Local SEO is the process of optimizing your online presence to appear in local search results on Google. By improving your website, directory listings, and more, you make it more likely for your practice to show up when potential patients are searching for nearby chiropractic care.

The following guide explores local search engine optimization. We explain why it’s important for chiropractors like your and offer strategies to optimize your digital presence for local search. Keep reading if you’re ready to start reaching new patients on Google.

What Do Local Chiropractic Search Results Look Like?

Google shows two types of results for local searches. They are:

Map Pack Results

The map pack, or local map, shows Google Business Profiles on a map so that searchers can get a feel for where the chiropractic practices are located in relation to where they live. The map and profiles usually appear at the top of the search result.

Organic Search Results

Also called blue link results, organic search results are the standard Google search results with which you’re likely familiar. They list 10 websites and their links, and they usually appear after the map pack. 

If you optimize for local search correctly, you can rank for both map pack results and organic search results. This would give you the best possible chance of Google users coming across your practice.

Why Is Local SEO Important for Chiropractors?

Phrases with the words “near me” in them have over 420 million monthly searches on Google, according to Ahrefs. Without even taking into account phrases with cities or states in them, this statistic shows how common local searches are and why optimizing for them is so important. Below are some of the benefits of optimizing for local search.

Online Visibility

The first step to getting new patients for your practice is reaching your target audience. By following local SEO strategies, you increase your chances of appearing in relevant results when potential patients search for chiropractic services in your area. This increased visibility can lead to more website visitors, phone calls, and appointment bookings.

High-Intent Targeting

Local SEO allows you to target the specific geographic area where your chiropractic practice and patient base are located. By optimizing for local keywords, such as “chiropractor in [city name]” or “chiropractic clinic near me,” you attract prospective patients who are actively seeking chiropractic services in your area.

Trust and Credibility

Several of the actions you might take to optimize your online presence for local search can also help establish your credibility and expertise in the eyes of potential patients. For example, having comprehensive, up-to-date directory listings with a lot of positive reviews encourages potential patients to choose you over other chiropractic practices with bare-bones profiles and limited reviews.

Website Traffic

After seeing your practice in local search results, potential patients are likely going to click the link to visit your website. Your website is the information hub for your practice, with everything from descriptions of your chiropractic services to educational chiropractic content on your area of practice. A lot of times, potential patients need to visit your website and read this information to feel comfortable choosing you as their provider.

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Appointment Bookings

Once potential patients are ready, they can book an appointment directly on your website. For patients who feel comfortable choosing a provider without visiting your website, Google Business Profile has buttons for your local phone number and online appointment scheduler. That way, patients can call you or schedule online directly from the map pack results at the top of their search.

5 Strategies for Improving Local Search Engine Rankings

Google looks at three factors to determine local search rankings: relevance, distance, and prominence. Relevance is how well your practice matches what the searcher is looking for, distance is how close your practice is to the searcher, and prominence is how well-known and trusted your practice is in your field. Below are five local SEO strategies to optimize your online presence for relevance, distance, and prominence.

Create a Google Business Profile

Since Google Business Profiles make up half of every local search result, you want to make sure you have one for your practice so that you don’t limit your opportunities to rank. Even if you haven’t created one yourself, it’s possible that Google has created one for you based on information from your website and other places on the internet. Do a quick Google search to see if one exists that you can claim. If not, create a new one from scratch. 

We have an in-depth article on claiming, creating, and optimizing chiropractic Google Business Profiles. Our main piece of advice, though, is to fill out as many sections as possible. A more comprehensive profile demonstrates credibility to Google and potential patients. Here are some of the sections we recommend completing:

• Business description: Brief explanation of what your practice does
• Products/services: More details on your specific chiropractic services
• Photos: Your logo, exam rooms, team members, etc.
• Updates: Changes to hours, discounts on services, and other timely information
• Profiles: Links to your social media pages

List Your Practice in Other Local Directories

Google relies on consistent information across the internet to determine if you’re credible and trustworthy. That’s why we recommend having listings on other online directories in addition to Google Business Profile. For general directories, set up Yelp and Facebook. For healthcare directories, create profiles for:

• Healthgrades
• Zocdoc
• Vitals
• WebMD Care
• Insurance provider directories (e.g., Blue Cross Blue Shield, United Healthcare, Medicare)

Make sure your NAP (Name, Address, Phone), operating hours, area of practice, and other practice details are consistent across all of these profiles. Conflicting information could confuse Google and limit your visibility in local search results.

