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Chiropractic SEO 101

If you’re new to the world of search engine optimization (SEO), it can be a bit daunting. SEO is an important part of your chiropractic marketing, but it’s a complex issue.

Effective SEO means that patients can find your website easily when they’re looking for a solution to their health problem. Getting people to your website is the first step into turning them into new patients.

Chiropractic SEO consists of the following key components:

Original content on your site with the appropriate keywords and phrases. Google loves to match searchers with good content; if you create content relevant to what your patients are looking for, you’re golden.
Proper use of H1 tags and titles. Google’s search results are very literal. If you create a page on your site for St Augustine Sciatica Treatment and a patient does that search term, you’re most likely going to rank #1 for that and your patient is going to find you.
Google+ integration is going to be a more important issue in the next year, as Google starts to meld search with social sharing. Make sure you have a Google+ page for your clinic and that you start the process of connecting with other professionals and patients in your community.
Chiropractic blogging. Adding regular, original blog posts to your site is very important, as it makes sure that Google sees that your site is active and vibrant.

Now, this is a lot of work. Many years ago, it was possible to toss your site up online, get it to rank in the search engines, and you could forget it. That doesn’t work any longer. Your site needs to be active and updated regularly.

If you don’t have the time to do all this, you’re not alone. […]

By Mike Melton|June 18th, 2013|Chiropractic Marketing, Chiropractic SEO|0 Comments

PCP Referral Patterns for Spinal Manipulative Therapy

Many of your patients come to you because of a referral from another health-care provider. If referrals generate a significant number of new patients for your chiropractic practice, or if you want them to, you may wonder what factors determine whether or not other doctors tell their patients to seek Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) in general, and chiropractic in particular.

In the interest of finding out more about this topic, a new study analyzed referral patterns of primary care providers (PCPs) in the UK. Researchers sought more information about doctors’ beliefs about spinal manipulative therapy (SMT) and whether or not they were referring back-pain patients to chiropractors and other SMT providers.

Researchers designed and piloted a short questionnaire for PCPs in Wales. Of the surveys mailed out, about half were returned, for a total of 182 questionnaires.

Of the responders, two-thirds were male, 79% were aged 40 or older, and 62% had less than 20 years in practice. The researchers noted that these demographics were generally reflective of the total population of PCPs in Wales at the time of the study.

Of the 182 participants, 48 doctors had sought SMT treatment for themselves, and another 56% indicated that they would consider doing so.

Regarding patient referrals, 72% of the physicians reported they had referred back-pain patients to SMT and another 13% said they would consider making such a referral.

If these survey results are reflective of the general population of PCPs, not only in Wales but where your chiropractic practice is located, this is all good news about PCP attitude regarding manual therapy in treating patients. Doctors that pass on to their patients not only acceptance of CAM, but also recommendations for CAM, offer great potential for more chiropractic […]

By Kelly Johnson|June 13th, 2013|Chiropractic Marketing|0 Comments

Words Versus Video: Behaviors of Chiropractic Website Readers

You put a good deal of time and effort into your chiropractic website. For Search Engine Optimization, you include quality content about the benefits of chiropractic, information about the conditions you treat and the modalities you use. While adding regular and useful content to your site on a very regular basis may boost your SEO, new research has been released that suggests visitors to your site may not actually be reading your hard work, at least not in its entirety.

On the news site Slate, in an online article humorously titled, “You Won’t Finish This Article,” writer Farhad Manjoo outlined the data that shows that only a small fragment of the online-reader population is reading articles and blog posts through to the end.

Using real-time software, Manjoo and his colleagues tracked the portions of the pages each Web browser was viewing by the second. They observed where readers spent the most time, and they noted at what point readers left the page. They found that almost half of visitors to their website left an online article around the halfway mark. There were others who didn’t even make it that far.

In fact, some Web users stop reading when they get to the end of the portion of the article “above the fold”. In Web lingo, this means the part of your article’s content where readers need to scroll in order to read more.

The data, which they presented with helpful graphs, also showed that many people tweet out or share links to articles they haven’t fully read. They even found that some people comment about content without reading the entire piece first.

It is likely that the same thing is happening on your chiropractic site. Patients and prospects may […]

By Kelly Johnson|June 10th, 2013|Chiropractic Marketing, Chiropractic Websites|0 Comments

Chiropractic Patients Go Online to Find Health Information

Have you ever heard (or given) the advice to steer clear of Google when experiencing unfamiliar medical symptoms? Using the Internet can run the risk of increasing anxiety about serious disease, making patients worry that their common cold is a terminal illness.

Clearly, many people are still looking online when they are concerned about their health. While doctors, nurses, and other health-care professionals continue to be the first choice for health advice, many are taking their problems to search engines and social media as well.

