SEO 101: How to Improve Your Clinic’s Online Rankings (and Stay Visible in the Age of AI Search) | Healthcare SEO | Ep. 136

When it comes to getting your clinic found online, one question always comes up: “How do I improve my website rankings on Google?”

Whether you’re a chiropractor, acupuncturist, physical therapist, or wellness practitioner, your potential patients are searching for your services right now. The key is making sure your website actually shows up when they do.

That’s where SEO — search engine optimization — comes in.

And today, SEO looks a little different than it used to. With AI-powered search tools like Google’s AI Overviews, ChatGPT, and xAI’s Grok now summarizing results directly in search, visibility means more than just ranking #1. It’s about making sure your clinic is included in those intelligent, conversational answers that patients trust.

Let’s explore how to do that.

🎇Episode webpage, blog & show notes: https://propelyourcompany.com/seo-101-improve-your-clinic-rankings/

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Episode Transcript

SPEAKER_00 (01:10):
Welcome back to the Clinic Marketing Podcast.
In fact, if you're new here,this is a perfect episode for
you.
Hi, I'm Darcy Sullivan fromPropel Marketing and Design,
where we help clinic ownersimprove their visibility and
attract more of the rightpatients through SEO and smart
website strategies.
Today we're diving into one ofthe biggest questions I get over

(01:35):
and over again.
How do I improve my position onGoogle and the other search
engines?
In fact, this question comes inmany forms.
How do I get more free organicwebsite traffic?
How do I make sure that I'mshowing up in AI searches?
How do I optimize for search?
Where do I even start when itcomes to SEO?

And here's the thing (01:57):
it all falls under the same umbrella.
And that's what we're coveringtoday.
We're revisiting SEO basics, butwith a modern twist, one that
reflects how AI-powered searchis changing the game.
We'll talk about how you canshow up not only in traditional
Google search results, but alsoin AI overviews, AI searches,

(02:20):
Google Maps, and those AI toolslike ChatGPT and Grok, which now
pull data directly from live webresults.
Before we dive in, I want tomention that some of what we're
covering today comes straightfrom my free SEO training.
It walks you through how tobuild a complete SEO and content

(02:42):
marketing plan for your clinic,from optimizing your Google
Business Profile listing toboosting your site's performance
and integrating AI tools.
You can check it out by visitingpropelyourcompany.com slash
learn or grab the link in theshow notes.
All right, let's jump in.
So what exactly is SEO?

(03:05):
SEO, search engine optimization,is the process of improving your
online visibility so that yourwebsite and company show up
higher in organic.
Those are the non-paid searchresults.
When done right, Google helpsyou attract more potential

(03:25):
patients through free searchtraffic from Google, from Bing,
and now AI-powered search toolsthat summarize results directly
on the page.
And here's why SEO is moreimportant than ever.
Social media reach continues todecline.
Platforms like Facebook,Instagram, TikTok are rented

(03:47):
space.
They can change algorithms,remove reach, or even go down.
Paid ads work sometimes.
But the second you stop paying,that traffic disappears.
When you invest in optimizingyour website and local online
presence, those efforts can payoff for months, even years.

(04:11):
And I'm sure you've seen this.
Maybe you got a blog post fromfive years ago that's still
driving traffic.
And you're like, what the heck?
Why can't other pages and otherposts drive this much traffic?
And now with AI transformingsearch results, producing
conversational answers andsummaries like Google's AI

(04:32):
overviews, the goal isn't justto rank number one anymore.
It's to be featured within thoseanswers too.
So patients see your name andexpertise before they even click
through to your website.
Now I've got a sweet way for youto think about SEO.
And if you've been with me for awhile, you've probably heard

(04:55):
this, but years ago I comparedSEO to an Oreo cookie.
And honestly, it still worksperfectly.
If you think about an Oreocookie, it has two wafers, a
bottom wafer, a top wafer, andthe sweet stuff in the middle
that holds it all together.
Well, SEO is similar.
You can think of the top waferas your on-page SEO.

(05:17):
These are actions you take onyour website to improve your
online visibility.
You can think of the bottomwafer as off-page SEO.
These are actions you takeoutside of your website to
improve your overall onlinepresence.
And then that delicious sweetstuff in the middle.
That is your strategy and youraudience connection.

(05:40):
That's what holds everythingtogether.
Let's start with that sweetstuff in the middle.
So the sweet stuff in themiddle, targeting your audience
and targeting the keywords thatyour audience uses.
Before you touch a single lineon your website, you have to
know who.

(06:09):
This means identifying yourideal patient, understanding
what brings them in to see you,and learning how they describe
their pains and what solutionsthey're searching for.
Here's where things haveevolved.
People aren't just typing shortkeywords like chiropractor near
me anymore.

(06:30):
They're also, and I do say alsobecause some still are searching
that way, but they are alsoasking conversational questions
like who's the best chiropractorfor athletes in my area?
What's the difference betweenacupuncture and dry needling?
Who is the closest acupuncturistto me that accepts my insurance?