Get More Patient Reviews

Google favors chiropractic practices that have a large quantity of reviews with a high overall rating across Google Business Profile and other online directories. In addition to helping you rank, reviews also play a key role in patient acquisition. Over 73% of patients consider online reviews when choosing a provider, making reviews a determining factor in whether patients visit your website and book an appointment.

Here are some tips on how to get and manage reviews on your directory listings and profiles:

• Encourage satisfied patients to leave reviews after appointments. Place a QR code near the reception desk that they can scan when they’re checking out and/or send an automated email a day or two after their appointment with a direct link to your profile.
• Rotate the directory for which you request reviews. Google prioritizes Google reviews, but you can occasionally switch out the link you include in your post-appointment emails to build up your reviews on other online directories and review sites.
• Respond to all reviews, both positive and negative, within 24 hours. Thank them for their feedback, but keep your comments generic so as to not break HIPAA guidelines by referencing any patient’s specific chiropractic treatment or condition. For negative reviews, offer to speak to them directly to address their concerns so that you can improve your patient experience.

Add Location-Based Content to Your Website

Google references your website to determine what local community you serve and what chiropractic services you offer. Use Semrush Keyword Magic Tool, Ahrefs Keywords Explorer, Google Keyword Planner, or another keyword research tool to identify location-specific chiropractic keywords related to your area of practice to include in your website content. Here are a few ways to use these keywords:

• Homepage: Choose one primary keyword to target with your homepage. Your homepage is the entry point for your website, so this keyword is arguably the most important one to choose and optimize for. You want this keyword to have a high search volume and to include your location and area of practice.
• Location pages: If your practice has several offices, create a web page for each one. Like the homepage, choose a relevant keyword that mentions the office’s location and your practice’s specialty.
• Service pages: With the homepage and location pages, you should keep the keyword generic enough to encompass your entire area of practice. But with the service pages, you can get more specific about certain conditions and treatments with your keywords. Just make sure the keywords have a location component to them so that searchers know you offer these services to local patients in a certain area.
• Blog posts: Your blog is where you can position yourself as an expert in your field by writing chiropractic blog posts about conditions, treatments, and services in your area of practice. However, you can also use your blog to create content about local chiropractic topics. For example, a chiropractor in the Financial District of New York City might write a post about how work stress can cause back and neck pain and what to do to get pain relief.

Keep Your Chiropractic Website Healthy

Technical SEO is the process of optimizing the backend of how your website is built to make it easy for Google to read. While it may seem like technical SEO isn’t related to local SEO, it actually is because Google won’t show your practice in local search results if it doesn’t understand what you do.

Here are some key elements of strong technical SEO:

• Mobile-friendliness: Ensure your website displays properly for mobile users because most people search on mobile devices like smartphones and tablets.
• Fast load speed: Use clean code, check file sizes, and take other steps to ensure every page on your website loads in three to five seconds.
• Logical structure: Make sure the organization of your web pages makes sense (e.g., blog posts live under the blog homepage).
• Secure encryption: Use SSL encryption to protect patient information and follow HIPAA guidelines.

Final Thoughts

Effective local SEO can help chiropractic practices like yours stand out in competitive markets and appear at the top of Google search results. Optimizing for local SEO takes time, energy, and expertise. If this is something you’re concerned about executing well, Online Chiro has a team of chiropractor SEO experts. Contact us today to learn more about our chiropractic SEO service.