chiropractors who are in a highly competitive industry, and we don’t see this trend reversing any time soon.
While patient referrals, mailers, and local newspaper ads can provide the some new-patient flow for clinics, we believe that no comprehensive chiropractor marketing plan is complete without embracing inbound digital marketing channels such as SEO (search engine optimization) and PPC (pay-per-click).
The goals you set for new patients and your marketing budget will determine whether PPC, SEO, or both are the right marketing avenues for your clinic at this time.
What is SEO?
Good question. SEO stands for search engine optimization. It is a form of online marketing with an overall goal of improving and promoting a website to enhance the number of visitors coming from organic search engines like Google.
The more search engine friendly your website is, the better the organic search rankings (meaning search listings outside of paid ads), and better rankings mean more targetted visitors to your website that will convert to appointments.
You want information about your chiropractor clinic to be readily available to potential patients and returning patients at all stages of the “buying” process.
Is my current SEO good?
The best way to answer this question is by tracking new patient signups (which you should already be doing) and understanding from which online sources you are finding traction from. Without tracking, you are basically shooting in the dark as to what marketing method is really working for your business.
It is, however, important to remember that SEO is a long-term strategy. Without some level of ongoing SEO efforts for your chiropractor website, the site will stagnate, and eventually, your competition who are actively marketing online will start to overtake you.
On the web, things are always moving fast. There’s no staying still – you’re either pushing forward or you’re falling behind. Please don’t be the chiropractor business who’s falling behind!
Google algorithms
There are hundreds of known factors that Google is looking for in their search engine algorithms. Some of these include:
- Strong Branding – You want strong branding in both the appearance and messaging of all of your marketing.
- Content – Relevant, quality content that is unique (not copied) helps your chiropractor website rank for high and low intent keywords that potential patients are using in online searches.
- Technical – Your website needs to be secure (with an SSL certificate), accessible, and error-free (in addition to being mobile-friendly).
- Directories – Ensuring that your information (particularly your contact info) is consistent across the internet makes it easier for patients to find and contact you. Your Google My Business listing is of utmost importance. You want to pay attention to local directories, especially.
- Link Building – Authority is a local ranking factor, and part of gaining more authority is establishing quality inbound links, aka backlinks.
- Reviews – A positive review isn’t always a reason why a new patient chooses a chiropractor, but negative reviews that go unaddressed are a common reason why someone might NOT select a clinic.
- Other User Behaviors – In addition to reviews, other user behaviors can affect your website’s SEO. These behaviors include but aren’t limited to site engagement and social media behaviors such as “likes” and shares, etc.
Learn more about Chiropractor marketing services such as SEO and Social Media Marketing at Impact Chiropractor Marketing.