(06:52):
Those are different types ofsearches.
And AI search tools arelistening to that natural
language and pulling resultsfrom websites that answer those
questions clearly.
So your goal isn't just tosprinkle keywords on your web
page, it's to create helpfulcontent that mirrors how your

(07:14):
ideal patients actually speak.
Ooh, that's so important.
I think it needs to be repeated.
Your goal isn't just to sprinklekeywords on your pages.
It's to create helpful contentthat mirrors how your ideal
patients actually speak.
For example, you might be usingkeyword phrases like best

(07:36):
chiropractic treatments for siteattica near Memouth City, or
should I see a physicaltherapist or a chiropractor for
shoulder pain?
AI tools like ChatGPT, Grok, andeven Google use built-in keyword
insights that can help youbrainstorm long-tail

(07:56):
conversational search phrasesyour audience uses.
Once you've nailed down youraudience and their keywords, you
want to make sure that you weavethose phrases in naturally into
your content, your blogs, yourservice pages, and even your
Google Business Profile post.
And don't forget to includelocation-based terms because

(08:19):
someone might even drive 20 to30 minutes to see the right
provider.
Now that we've covered thatsweet stuff in the middle, let's
dive into that top wafer on theSEO comparison to the Oreo
cookie, and that is your on-pageSEO.
This is everything that happenson your website.

(08:40):
And the good news is that youdon't need to be a tech whiz to
get it right.
Modern platforms like WordPress,Squarespace, Wix make it easier
than ever for you to optimizeyour content.
Here are the things that areessential: speed and making sure
that your website's mobilefriendly, title tags and meta

(09:01):
descriptions, using header tags,using internal links, optimizing
images, and creating clear callsto action.
Also think about your userintent, not just keywords.
When someone searches back painrelief, they're probably looking
for both education and nextsteps.
So give them both.
Helpful info and a way to takeaction.

(09:22):
And if you want to increase yourvisibility in AI summaries or
featured snippets, structureyour content to answer questions
directly.
You can do this using bulletpoints, lists, short paragraphs
that are easy for search enginesto read and quote.
Now, if you're just saying, ohmy gosh, Darcy, this is so much.

(09:45):
Wow.
Some of these terms I've nevereven heard of.
Please, please, please go checkout that free training.
Visit propellyourcompany.comslash learn.
And we walk through all of thisin so much more detail on that
training.
I just want to give you a littlebit of a snippet of inside of
what is in that training foryou.

(10:06):
Okay, now let's talk aboutoff-page SEO.
That would be the other wafer,or the bottom wafer, if you
will, of the SEO Oreo.
Off-page SEO is everything thathappens outside of your website
to boost your visibility.
The first and most importantstep is your Google Business
Profile.
That's what controls your GoogleMaps listing and what used to be

(10:29):
called your Google My Businesslisting.
We talk about that listing somuch on this podcast.
There's tons of resources we'llinclude in the show notes and
episode webpage where you candive deeper into your Google
Business Profile listing.
That listing, again, controlshow you show up on Google Maps,

(10:49):
which is a major traffic driverfor local clinics.
So you want to make sure yourlisting is verified and claimed
and that all of your informationis completely felt out, that
you've got photos, QA, and thatyou post regularly.
Encourage patients to leavereviews.
They're one of the most powerfullocal SEO signals.

(11:10):
You can even use automated toolsor follow-up emails to
streamline that process.
Beyond that, you want to makesure that your NAP, your name,
address, and phone number isconsistent everywhere online,
including all onlinedirectories, insurance sites,
Yelp, Health Grades, and so on.
Consistency builds trust withGoogle and with patients.

(11:34):
Other off-page SEO boostersinclude building backlinks from
local organizations orpartnerships to your website,
submitting press releases orshowing up for news stories
about your clinic, sharingeducational content across
social platforms and emaillists.
And yes, AI can help you heretoo, from tracking your reviews

(11:56):
to identifying trends todistributing content on multiple
platforms automatically.
The big takeaway here though isdon't rely solely on AI.
We've had tons of content thatwe've shared about this and
we'll include more in the shownotes, but do not rely solely on
AI to put together your content.

(12:18):
When your on-page SEO, off-pageSEO, and audience strategy all
work together, you create apowerful digital presence that
helps new patients find andtrust you.
SEO isn't about triggeringalgorithms anymore, it's about
showing real expertise, beingconsistent, and helping people

(12:39):
find solutions through yourcontent.
And as search continues toevolve with AI, those
fundamentals only become moreimportant.
So again, if you're ready totake things to the next level, I
strongly suggest that you visitpropelyourcompany.com/slash
learn and sign up for our brandnew webinar.

(13:01):
And if you feel like you wantsomebody to take over your SEO
for you, please visitpropelyourcompany.com and from
there you can book a discoverycall.
Until next time, I'm Darcy fromPropel Marketing and Design,
helping you attract more of yourideal patients through smart,

(13:23):
sustainable SEO.
Thanks for listening.