SEO Guide for Chiropractors: What Chiropractors Need to Know About SEO
Chiropractor SEO, or search engine optimization, is the process of improving the visibility and ranking of a website in search engine results pages (SERPs).
While many factors influence a website’s rank, SEO is a complex and ever-evolving field. However, there are some basic principles that all chiropractors should remember when optimizing their websites for better visibility.
This brief guide will discuss some of the main factors influencing a website’s ranking in SERPs and tips for improving a chiropractor’s website visibility.
By following these simple tips, chiropractors can improve their website ranking and bring more patients through their doors.
What is Local SEO and Why Do Chiropractors Need It?
Optimizing your chiropractic office for local SEO is essential for a variety of reasons. Firstly, and most importantly, it can bring more potential patients to your website. When someone searches for a chiropractor in their area, you want your practice to appear at the top of the results page.
Optimizing your website for Google increases the chances of appearing higher in SERP rankings and attracting potential patients.
Furthermore, a well-optimized website can also improve credibility and trustworthiness in the eyes of both search engines and potential patients.
In addition to bringing more visitors to your website, SEO can also enhance the user experience by making your website easier to navigate and providing valuable, relevant content.
Factors that Influence a Chiropractor’s SERP Ranking
Many factors influence a website’s ranking in search engines. One of the most important is keywords or the words and phrases related to your practice that potential patients might use in their search queries.
Researching and incorporating relevant keywords into your website’s content can help improve your rankings for those specific terms.
That leads us to our “four pillars” of modern SEO success, and we believe every Chiropractor’s SEO success is based on an evenly-balanced approach to all four of the following pillars.
The “four pillars” of SEO – what chiropractors need to know
Pillar #1: Website Architecture and User Experience for Chiropractic SEO
A well-designed website with clear navigation and a positive user experience can improve your SERP rankings. Search engines use signals like site loading speed, mobile-friendliness, and clear hierarchy to determine the quality of a website.
The architecture of your website also includes avoiding SEO errors like 404 (error) pages, broken internal and external links, duplicate content, and thin content (pages with little valuable information).
Pillar #2: Authority Content for Chiropractor Search Engine Optimization
Creating high-quality, valuable content is crucial for SEO success. This means regularly producing content that is relevant to your practice and the needs of potential patients.
It’s also important to incorporate keywords in a natural, readable manner and to regularly update old content to keep it current and relevant.
Authority content is THE KEY to helping your practice, look like an actual authority in your space. By education your target market, they will see you in a more positive light, because you will have earned their trust.
You may have heard the saying that people like to work with people they know, like, and trust. Well, authority content helps a lot with earning just that.
There’s one more big reason why you’ll want to create valuable authority content… it helps you build much better inbound links than you’d be able to otherwise. See the next section for more on this.
Pillar #3: Inbound Link Landscape for Chiropractic SEO
Inbound links, or links from other websites to yours, are like votes of confidence in the eyes of search engines. The more high-quality, relevant websites that link to your own, the better your SERP ranking.
It’s important not to try and manipulate these links by buying them or using tactics like link swapping. Instead, focus on creating valuable content (see pillar #2) to attract natural, high-quality links from other websites.
All other things being equal, he who has the most backlinks will almost always win.
Pillar #4: Google Maps, local citations, & location pages for Chiropractor SEO
For local businesses like chiropractor practices, it’s essential to focus on your online presence in the specific geographic location(s) you serve.
This includes optimizing for appearance in Google Maps and other local listings and creating location pages with relevant information (address, contact details, service offerings) on your website.
How can chiropractors rank higher on Google?
To improve your SERP rankings, focus on all four pillars discussed above: website architecture and user experience, creating high-quality content, building a strong inbound link profile, and optimizing for local search.
Regularly review and update your website, incorporate relevant keywords, and continue to produce valuable content to drive organic traffic to your site.
With a balanced approach to all aspects of SEO, your chiropractor practice can improve its online visibility and attract potential patients. Remember, SEO is a long-term game. Stay focused and consistent with your efforts, and you will see the fruits of your labor in due time.
Why Chiropractors Need to Nail their Website’s User Experience for SEO
One of the biggest changes to Google’s algorithm in the past few years was a new reliance on User Experience. Think about it this way – most websites have Google Analytics installed, right?
That means Google has data about how Google searchers are actually interacting with your website once they visit.
So trust me when I say that Google knows when people schedule a consultation with you, but they also know when people go back to Google to check out some of your competitors instead, and they use that information when deciding who goes on page 1 for your desired keyword and who doesn’t.
This means that modern Chiropractor SEO includes at least some elements of CRO (conversion rate optimization).
How Chiropractors can improve CRO to help their SEO (and their revenue!)
Using user experience tools, there are ways to see exactly how people interface with your website, both on desktop and on mobile.
Google’s view into your website analytics allows a new window into your users’ behavior. It allows you to make changes that will, in turn, lead to more clicks, conversions, and, ultimately – higher revenue for your business.
Some CRO tactics include A/B testing calls-to-action and website layout tweaks, creating substantial value propositions on your homepage, and focusing on overall site speed and user experience.
Link building for chiropractors
Having a lot of other high-quality & relevant websites linking to your chiropractic practice’s website is one of the most critical factors for improving website ranking in search engine results pages.
Building quality, relevant links from other websites to yours can boost your website’s authority and relevance in the eyes of search engines. One way to do this is by getting listed on local business directories or by reaching out to industry-related websites and offering guest blog opportunities.
