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Transcript

AI SEO for Chiropractors: How to Get Recommended in AI Search Before Your Competitors · The Clinic Marketing Podcast | Local SEO & Healthcare Online Marketing Tips for Clinic Owners & Wellness Providers

• 0:26
  Darcy Happy AI try: Welcome back to The Clinic Marketing Podcast.
• 0:28
  Darcy Happy AI try: I'm Darcy Sullivan, from Propel Marketing and Design, and today we're talking about one of the biggest changes happening in online marketing for clinics, and honestly, one of the topics I'm getting asked about more than almost anything else.
• 0:43
  Darcy Happy AI try: AI search.
• 0:44
  Darcy Happy AI try: If you've heard terms like AI SEO, Answer Engine Optimization, AEO, GEO, AI Overviews, or you've wondered whether ChatGPT is replacing Google, this episode is for you.
• 0:56
  Darcy Happy AI try: Now, although today's episode is geared specifically toward chiropractors(mainly because they’re the ones who have sent in the most questions about AI and who’s examples I’ll use in today’s episode), if you're another type of healthcare provider, or really any local business owner, you're going to get a tremendous amount of value from this conversation because the concepts we're covering apply far beyond chiropractic.
• 1:23
  Darcy Happy AI try: Today, I want to go much deeper than simply defining AI search.
• 1:28
  Darcy Happy AI try: I want to explain what's actually changing, what isn't changing, where I think clinic owners are getting distracted, and what you should actually focus on if you want more patients over the next several years.
• 1:40
  Darcy Happy AI try: Let's dive in.
• 1:41
  Darcy Happy AI try: One major takeaway from today’s episode is this: AI Search Is Changing Patient Behavior, Not Just Search Results For years we've all talked about Google rankings.
• 1:52
  Darcy Happy AI try: Everyone wanted to know:"How do I get to page one?""How do I rank number one for chiropractor near me?" Those questions still matter.
• 1:59
  Darcy Happy AI try: Google is still incredibly important.
• 2:01
  Darcy Happy AI try: Let me repeat that: Google is still incredibly important.
• 2:05
  Darcy Happy AI try: But here's what's changing.
• 2:06
  Darcy Happy AI try: Patients aren't always searching the same way anymore.
• 2:09
  Darcy Happy AI try: Instead of typing:"Chiropractor near me" They're asking AI:"Who is the best chiropractor for runners?""Who treats sciatica without surgery?""What chiropractor in my area accepts my insurance?""What clinic specializes in shockwave therapy?" They're asking complete questions.
• 2:25
  Darcy Happy AI try: And then AI gives them a summarized answer.
• 2:27
  Darcy Happy AI try: Sometimes they never even click ten different websites.
• 2:30
  Darcy Happy AI try: That changes everything.
• 2:32
  Darcy Happy AI try: Your goal is no longer just getting ranked.
• 2:34
  Darcy Happy AI try: Your goal is becoming one of the businesses AI feels confident recommending.
• 2:39
  Darcy Happy AI try: That is a very different objective.
• 2:41
  Darcy Happy AI try: This Isn't the Death of SEO Every time Google makes a major change, someone announces that SEO is dead.
• 2:47
  Darcy Happy AI try: I've been hearing that for almost twenty years.
• 2:50
  Darcy Happy AI try: SEO isn't dead.
• 2:51
  Darcy Happy AI try: It's evolving.
• 2:52
  Darcy Happy AI try: In fact, AI search actually rewards many of the same things that good SEO has always rewarded.
• 2:58
  Darcy Happy AI try: Helpful content.
• 2:59
  Darcy Happy AI try: Clear expertise.
• 3:01
  Darcy Happy AI try: Authority.
• 3:02
  Darcy Happy AI try: Fast websites.
• 3:03
  Darcy Happy AI try: Great user experience.
• 3:05
  Darcy Happy AI try: Accurate business information.
• 3:06
  Darcy Happy AI try: Patient reviews.
• 3:08
  Darcy Happy AI try: The difference is this.
• 3:09
  Darcy Happy AI try: Traditional Google rankings asked:"Which page best matches this keyword?" AI asks:"Who can I trust enough to recommend?" That's a trust question.
• 3:18
  Darcy Happy AI try: Not just a keyword question.
• 3:19
  Darcy Happy AI try: Healthcare has always been different from other industries.
