How to Become the #1 Chiropractor on Google in Your City

Google search has over 1 billion users! These are people in your community searching for your practice. So how do you get to the top?

It's call search engine optimization and it's how you market your chiropractic practice online. 

Get a FREE chiropractic social media content package here

Somebody types in "your city chiropractor" it'd be ideal to come up number one. If you're on the fourth page, you fundamentally do not exist. Hate to break it to you. 

So what are some Google tips to help get you up to the first page?

...it's not using a headline of "wellness awaits you." 

OK. So I've ranted about this before I'll rant about it again. "Wellness awaits you" is not a compelling headline. I just want just to want to get that out there. Nobody in town right now is saying,  "I am desperately looking for wellness, and if it awaits me in this clinic, I am motivated to spend cash and sign up for the first visit possible." Nobody even knows what that means! Chiropractors fight about what wellness means, never mind the public.

So how do you build a compelling headline?

It depends on your practice type. If you want to do acute care and auto accident cases will speak to that with your call to action. If you're going to take care of CrossFit athletes, or as they are commonly known as "new patient generator gyms" (kidding) then speak to them. Speak to their pain points, their issues. Make sure that you are creating a compelling headline and a persuasive call to action at the top of your website. That's absolutely crucial. 

Next is a very commonly overlooked aspect of SEO- imaging sizing. Most people don't think about this.

You might say to yourself, "well I'm going to use a company, and I'm not going to build my own website." 

Cool, don't build your own site, you still should know this information. Most of the web building companies do a terrible job or don't pay attention at all, to image sizing. So you want to be at least able to speak to the person and tell them, " I want these things taken care of." 

So why does this matter? If your images are big, it takes a long time to load your page. A longtime means about two seconds. Google will push you down in their ranking. Even if you have everything else right and your image size it too big, Google forces your webpage down in raking. It takes even two seconds to load, it's hurting you. Your page needs to load in less than one second, and image sizes are the number one reason why websites load slow. The good news is there are a bunch of tools out there for free that squash pictures to 10 percent of the original size and its impossible to tell the difference. 

Finally, Google loves fresh content.

Nobody wants to go to a Web site desperate to find relief, and it looks like they literally have to like dust off the top of the website due to inactivity. Also, don't be the guy/girl that decided to post 25 things in three weeks and that hasn't touched it in two years. That's not compelling.  

Consistent updates with fresh content on your social media and your website are crucial to gaining valuable exposure and search engine optimization. And there's plenty of tools to help you schedule those things out. So don't go feast and famine. Make sure that you are continuing to put out content even if it's once a week. The search engines like to see that, and so do prospective patients. I mean, would you go a doctor if their website looked like it was created 15 years ago and hasn't been touched since? I don't think so.

If content creation is complicated for you- pick up a free sample content pack at The Smart Chiropractor. We'll send you over some excellent evidence-based content to get started. 

Marketing Chiropractic with Research

So this is where research becomes a massive ally of ours. If our research sucked, it would be hard to market it! Fortunately,  we have great literature supporting what we do as chiropractors, and it comes out all the time. There is a backlog of terrific research. And if you've never reached out in the past, you may have ten years worth of content before you have to think about trying to find something new. 

But getting out there with it, marketing it, using it, is the critical step. Marketing through research gives you that monthly marketing touchpoint. And in marketing, consistency and focus are key.  If you start sending people 20-page research papers..you are punishing them. You are not helping them. Nobody has enough time to short through a long-form research paper. 

So if you're going to do the outreach, the onus is on you to frame it in a way that matters to them. 

That is why we use a straightforward process. One peer-reviewed piece of research, one time per month. At worst the other physician will see your name in a professional context, becoming a leader in education in your community. At best they're going to take action. Ultimately sending brief, concise, and impactful monthly research updates it's always going to be looked upon in a favorable light. It adds value to them.

Finding Relief from Tension Headaches

If you are someone who has suffered from tension headaches you're going to want to read up to some brand new research which showcases natural and conservative ways for you to find relief and improve your quality of life. 

Over 90% of all headaches are classified as tension-type headaches, and they impact millions upon millions of people worldwide. Quite often a combination of ergonomics, a long time commuting in the car,  long days at the computer, stress, and gravity contribute to tension headaches. And they can be truly debilitating. 

But brand new research from the European Journal of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine showed a combination of chiropractic adjustments, and pressure points can improve your quality of life. This research paper was titled, "Do manual therapy techniques have a positive effect on quality of life in people with tension headaches: a randomized controlled trial". A randomized controlled trial is the top tier of research. 

These researchers found that a combination of adjustments, or spinal manipulation, and pressure points right under the base of the skull provided dramatic improvement for people suffering from tension headaches. 

Previous research has showcased how chiropractic care adjustments can provide a decrease in pain associated with tension headaches, a decrease in frequency of those headaches, and a decrease in intensity when they come on. 

So, these are all things to consider when you are thinking about natural conservative ways to stay well and find relief from tension based headaches.

How to Use Instagram Stories as a Chiropractor

Here is a quick tip on how you can use Instagram stories to market your chiropractic practice. 

Instagram stories allow you to showcase your practice, reduce fear, and inspire action!. Let's face it. Going to a new doctor is nerve-racking. Not knowing the doctors, the staff, the diagnosis or treatment is scary.  And that fear can cause in-action. Thankfully, Instagram stories are the perfect tool to reduce this fear.  

Walking through the front door of a new doctors office is intimidating. So showing off what's behind your front door is a great way that you can reduce fears and increase the likelihood that somebody will call you when they are in need.  A great way to do that is with Instagram stories- you can simply go to Instagram, and at the top, you will see "stories." The first icon in the row will be you, and there will be a little plus there. You simply click that, and it brings you to a beautiful screen where you can take a picture, or even shoot a short video.

You can do all of that with Instagram stories. If you're shy about being on camera or you're a little unsure of yourself, don't hesitate to point the camera away and give a first-person point of view tour of your office.  You could tour a treatment room or interview a front desk staff member to get people engaged and exposed to what goes on behind the scenes of your office. Make them feel more comfortable, and they are much more likely to ask you to be their chiropractor! 

Instagram for Chiropractors: A Quick Tip to Get Started

How's it going? I wanted to give you a quick two-minute tip on how you can use Instagram to start new conversations with people in your community other businesses as well. 

Are you using Instagram yet? If not, you should be. Instagram has hundreds of millions of users, and many fall into the exact demographic that utilizes chiropractic care. It is great because you can search people close by (to your location) and start conversations with them. So here's a quick way to do that. 

First, open up Instagram, and you will see a magnifying glass at the bottom. Click on that. It brings up a screen that says "search." You click search. Guess what it now says at the top? It says "near a current location." Click that near a current location tab, and it is going to bring up a variety of locations and businesses. Hopefully, your practice is right there or perhaps its the place you are grabbing lunch. Well, here comes the magic.

Click on the location where you are at, and lo and behold what happens? Instagram gives you a map of top posts and most recent posts directly arranged as a perfectly curated feed. 

It's called geotargeting when you find people based on their location. And it's an absolute gold mine of people in your community. If you're searching the right places (the gym, a healthy local restaurant) and finding a feed of people who are posting pictures at that exact location. Now it's time to simply comment and engage with them. You will notice that your followers start to go up as you engage- which gives you a greater ability to tell your chiropractic story. Showcasing the healthy lifestyle that you advocate for your community and inspiring people to take action with their health and wellness. 

So there it is- a quick, practical tip to use Instagram to get more eyes on your practice so you can tell your story with more impact.