In a 2010 survey, American adults were asked about this topic during a national telephone survey by the Pew Internet & American Life Project. Over 3,000 people were interviewed, and the results show that many patients aren’t shy about looking for information online.

Of the participants, 74% were Internet users. Among them, the survey found that:

80% have looked online for information about health topics.
25% have watched at least one online video about medical issues.
18% have used the Internet to find people with health concerns similar to theirs.
16% have consulted online rankings or reviews of doctors or other providers.

The study also found that some people are actually using social media sites to access medical information. Among the 46% of participants using social media, they found that:

23% have used social networking to follow the personal health experiences of friends.
15% have gotten health information on social media sites.

Your chiropractic patients are among these information-hungry Internet users. Give them what they want. Be the reliable source they need about health-related topics. Write articles on your website about musculoskeletal pain. Blog about some of the symptoms in the types of injuries that you treat. Utilize social media to connect chiropractic information to clients and prospects. Upload videos […]

By Kelly Johnson|May 29th, 2013|Chiropractic Marketing, Chiropractic Websites, Google, Social Media|0 Comments

Save the Earth! Be a Chiropractor.

Global consciousness is more than just a fashionable trend. The general population seems to have a grasp on environmental issues. Whether we thank Al Gore or other resources, people understand more about decreasing our carbon footprints and “going green,” as the saying goes. It is a concept that is important in the minds of people worldwide; the slogan “Think globally and act locally” is not something that will simply go away (and I for one hope it doesn’t).

The green movement is also a source of marketing and revenue for many businesses. As a chiropractor, you are in a unique position of not only helping your local community, but also helping the earth through your practice.

While many of us have considered our vehicles, homes, appliances, and light bulbs in our efforts to do our part, many have not thought about going green with healthcare options. Maybe as a chiropractor, you can help change that.

Chiropractors support natural healing. They see their patients as human beings. Rather than turn to chemical intervention and scalpels, they teach their patients to be in harmony with the elements of healing.

Some research suggests that in healthcare, our world has been “over-cleaned” with antiseptics, harming our immune responses and creating super bugs like MRSA. And over-prescribing antibiotics has led to drug- resistant organisms, turning what was once a simple and easy-to-fix infection into something that can actually kill people.

Additional ecological impacts made by traditional healthcare include water pollution, as a result of pharmaceutical products leaking into our earth and ground water. Additionally, many health-care practices and packing materials for medications create waste that clogs our landfills. The process of putting health-care products on the market can also lead to an excessive carbon […]

By Kelly Johnson|May 23rd, 2013|Chiropractic Marketing, Chiropractic Websites|0 Comments

What Peeves Your Chiropractic Patients?

A recent survey showed that waiting too long to see a doctor is still the most common cause for complaint in health care practices. Patients were asked to identify their biggest pet peeve when seeking medical care.

Among the 500 patients surveyed, 72% chose excessive wait time at an office prior to an appointment as their primary complaint. How can providers remedy this situation? The study participants had several suggestions. They said they appreciate an advanced phone call before the appointment, if the wait time is anticipated. They also identified the helpfulness of office staff checking in with them during the wait to inform them what is going on. Another practice that can alleviate the irritation of a wait time was revealed as: “Offer me a drink after I’ve been waiting fifteen minutes.”

The patient satisfaction survey also found that 41% of patients with insurance were frustrated when upfront information about the full cost of care was not provided. Clearly, patients do not like surprise costs for their health care visits.

About 19% of respondents said they would like to feel remembered by the medical office staff, particularly when they are frequent visitors.

In identifying areas that the patients would value an extra effort, more than a quarter said they would like to be able to reach the doctor after hours. Several participants also said they would appreciate a print-out with information about the day’s visit to take home, including what was discussed and suggested patient actions.

The researchers of this study concluded that health-care professionals who wish to stand out and give exceptional patient experiences should take action in addressing patient complaints. They should provide outward signs that something is being done to improve a problem, especially when […]

By Kelly Johnson|May 17th, 2013|Chiropractic Marketing|0 Comments

Is the Customer, or Patient, Always Right?

In a recent survey, researchers discovered that allowing chiropractic patients to make choices about their treatment results in significantly higher patient satisfaction scores.

Are your chiropractic patients happy with their treatment? In the same survey, a 75% overall satisfaction rate was also revealed among those visiting a chiropractor. Your services are likely making more patients happy than unhappy.

In another helpful article, we outlined the not-so-secretive, simple way to keep your patients satisfied, as well as increase your business through patient referral: Deliver your best chiropractic adjustment and make a connection with every patient. Simple stuff.

But when it comes to chiropractic marketing, you might want to also consider the fine balance between giving your patients what they want and following your own instinct about your practice and its future.