• 3:22
  Darcy Happy AI try: Patients don't make impulse decisions about their health.
• 3:26
  Darcy Happy AI try: They research.
• 3:27
  Darcy Happy AI try: They compare.
• 3:28
  Darcy Happy AI try: They worry.
• 3:29
  Darcy Happy AI try: They look for reassurance.
• 3:31
  Darcy Happy AI try: AI is speeding up that research process.
• 3:33
  Darcy Happy AI try: Instead of spending an hour reading fifteen websites, patients can ask AI to summarize the differences between providers.
• 3:41
  Darcy Happy AI try: That means your authority matters more than ever.
• 3:43
  Darcy Happy AI try: Because AI is helping patients eliminate options before they ever visit your website.
• 3:48
  Darcy Happy AI try: If your clinic isn't being mentioned...
• 3:50
  Darcy Happy AI try: You may never even enter the conversation.
• 3:53
  Darcy Happy AI try: Before get go too much deeper Let's Clear Up the Confusing Terminology I think one reason clinic owners feel overwhelmed is because marketers keep inventing new names.
• 4:04
  Darcy Happy AI try: AI SEO.
• 4:05
  Darcy Happy AI try: AEO.
• 4:06
  Darcy Happy AI try: GEO.
• 4:06
  Darcy Happy AI try: LLMO.
• 4:07
  Darcy Happy AI try: Generative Search.
• 4:09
  Darcy Happy AI try: Answer Engines.
• 4:10
  Darcy Happy AI try: Honestly...
• 4:11
  Darcy Happy AI try: Most chiropractors don't care what acronym we use.
• 4:14
  Darcy Happy AI try: They just want more patients.
• 4:15
  Darcy Happy AI try: Here's the simple version.
• 4:17
  Darcy Happy AI try: Traditional SEO helps Google rank your website.
• 4:20
  Darcy Happy AI try: Answer Engine Optimization helps AI understand why your practice deserves to be recommended.
• 4:26
  Darcy Happy AI try: Generative optimization focuses on making your content easy for AI to summarize accurately.
• 4:32
  Darcy Happy AI try: AI SEO is really the umbrella that combines all of it.
• 4:36
  Darcy Happy AI try: Different names.
• 4:37
  Darcy Happy AI try: Same destination.
• 4:38
  Darcy Happy AI try: Help your practice become visible wherever patients search.
• 4:41
  Darcy Happy AI try: Don't get hung up on the vocabulary.
• 4:44
  Darcy Happy AI try: Focus on building authority.
• 4:45
  Darcy Happy AI try: One thing I want you to understand is this: AI Doesn't Invent Recommendations This is one misconception I hear constantly is:"AI just makes things up." Sometimes AI hallucinates facts.
• 4:57
  Darcy Happy AI try: But when it's recommending local businesses, it's looking for evidence.
• 5:01
  Darcy Happy AI try: Lots of evidence.
• 5:03
  Darcy Happy AI try: It pulls information from places like: Your website.
• 5:06
  Darcy Happy AI try: Your Google Business Profile.
• 5:08
  Darcy Happy AI try: Patient reviews.
• 5:09
  Darcy Happy AI try: Local directories.
• 5:10
  Darcy Happy AI try: Structured data.
• 5:12
  Darcy Happy AI try: Articles you've published.
• 5:13
  Darcy Happy AI try: Mentions across the web.
• 5:15
  Darcy Happy AI try: Professional organizations.
• 5:16
  Darcy Happy AI try: News articles.
• 5:17
  Darcy Happy AI try: Social proof.
• 5:19
  Darcy Happy AI try: The more consistent those signals become, the easier it is for AI to understand exactly who you help.
• 5:25
  Darcy Happy AI try: AI isn't randomly picking chiropractors.
• 5:28
  Darcy Happy AI try: It's evaluating trust.
• 5:29
  Darcy Happy AI try: Most Chiropractic Websites Are Holding Practices Back This is where I think most practices struggle.
• 5:35
  Darcy Happy AI try: Most chiropractic websites were designed like brochures.
• 5:39
  Darcy Happy AI try: They talk about the office.
• 5:40
  Darcy Happy AI try: The doctor.
• 5:41
  Darcy Happy AI try: Maybe a few services.
