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 integrated into your page's metadata, because search engines place a good deal of importance in these areas. This includes description tags, alt tags, and especially title tags. These are the tags you see on websites at the very top of your web browser. Too many websites have vague title tags such as "About Us," "Home," or sometimes even blanks. Your title tags should match the content that is on the page and should also include targeted keywords.
Build links.
Smith and Erikson wrote that this is "probably the most complicated and difficult of all SEO practices." This is why we have spent so much time writing about the topic for our chiropractic marketing audience. Check out the following articles if you haven't done so already.
- Why you need to build links to your chiropractic website
- Link earning is more effective than link building
- How to build links to your chiropractic website
Blog.
Your website needs be constantly updated with fresh content to maintain search engine optimization. This is where a blog comes in. You have some options when it comes to blog writing. For instance, you can write your own blog posts, aiming for at least a couple posts per week. If you're busy and you don't have a great deal of competition in your town, you can use our automated chiropractic news service. Another option if you're limited on time but really want to maintain the top spots for keyword searches in your city is to hire a writing service that utilizes SEO to write posts customized to your market.
Just remember...
For a chiropractor, it's all about "location, location, location." For help with your chiropractic website and search engine optimization, please don't hesitate to contact us.
References
PEW Internet Data. Health Statistics; December 2008.
Smith N, Erikson C. Let your patients find you. Chiroeco.com; March 2010.
