Small local businesses that have customers within the community must have an online presence. Though your customers may come in each day because they know you or you are the only provider within the community, to grow your company, you need to have a local presence. As a chiropractor, that can be critical.
It’s hard to overestimate the importance of localizing your online presence. As a small chiropractic business, these strategies can help you build a strong brand, a local reputation, and a growing business model. Most people who need the help of a chiropractor don’t ask their friends for recommendations but instead, use the search engines to find you.
With a local search-optimized content strategy for chiropractors, you can drive new patients to your business effectively and on an ongoing basis. In many situations, this can directly enhance the number of new patients you receive.
Why does optimized written content matter when building a chiropractor’s online presence? Well-crafted content boosts search engine visibility and fosters better customer engagement. What does that mean?
First, when you incorporate highly localized content on your website and blog, you help the search engines see your value within that community. When someone close to your business searches for a chiropractor, the search engines know to put your site in front of them.
Second, well-written, locally focused content also helps keep your human readers interested. Publishing it on social media and using other marketing strategies helps you to establish excellent relationships. Over time, people get to know you and no longer need to search online for a chiropractor when they need your services. They may even interact on your social media pages and represent you to friends and family looking for help.
To achieve these goals, you’ll need to develop a local-specific strategy that can help your chiropractic business outrank others online and build credibility with your prospective and current patients.
Understanding Local SEO
Chiropractors need to have a local presence online. That may seem tricky, but the objective is very specific. Your customers are within your local community and the surrounding area. You need to help the search engines recognize that you are targeting people within that community who need your services.
It wouldn’t be helpful if your website showed up in the search engine rankings for a city that was two states away. However, when someone Googles your service, such as “chiropractors near me” you want them to be able to find your site when you’re close. That’s what local SEO can do for you.
Local SEO is simply the means of tailoring your written content strategy (and other components of your marketing campaigns) to focus on a local area that you serve. By focusing on a local SEO, you cut down on the competition (you are competing with other chiropractors within the service area), and you can hone in as leads who are ready to come in for care.
Key Ranking Factors
Ranking factors are the strategies and steps you need to take to rank your website within the local target area. Ranking factors are the elements that influence your position in the search engines. Some of the most important factors that Google attributes to ranking content locally include:
- Your Google Business Profile
- Keywords you select to add to your website
- How relevant your services are to those looking for a chiropractor in their city
- The backlinks you have from other websites to your own
- Customer reviews
- Social signals
That seems like a lot of work to tackle, and it can be. However, once you start to rank locally, you’ll notice a direct impact on the number of leads you have coming into your business. For chiropractors who want to grow their business, it is critical to focus on these steps.
Local Search-Optimized Content Strategy for Chiropractors
Let’s take a closer look at the specific steps you can take to help your chiropractic business stand out in the search engines. Each one of these areas can help you build content that’s going to help you establish and grow your local SEO ranking.
Website Content Optimization
The content on your website is one of the most important and impactful areas to focus on as a chiropractor who wants to rank locally. It’s the content on your website that helps Google determine where you’re located and who you serve. This includes:
- Localized Keywords: Choose keywords related to your local community and the surrounding communities, including the use of city names, neighborhood names, and even local terms that refer to areas (just off the Square, for example).
- Content Structure: Content structure helps to teach the search engine who you are while also helping the patient who lands on your page to find the information they need. Your content structure should include local signals. That includes local information and context.
- Meta Tags and Descriptions: These are back-end elements that can be customized to incorporate local signals, including keywords. The search engines use this information to help direct people to the most appropriate provider.
- Natural Language and Local Lingo: As noted, you really need to incorporate content that is just like you would say if someone was coming to your office from across town. “We’re right by….” We also incorporate slang terms that may be commonly used locally, such as “Our office in the B District,” for example.
This type of content resonates with the local community, helping prospective people who are reading it to know you’re actually a local component that can meet their services.
Blog Localization Strategies
Your blog is another highly valuable tool for building localized content. Consumers looking for services within your community are more likely to be directed to your site if you have a blog with local keywords that’s updated frequently. What can a chiropractor put on their blog?
- Local-Focused Content: Are you supporting a charity event? Perhaps your business is going to play a role in a local screening process within the school system. Incorporate local topics into your blog.
- Local Events, News, and Trends: Be sure to incorporate information about trends in your area, such as new procedures or treatments you’re offering, because your patients have sought them out.