• 5:43
  Darcy Happy AI try: Then they say:"Call today." But patients don't search that way anymore.
• 5:47
  Darcy Happy AI try: They search with symptoms.
• 5:49
  Darcy Happy AI try: Conditions.
• 5:50
  Darcy Happy AI try: Questions.
• 5:50
  Darcy Happy AI try: Fears.
• 5:51
  Darcy Happy AI try: Specific situations.
• 5:53
  Darcy Happy AI try: Think about the questions you answer every day in your office.
• 5:56
  Darcy Happy AI try: Those questions belong on your website.
• 5:58
  Darcy Happy AI try: Questions like: Can chiropractic help headaches?
• 6:01
  Darcy Happy AI try: Should I use ice or heat?
• 6:03
  Darcy Happy AI try: How long does sciatica last?
• 6:04
  Darcy Happy AI try: Is numbness normal?
• 6:06
  Darcy Happy AI try: Can I exercise with back pain?
• 6:07
  Darcy Happy AI try: When should I get an MRI?
• 6:09
  Darcy Happy AI try: Those are the questions AI wants answers for.
• 6:11
  Darcy Happy AI try: If your website answers them better than your competitors, you give AI much more confidence recommending your clinic.
• 6:18
  Darcy Happy AI try: I want you to Stop Writing Like a Chiropractor This might be one of the biggest opportunities.
• 6:24
  Darcy Happy AI try: We naturally speak the language we were trained in.
• 6:27
  Darcy Happy AI try: Patients don't.
• 6:28
  Darcy Happy AI try: You might write:"Cervical radiculopathy." Patients search:"My arm keeps going numb." You might say:"Lumbar disc pathology." Patients say:"I hurt my back lifting mulch." That's how real people search.
• 6:41
  Darcy Happy AI try: AI is conversational.
• 6:42
  Darcy Happy AI try: Your content should be conversational too.
• 6:45
  Darcy Happy AI try: That doesn't mean dumbing it down.
• 6:47
  Darcy Happy AI try: It means translating your expertise into patient language.
• 6:50
  Darcy Happy AI try: Ironically, that improves traditional SEO too.
• 6:54
  Darcy Happy AI try: Now we have to talk about your Google Business Profile.
• 6:56
  Darcy Happy AI try: Your Google Business Profile Matters Even More Than Before If you've listened to this podcast before, you already know I'm a huge believer in optimizing your Google Business Profile.
• 7:08
  Darcy Happy AI try: Now it's becoming even more important.
• 7:10
  Darcy Happy AI try: AI frequently pulls local information directly from Google.
• 7:13
  Darcy Happy AI try: Your services...
• 7:14
  Darcy Happy AI try: Your business description...
• 7:16
  Darcy Happy AI try: Your reviews...
• 7:17
  Darcy Happy AI try: Your photos...
• 7:18
  Darcy Happy AI try: They're all becoming part of the picture AI uses to understand your practice.
• 7:22
  Darcy Happy AI try: If you haven't updated your Google Business Profile in a year...
• 7:26
  Darcy Happy AI try: You're falling behind.
• 7:28
  Darcy Happy AI try: Let's spend another minute talking about reviews.
• 7:30
  Darcy Happy AI try: Most clinic owners think reviews only help convince patients.
• 7:33
  Darcy Happy AI try: That's true.
• 7:34
  Darcy Happy AI try: But reviews also help AI understand what your clinic is known for.
• 7:38
  Darcy Happy AI try: Imagine one office has hundreds of reviews mentioning: Sciatica.
• 7:42
  Darcy Happy AI try: Neuropathy.
• 7:43
  Darcy Happy AI try: Sports injuries.
• 7:45
  Darcy Happy AI try: Pregnancy.
• 7:46
  Darcy Happy AI try: Runners.
• 7:47
  Darcy Happy AI try: The clinic across town has the same number of stars but almost no detail.
• 7:51
  Darcy Happy AI try: Which one gives AI more confidence?
• 7:53
  Darcy Happy AI try: The detailed one.
• 7:55
  Darcy Happy AI try: Encourage patients to naturally mention why they came in and what problem you helped solve.
• 8:00
  Darcy Happy AI try: Those details create context.
• 8:02
  Darcy Happy AI try: Context creates authority.
• 8:04
  Darcy Happy AI try: Here's probably the biggest mistake I see right now.