In a recent online marketing article published by Inc.com, writer Jeremy Quittner showcased entrepreneur Lisa Price, founder of a skin and hair care product company called Carol’s Daughter. Price explained how she has found tremendous success by incorporating customer satisfaction into her plans for her company, and how she needed to give up her fear of letting go.

When Price began her business in her kitchen in 1993, she had a vision for where she wanted her company to go, and an interest in creating fragranced skin creams. However, when she talked to her early customers at flea markets and county fairs, they told her that they were looking for better products for caring for textured hair.

Price realized she had to let go of her original vision and give her customers what they were asking for. She knew from her own experience that there was a need for such products, so she worked on creating something better. Hair care […]

By Kelly Johnson|May 6th, 2013|Chiropractic Marketing|0 Comments

Lead New Chiropractic Patients Right to Your Door

When you think of internet usage, do you still assume your younger patients are online but seniors are not? This just isn’t reality. A PEW survey back in 2008 showed that 41% of adults over age 65 use the internet. And the percentage increased dramatically for those aged 50-65, to 72% internet usage. The generational differences in marketing have likely shifted even further since that survey.

In other words, almost all of your current and prospective patients go online. It is absolutely crucial that you have an attractive, user-friendly website.

But that may not be enough, according to Nathan Smith and Cole Erikson, chiropractic marketing writers for chiroeco.com. In their article about online marketing, they said that “Your website needs to be streamlined and built correctly to utilize its full value.” Here, I will review their advice and summarize or link you to more information about each area of recommended focus in online chiropractic marketing.

Search Engine Optimization

Check out our video about SEO and getting to the first page of Google searches.

Use keywords.

Smith and Erikson wrote that chiropractors must remember the old advertising phrase, “Location, location. location.” In other words, the keyword “chiropractor” is not enough! You don’t need visitors to your website who live and work across the country or the world. Your focus should be on the local market and your specialties. Think more along the lines of “Atlanta back pain” or “Cedar Rapids work injuries.”

Content wins SEO.

Your website needs fresh, consistent content that is keyword-rich, but also readable and interesting to attract patients and prospects. Every page of your website should include keywords and high-quality content. For more content tips, read this article.

Don’t ignore “metadata,” especially title tags.

Your keywords need to be […]

By Kelly Johnson|May 1st, 2013|Chiropractic Marketing, Chiropractic SEO, Chiropractic Websites|0 Comments

Participate on Chiropractic Discussion Boards? Be Careful.

It is not difficult to find advice about social media strategies and interactions. On this very blog, we have covered topics such as the staggering statistics supporting chiropractic blogs, how to best market your practice with social media, and how we can help you with our automated chiropractic social media service.

A new study has offered some advice with scientific backing behind it. Two researchers, an engineer and an attorney, went about conducting an analysis of social media interactions on technological discussion boards. Their goal was to determine some trends and issues, especially among participants who are experts in their field and who give professional advice online. The study focused on finding out who is participating in these expert discussions, whether or not participants were even qualified to contribute to discussions, and reviewing the legal issues and liability for those involved in social media interactions.

They found that social media is increasingly becoming a means to discuss, debate, and share ideas and experience.

When addressing the legal implications, the researchers concluded that participation in social media does in fact imply liability for the inquirer, responder, and even the employer of the experts.

Therefore, the study included a recommendation that professionals who wish to participate in social media discussion about their field first seek employer consent. Additionally, it is important to be careful with proprietary information and copyright.

For those seeking opinions from other professionals, it is crucial to verify the trustworthiness of the source before accepting advice. If the contact is someone you do not know personally, you should remain very cautious of their advice.

Interestingly, the study found that there is really no such as thing as a “closed” discussion. Thus, it is imperative that you only post what […]

By Kelly Johnson|April 29th, 2013|Chiropractic Marketing, Social Media|0 Comments

Automated Chiropractic Marketing

Running a practice is a full-time job, which often means that your marketing gets short shrift. After dealing with appointments, patients, billing, and all the other things that happen in a busy practice, who has the time to write an email newsletter or get on Facebook or Twitter?

Our Automated Chiropractic Marketing system does the bulk of the work for you. Our system (at just $39.95 a month!), provides your practice with:

Your own custom chiropractic blog
Automated social media posts to Facebook and Twitter
A biweekly chiropractic email newsletter sent to all of your patients
A library of 83+ chiropractic videos that can be embedded directly into your chiropractic site

Some other companies are charging many hundreds of dollars for these services, but now you can quickly integrate our service into your existing website, for a bit more than $1 a day.

If you have questions about how our service works, give us a call at (800) 295-3346 or sign up here today. Our staff will help you get the system set up on your website and your social media accounts.

By Mike Melton|April 26th, 2013|Chiropractic Marketing|0 Comments

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