Search engine optimization (SEO) is often misunderstood as a web marketing strategy that produces overnight results. SEO takes time to work. For this reason, its reputation has been tainted by overzealous companies that overpromise results.
“We guarantee number-one rankings in Google – within 30 days!” Sound familiar? Such claims are precisely what search engines warn to steer clear of. And for good reason. Not only is it implausible to guarantee, it defies the tested notion that SEO is a marathon, not a sprint.
Common Misconceptions About SEO
Optimizing your chiropractic website isn’t a “set it and forget it” strategy. And it’s certainly not something that can be perfected in one sitting. SEO is a process that can take weeks, even months, to begin producing quality results. Despite what many consultants would have you believe, it’s not about cramming a few keywords into your website and calling it a day.
To get rewarded with quality rankings, it takes a comprehensive game plan. This game plan should include things like:
- Publishing unique and relevant content on a consistent basis.
- Adhering to on-page SEO best practices, such as internal links and page titles.
- Having a website design that caters to search engines.
- Getting accurate mentions (citations) of your practice on local websites.
- Earning links from relevant websites within the industry.
Effective chiropractic SEO is a science. It’s the science of optimizing your website for peak performance in the search engines.
Your efforts shouldn’t be geared around ranking for any and every keyword under the sun. After all, ranking for irrelevant keywords translates into irrelevant visitors. You want new patient traffic that is engaged on your site and is interested in chiropractic treatment. Part of the search engine algorithms these days involve tracking what visitors actually do on your website once they arrive. Fooling Google (and the searchers they deliver) ends up penalizing your rankings in the long run.
How SEO Drives Long-Term Results
The idea that “SEO is a marathon” isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The long-term benefits overshadow the weeks and months it may take to gain quality results. Over time, your efforts will cultivate into an A+ game plan that is primed to get new patients.
Sure, preparing a sound SEO game plan can be a daunting task when scoping out your competition. Those at the top are often seasoned competitors who have spent months and years optimizing their websites. However, this isn’t a reason to be discouraged. Take it as a challenge. As the old adage goes, “Don’t compare your beginning to someone else’s middle.”
To compete effectively, here are a few things to keep in mind:
- Be willing to work: Abandon the mindset that SEO is a one-time effort that yields immediate results. It takes a robust strategy that is diligently followed.
- Be willing to evolve: Beyond implementation is a willingness to stay on top of the latest trends. Google continually updates their algorithms, making some older practices obsolete and newer practices critical to implement.
- Don’t try to game the system: Following the search engines’ guidelines means taking actions to improve your rankings through ethical practices. Shady techniques intended to trick search engines into more favorable rankings usually do more harm than good.
Every blog post you write, page you publish, and quality backlink you earn paves the road for long-term success. And when combining all of the components of an effective SEO strategy, you’ll have a game plan that will attract and convert site visitors into new patients.
It may be a marathon, but it’s one worth running.