Guest Posting for Chiropractor SEO
Guest blogging is a great way to build links back to your website and position yourself as a thought leader in the industry and drive referral traffic.
When approaching potential guest blog opportunities, it’s important to offer unique, valuable content that will be helpful for readers.
Additionally, targeting websites with high domain authority (a measure of a website’s overall trustworthiness and relevance) will impact your rankings more than smaller, lesser-known websites.
Broken Link Building for Chiropractor SEO
Another link building tactic is broken link building. This involves finding broken links on relevant websites and offering a replacement (i.e. your own website) for the broken one. This can be a time-intensive strategy, but can also have big payoffs in terms of improving your website’s authority and rankings.
To start, use a tool like Ahrefs to find broken links on relevant websites. Then, reach out and offer your website a replacement for the broken link.
Be sure to provide valuable content that is truly helpful for the reader – this will increase your chances of getting the link placed on the website.
PBNs for Chiropractor SEO
PBNs, or private blog networks, can be tempting for businesses looking for a quick boost to their rankings.
However, it’s important to be cautious when considering using PBNs as they may result in penalties from search engines.
Instead of relying on risky tactics like PBNs, focus on creating valuable content and building links through tactics like local business listings, guest blogging, and broken link building.
PR Blasts for Chiropractor SEO
While PR blasts can result in some links and publicity for your chiropractic practice, it’s important to note that not all publicity is good publicity.
If the PR blast results in low-quality or spammy websites linking back to your site, it could actually harm your rankings in the long run. It’s best to focus on securing links from high-quality, relevant websites to improve your website’s authority and rankings.
High-quality Press Releases for Chiropractor SEO
On the other hand, well-written and newsworthy press releases can result in links from high-quality websites and improve your chiropractic practice’s online visibility in a big way.
When crafting a press release, be sure to include a compelling headline, concisely summarize the main information, and provide quotes from key individuals at your practice.
Additionally, targeting relevant media outlets and journalists can increase the chances of your press release being picked up and result in valuable links back to your website.
Google My Business (aka Google Business Profile) Optimization for Chiropractors
Another important aspect of SEO for chiropractors is optimizing your Google My Business (aka Google Business Profile / Google Maps) listing.
Optimizing your Google Maps listing includes ensuring all listing information, such as business hours and location, is accurate and up-to-date. It also involves regularly posting updates and engaging with reviews on the listing.
Additionally, utilizing categories that reflect your chiropractic services can improve your visibility in local search results.
Local Citations for Chiropractors
In addition to Google My Business, chiropractors need accurate and consistent citations on local directories and websites. This means making sure your name, address, and phone number (also known as NAP) information is the same across all online listings.
On-Page Optimization for Chiropractors
On-page optimization for chiropractors involves everything on the actual website, such as titles, headings, and content. It’s important to include relevant keywords in these elements and optimize website loading speed and mobile responsiveness.
SEO Title Tags for Chiropractors
Title tags, the clickable titles of web pages that appear in search results, should include relevant keywords and be descriptive but concise.
Meta Descriptions for Chiropractors
Similar to title tags, meta descriptions are the short summaries of what a webpage is about that appear under the title tag in search results. These should also include relevant keywords and be descriptive, enticing potential patients to click through to the website.
SEO Headings for Chiropractors
Headings, or H1/H2/H3/etc tags, should also include relevant keywords and accurately reflect the content of the webpage.
Optimizing website content for chiropractors
In addition to external factors, optimizing the content on your chiropractic practice’s website for both search engines and potential patients is essential.
Optimizing website content includes using relevant keywords throughout website copy and page titles and ensuring all pages have unique, valuable content. It’s also important to regularly update your website with fresh content and remove outdated or irrelevant information.
By staying aware of the main factors that impact a chiropractor practice website’s ranking and implementing these SEO strategies, you can improve your online visibility and attract potential patients to your practice. Good luck on your SEO journey!
Location pages for Chiropractors
Creating separate pages for each chiropractic practice location and including location-specific keywords can improve local search ranking.
We recommend creating a location page for your practice’s city and in all surrounding cities.
That means your home page can be your “Main City Chiropractor” type of keyword. But then you could have several “Secondary City Chiropractor” pages in surrounding cities and try to get some of that market share.
Make sure to use wording that makes sense to your business, though (i.e. “we service patients in (secondary city) at our (main city) location”.
Analyzing your SEO results as a Chiropractor
After implementing these SEO strategies, it’s important to track and analyze your website’s performance.
Google Analytics is a valuable tool for monitoring website traffic and understanding how users are finding and interacting with your site. Regularly checking for broken links or 404 error pages can also improve user experience on your site.
We also recommend checking your performance stats on your Google Business Profile (aka Google My Business / Google Maps). This will provide insights on how many views and actions your listing is receiving, including clicks to visit your website or call your practice.
Lastly, we recommend that, at the bare minimum, you also have Google Search Console installed on your website.
Google Search Console is actually amazing as it will tell you the actual keywords that are currently driving traffic to your website, which is something that no other SEO tool can do.
Final thoughts on SEO for chiropractors
Put simply, SEO (search engine optimization) is the process of improving the visibility and ranking of a website in search engine results pages (SERPs).
Chiropractors need SEO because it can help them attract more potential patients to their practice.
There are many factors that influence a chiropractor’s SERP ranking, including website content, on-page optimization, local citations, and website speed.
If you would like to touch base with SEOak about helping your Chiropractic practice utilize these SEO strategies to help you get more patients, let’s talk!