• 8:07
  Darcy Happy AI try: People think AI SEO means using AI to write everything.
• 8:10
  Darcy Happy AI try: It doesn't.
• 8:11
  Darcy Happy AI try: Using ChatGPT to crank out fifty generic blog posts is not an AI strategy.
• 8:16
  Darcy Happy AI try: Actually, it can hurt you if the content becomes generic, repetitive, or sounds exactly like everyone else's.
• 8:23
  Darcy Happy AI try: AI is a fantastic assistant.
• 8:25
  Darcy Happy AI try: It's not your replacement.
• 8:27
  Darcy Happy AI try: The clinics that win are using AI to work faster while still adding their expertise, stories, clinical experience, patient questions, and original insights.
• 8:37
  Darcy Happy AI try: Originality matters.
• 8:38
  Darcy Happy AI try: Especially in healthcare.
• 8:40
  Darcy Happy AI try: None of us knows exactly where AI search will be two years from now.
• 8:43
  Darcy Happy AI try: But I think several things are becoming very clear.
• 8:46
  Darcy Happy AI try: Patients will ask longer questions.
• 8:48
  Darcy Happy AI try: AI will become more personalized.
• 8:50
  Darcy Happy AI try: Local recommendations will improve.
• 8:53
  Darcy Happy AI try: Authority will matter even more.
• 8:54
  Darcy Happy AI try: Content quality will matter more than quantity.
• 8:57
  Darcy Happy AI try: And practices that have invested consistently over time will have a huge advantage.
• 9:02
  Darcy Happy AI try: This isn't something you'll fix in one weekend.
• 9:04
  Darcy Happy AI try: Authority compounds.
• 9:05
  Darcy Happy AI try: The sooner you start, the better positioned you'll be.
• 9:08
  Darcy Happy AI try: So What Should Chiropractors Actually Do?
• 9:10
  Darcy Happy AI try: If you're wondering where to begin, here's where I'd focus.
• 9:14
  Darcy Happy AI try: First, strengthen your Google Business Profile.
• 9:16
  Darcy Happy AI try: Second, make sure your website clearly explains every service, condition, and community you serve.
• 9:22
  Darcy Happy AI try: Third, answer real patient questions.
• 9:25
  Darcy Happy AI try: Fourth, build genuine patient reviews.
• 9:27
  Darcy Happy AI try: Fifth, make sure your technical SEO is solid.
• 9:30
  Darcy Happy AI try: Sixth, use schema markup so search engines and AI can better understand your content.
• 9:35
  Darcy Happy AI try: And finally, remember this.
• 9:36
  Darcy Happy AI try: Don't optimize only for Google.
• 9:38
  Darcy Happy AI try: Optimize for patients.
• 9:39
  Darcy Happy AI try: Because when you genuinely help patients understand their problems, you're also creating exactly the kind of content AI wants to recommend.
• 9:49
  Darcy Happy AI try: I think we're still in the early stages of AI search.
• 9:52
  Darcy Happy AI try: But I also think we're past the point where clinic owners can ignore it.
• 9:56
  Darcy Happy AI try: The practices building authority today are going to be much easier for AI to recommend tomorrow.
• 10:01
  Darcy Happy AI try: The good news?
• 10:02
  Darcy Happy AI try: If you've been investing in quality SEO, patient education, and a strong online presence, you're already ahead of many of your competitors.
• 10:11
  Darcy Happy AI try: Now it's about expanding that strategy rather than replacing it.
• 10:15
  Darcy Happy AI try: If you'd like help understanding where your clinic stands, we'd love to help.
• 10:19
  Darcy Happy AI try: At Propel Marketing Design, we help chiropractors combine traditional SEO with AI Search Optimization so your practice becomes more visible wherever patients are searching, whether that's Google, ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Copilot, or whatever comes next.
• 10:39
  Darcy Happy AI try: Visit PropelYourCompany.com to schedule a free discovery call.
• 10:43
  Darcy Happy AI try: We'll review your current website, identify the biggest opportunities, and show you how to position your clinic for both today's search engines and tomorrow's AI-powered search experiences.
• 10:54
  Darcy Happy AI try: Thanks so much for listening.
• 10:55
  Darcy Happy AI try: If you found this episode helpful, be sure to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with another chiropractor who's trying to stay ahead of where search is headed.