Chiropractic Internet Marketing
BY: MIKE HAMILTON
When it comes to chiropractic internet marketing there’s a lot to talk about. This section of the website will cover information on: Chiropractic Websites, Chiropractic Social Media Marketing, Google My Business, Video Marketing, and Google Paid Advertising. There’s a lot to cover, but I promise it will be worth your time if you’re interested in being the top online office in your area.
I also wrote this article to cover all the online marketing options in 2019: 41 Chiropractic Internet Marketing Ideas
When you’re choosing a chiropractic website it’s important to understand what you want your website to do for you. If you’re looking for a website to educate your patients your choice of provider will be very different than your choice if you are looking to generate new patients.
The Rank of Your Chiropractic Website Site is Critical
The majority of doctors that I know fail to realize how critical the rank of their website is. I would tell you today that unless your website ranks on the first page of a Google search it serves no purpose for you other than for patients that are directly searching for your name. Studies have shown that about 50% of all website traffic goes to the office in position 1, and about 25% goes to the office in position 2. Positions 3-6 typically take the remaining 25%. In other words you need to have a chiropractic website that is going to rank in the top six or you’re wasting your money.
How Do You Get a Top Chiropractic Website Rank?
If you want your chiropractic website to have a top rank in a Google search, you’re probably going to need some professional help. Understanding what Google wants to see is a full time job at this point. I know because it’s my full time job. I’m certainly a little biased in this area, but outside of that, there are a few things that you need to look for when it comes to choosing a provider in this area.
- They must produce a website that looks professional
- The website must have a strong call to action
- The on page SEO must be done correctly
- They must employ a safe SEO strategy that they can explain to you with specifics
- The website must have great mobile or responsive function
- The website must abide by what Google is looking for
- Watch out for contracts that have a time commitment
If the provider you are choosing can pass the tests above then you are making a great choice. The cost of services like this can range from $200 per month up to $1500 per month from some of the more expensive providers. Don’t be fooled into thinking that a higher price means you’re getting more. In many cases you are getting less. Also, don’t be fooled by a chiropractic SEO provider telling you that for less than $100 per month they can do the same kind of work for you. You get what you pay for in some cases.
Chiropractic Social Media Marketing
If I were to define chiropractic social media marketing I would say that it is using platforms like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Google +, and Linked in to reach out to people, and possibly generate new patients for your practice.
Google has made some significant changes in the last 12 months with the release of Penguin, Panda, the Disavow Link Tool, and the Pigeon algorithms. Each of this changes has made it clear that the old tactics of SEO are all but over. Today Google is looking for authority more than ever, and authority is coming partially in the form of social media proof. I believe that Google + and YouTube are going to be the centerpiece, but Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and others will be strong supporters as well.
If you are not already working on your social media presence you need to start. Put a daily, or at least a weekly, plan together to reach out to the people in your community. Stick through it in the beginning, and I promise it will pay off for you. Also remember that social media is probably not going to be a big source of new patients. I consider it to be more of a place to connect with current patients. What you really want to do is generate a buzz there. Shoot for getting likes, follows, subscribers, etc… Google loves to see that you are popular.
Google and Facebook Paid Advertising for Chiropractors
If you have ever done a Google search then you have seen the ads that appear at the top of the page. The ads you see there are Google Adwords ads. What that means is that when someone clicks on your ad you get charged the fee that you have agreed to pay with Google. It sounds like a great plan. You don’t pay unless someone clicks on your ad, but there are some hidden problems.
- Competitors in your area know this, and will often click on your ads and waste your money. Google does what it can to stop this, but there system is not perfect.
- Some people will ignore ads like this because they know someone paid to be there. I personally never click on the Google paid ads.
- If you’re not watching your account closely you can loose a lot of money quickly.
All of that being said, this form of advertising can be very effective. If you’re wondering if it would work in your city you simply have to try. The only way to see if it will produce results for you is to test it and evaluate your results.
Facebook offers some interesting paid advertising within its membership. You can target in on very specific factors like a persons age, family, and gender to make sure you are only displaying ads in front of your best possible clients. The targeting is awesome, but very few people on Facebook are looking for chiropractors so it can be difficult.
Chiropractic Video Marketing
Since the advent of YouTube chiropractic video marketing has been important, and never more so than today. It’s clear that the web as a whole is moving more towards video than articles. In fact I know you’ve spent more time watching the videos on this page than you have reading the articles. From an SEO standpoint both are important, so I’m still going though the steps of typing this huge article, but I believe the day is coming where video will replace most or all of this.
If you haven’t put anytime into creating videos for your office there’s no better time to start than now. Go to YouTube and watch some videos about how to do “3 Point Lighting”, and how to get great sound. Find some patients that have great stories to share, and record their video testimonials. You can post the videos on your YouTube channel and then link them back to your website.
Video is the future of the internet. Don’t let your office miss out.
Google Penalties?
Google penalties are a real problem for a huge number of chiropractors today. Pretty much every doctor that has been aggressive with SEO over the last 10 years is in a penalty or is in danger of being in a penalty. Be very careful when you are working with an SEO company. Make sure you understand how they do their work.
My Final Thoughts
There’s a lot you can do in the area of internet marketing, and you really need to be present in a lot of areas at once. The problem is that it’s very difficult to run a practice and be an internet expert at the same time. Our team at Inception Chiropractic Websites is here to do the work for you. If you’re interested in learning more about our services please visit our website.
Also, don’t forget to take a look at “Chiropractic Marketing 101” and “Chiropractic Websites 101“.