Directory Listings Optimization
The next task to build local SEO is to focus on localization strategies within directory listings.
Choose the Right Directories
As a chiropractor, you certainly want to be found in local listing directories. For example, you may want to be listed in the National Directory of Chiropractic, the US Chiropractic Directory, and services like Yelp. You definitely want to be a part of Google Business Profile, Facebook, and other sites that are local to your area.
Consistent NAP
Your Name, Address, and Phone (NAP) are critical to the search engines, as they link the local signals on your website and in your content to directories. Be sure that your NAP is always exactly the same from one site to the next.
Encouraging Customer Reviews
Customer reviews are a very valuable component of local search engine ranking strategies for chiropractors. It allows you to demonstrate you are a trustworthy provider of services within your community. Customer reviews also help to boost your Google Business Profile, making it easier for people to find you, see your fantastic reviews, and then decide to work with you.
Google Business Profile Optimization
Your Google Business Profile is an essential tool for local ranking. This is a free service that is provided by Google that provides businesses with a way of being found online. It is up to you to claim your profile, incorporate accurate information, and drive engagement. Here’s what we suggest.
- Profile Completeness: Make sure you have filled out the entire profile, including name, contact information, photos, description, and so on. Every field is an opportunity to boost your local ranking by incorporating local signals.
- Accurate Business Information: Be sure that all of the details of your chiropractic office, such as operational times, locations, and services, are up to date.
- Active Engagement: Be sure you’re using your profile to the highest level possible. Post photos of your location and the surrounding area. Answer some questions people are asking you on your profile. Respond to reviews in a positive and professional way, even if you do not want to do so.
Social Media Localization
Social media is another area where you can localize your content. Here’s what to do to get the best possible results:
- Tailoring Posts: Craft social media content for your local audience. Incorporate language, information, and locally important information.
- Community Engagement: Interact with followers and local businesses on your social media pages. Respond to comments. Use your business page to respond to comments in local groups.
- Promoting Local Events: Highlighting local events and partnerships in your social media content can help you to seem relevant to the area.
Online Advertising Localization
What about paid advertising? Keep in mind that any time you spend money on local advertising, you certainly want to make sure it is going to get actual patients into your chiropractic office. To do that, focus on these areas:
- Local Ad Copy: Writing ads that appeal to your community – use terms as well as statements that reflect your local presence.
- Ad Extensions: Use extensions to boost local credibility. You can do this within the ad platform you use. It’s one of the simplest ways to build credibility.
- Local Contact Information: It’s also important to display a local phone number in your ads. Skip the 1-800 numbers and let your specific phone number or local address show.
Measuring Success
It’s fantastic to have all of these strategies in place, but you cannot get the best outcome unless you actually measure success and adjust your campaign to match the local community. There are several areas to focus on here:
- Tracking Performance: Monitor local search rankings and website analytics using tools that provide real-time insight. Determine where you stand compared to the competitors in your area.
- Analyzing Engagement: Evaluate customer interaction and conversion rates to find out how well people are responding to your posts and ads. Ultimately, you need people to click, and by recognizing what helps them to make that decision, you can enhance future campaigns.
- Strategy Adjustments: Tweaking your approach based on performance data is an ongoing process. It ensures you have the best possible route to improving your ROI.
Local Search-Optimized Content Strategy for Chiropractors Made Easy
Localizing your search engine content strategy ensures that more of the people most likely to need and use your services can find your website. Use each of the tactics listed here to build a strong, highly effective way of attracting new patients.
Surefire Local can help you with this process. We support local small businesses through a comprehensive platform that incorporates localized marketing. Check out these features:
- Website/Local SEO Optimizations: Geo-tagged content for your site, blog, and social media.
- Online Review Management: Requesting and responding to reviews and analyzing brand sentiment.
- Directories Management: Claiming and updating listings, including new content across multiple platforms.
- Content Marketing: Tools for creating locally targeted content across various channels.
- Social Media Management: Scheduling posts, tracking engagement, and responding to comments.
- Local Online Advertising: Ads tailored to attract customers within your service area.
- Analytics and Reporting: Performance insights and AI-driven recommendations for improvement.
- Educational Resources: Webinars and blogs for local online marketing insights.
As you consider local content strategy, let us help you achieve it. To learn more, attend a Surefire Local demo.