If you have a chiropractic practice, you understand the challenges of bringing new patients to your clinic.
Not everyone knows what a chiropractor is, and a significant number of people do not understand what a chiropractic clinic is for. This isn’t exactly the kind of scenario you want if you need to bring in new patients for your practice.
Since most people are online nowadays, the best way for anyone to find a chiropractor is through search engines like Google. However, if you do not have a website, you still won’t have an online presence. So, the first thing you have to do is build one.
As having a website will not guarantee you a steady flow of patients, you also need to practice proper and effective SEO strategies to ensure the effective marketing of your practice.
How is SEO Useful for Chiropractors?
SEO is a tool that brings traffic to your website through the use of specific techniques and strategies. Also referred to as search engine optimization, it is a significant factor if you want to increase your site’s online presence and visibility. The easier it is to find your pages, the more visitors it will get – and this can help entice new patients to your chiropractic practice.
One of the most efficient SEO strategies is to use relevant keywords, or words or phrases that users normally type on the search box of Google and other Search Engines; in your content. For example, if you are writing about what a chiropractor is, your keywords can be “chiropractor meaning” or simply “chiropractor.” If you input these keywords into your content, Google will “read” your page, and your site will come out on the search engine results page. So, every time someone will type “chiropractor meaning” on the search box, that person will find your website’s link in the results.
Using the right keywords may sound simple, but SEO is not something you can do and master overnight. If you posted something on your website tonight and used the right SEO techniques, visitors won’t rush to your site the following day. Efficient and effective search engine optimization takes time and a lot of good, hard work.
If you do not know where or how to start, you can always hire an SEO specialist. You can also do your part and try to learn what you can about basic search engine optimization strategies and how they can help find new patients for your chiropractic practice.
SEO Tips and Techniques for Chiropractors to Find New Patients
First things first, you need a website.
Your website is your professional ID and an extension of your chiropractic practice. It is one of the first things people ask if they are interested in a business or service. So, it has to be your priority if you want to make a good impression on people, especially those who might be your patients someday.
A good-looking website alone may not pull in thousands of visitors, but it can benefit your business. You need to consider several things, though, if you want to maximize your site’s visual characteristics. You’ll need to use the right typography, post high-quality images and graphics, use white spaces wisely, and avoid clutter.
A responsive website is also essential, especially if you want to capture the attention and interest of both mobile and desktop users. A responsive site automatically adjusts when viewed on mobile devices and the elements retain the same quality and effect even on smaller screens. So, even when a client constantly shifts from mobile to desktop, every visit to your website is smooth, convenient, and satisfying.
User experience should be a priority.
You need a website that provides the best user experience (UX), which is all about giving visitors what they need and expect when interacting with your pages. As such, it has to have all the elements necessary to make every visitor’s experience worthwhile and satisfying.
Think of a website UX as similar to a visit to your clinic. If you give your patient the best chiropractic treatment and offer significant professional advice, and if you prioritize your patient’s needs over anything else, you are providing the best user experience.
Responsive websites that look good and have all the visual elements right are a good start, but you also have to ensure that it loads fast. Visitors do not like sites and pages that take too long to load. So, make sure you do not fill up your pages with images, videos, and other heavy content stuff. The heavier the content is, the slower your site will load. The slower your site loads, the more impatient visitors get, which will drive them to leave and find a better alternative.
Share relevant and valuable content.
Even if your website already looks good, is responsive, and offers the best user experience, none of these will matter if your content is hastily constructed. You have to work on providing your visitors with content that matters to them.
Here are essential tips on what you can put on your content:
-
- Your homepage should be interesting so that it’s able to capture anyone’s attention, especially your target audience. Since you’re marketing your chiropractic services, flaunt this on your homepage. For example, you can feature a short but interesting story about how your clinic started. Anything that tells a good story is almost always a hit with visitors.
- Include content that will help your patient get to know you better. How did you start your chiropractic practice? What are your professional experiences? What hobbies or activities also take your time aside from your practice? Patients like to learn everything that they can about their chiropractors, so sharing important details about your credentials, as well as a bit of your personal life, is essential.
- Don’t forget to share information about your clinic – what kind of treatments you offer and the clinic schedules, among other things.
- If you have special discounts or offers, you should also include such details in your content.
- Put in a contact page so your visitors can get in touch with you or your clinic anytime they want or need to. An all-around contact page would be best – one that includes the clinic address, mobile number, email address, and a contact form.
Relevant, well-crafted, and optimized content will help draw in your visitors – both regular and new ones.
Local is good.
When someone searches for a chiropractic clinic, their first goal would be to find one near where they are. So, when they search on Google, they use specific phrases such as “chiropractor in (their current location)” or chiropractic clinic near (current location).” A specific example would be “chiropractor near Niagara Falls” if the patient lives in that are
This is what going local is all about. It’s about keeping your local visitors in mind when thinking of what to put on your website. It is about using keywords that are “localized” and relevant to them. Build your content around such keywords to bring in more local visitors and potential patients.
Connect your website to social media.
Social media is a powerful marketing tool. Facebook's active users total to more than a billion, so think of how wide your audience will be if you use such a platform for marketing your practice. As such, aside from your website, create a Facebook page for your clinic as well.
Post as often as you can. Post relevant and interesting information about chiropractic care, special clinic promos, and new products and services. Social media can also help you connect with your audience. Come up with activities that allow you to interact with them virtually – photo sharing and liking contests, online giveaways, and virtual trivia are just some examples. This is one way of establishing a connection with your patients and prospects. Likewise, it is an opportunity to build your brand and authority in chiropractic care.
Another good idea would be integrating your website content with your social media posts. For example, if you recently posted an article on your website about what to look for in a chiropractor, you can link this page to your Facebook page. There are easy-to-use plugins for this purpose, so you can do this as regularly as you want to. This will bring more patients and prospects to your social media page and pull in more visitors to your website.
Consider posting patient reviews and experiences on your website.
Many people like reading reviews about the products and services that they find online. Many find reviews fun, engaging, and helpful. So, you should consider posting some on your website. However, be sure to publish only the most significant portions of the reviews and always inform your patients when you intend to share their experiences online.
Go digital.
Since more and more people now use their smartphones for online activities, including a digital appointment option on your website is a good idea. Instead of calling the clinic to book appointments, patients can use their laptops, which is more convenient.
You can then connect this to your social media page so that your followers on Facebook can also set their clinic appointments digitally. It’s efficient and eliminates the tedious, usually error-prone manual scheduling of appointments.
Participate in and join chiropractor groups and events.
Participating in forums, seminars, conventions, and conferences will not only help you meet other chiropractors, but it is also a good way of sharing experiences, learning and discovering new things, and meeting potential patients. Be open to joining groups or organizations as this is an opportunity for personal and professional growth.
Whatever new things you discover from such events and gatherings, you can then share these with your audience via your social media pages and website.
To Sum it All Up
Search Engine Optimization may sound intimidating, but if you know the basic tricks and techniques, you’ll find your way around chiropractor SEO techniques. Of course, hiring an SEO specialist is going to be an even greater help. What's important is that you start creating ways to bring in more patients to your clinic, and SEO is the best way to go.
About the Author: Anthony Vought
Anthony is the Content Marketer of Digital Chiropractic Marketing, a team of expert web designers and digital marketing strategists who help chiropractors boost their practice’s digital presence. He makes the most of his free time reading graphic novels and going for trail hikes with his colleagues and friends.