Welcome everyone to Episode Number 39 of The Chiropractic Marketing Podcast.
I’m your host, Dr. Patrick MacNamara, and today we’re kicking off a brand new series that’s going to change the way you think about getting found online.
Over the next several episodes, we’re going to dive deep into something that’s quietly revolutionizing how patients find chiropractors—and frankly, most practitioners have no idea it’s even happening.
The Death of Traditional SEO
I’m talking about the death of traditional SEO and the rise of what I call “Search Everywhere Optimization.”
Now, stick with me here because what I’m about to share with you isn’t just some marketing buzzword or trend that’ll be forgotten next month. This is a fundamental shift in how people search for healthcare providers, and if you don’t understand what’s happening right now, you’re going to find yourself invisible to new patients in the very near future.
But before we dive in, let me paint you a picture of what’s really going on out there.
Just last week, I was talking to a chiropractor who’s based out West—let’s call him Dr. Smith—and he was frustrated. Really frustrated.
He said, “Dr. MacNamara, I’ve been doing everything right with my SEO. My website ranks on the first page of Google for ‘chiropractor in my city.’ I’ve got great reviews, my Google Business Profile is optimized, and I’m following all the traditional SEO rules. But my new patient numbers have been flat for months.”
Sound familiar?
Here’s what Dr. Smith didn’t realize—and what most chiropractors don’t realize—is that the game has fundamentally changed.
While he was focused on ranking on Google, his potential patients were increasingly asking questions like this: “Hey ChatGPT, I’ve been dealing with lower back pain for three months. Can you recommend a good chiropractor near me who specializes in disc problems?”
Or maybe they’re saying, “Alexa, find me a chiropractor who treats athletes in my area.”
The problem? Dr. Smith’s practice wasn’t showing up in any of these AI-generated recommendations, even though he ranked well on Google.
The New Era of Search: Generative Engine Optimization
And here’s the kicker—recent research shows that AI-powered search tools are now influencing over 60% of healthcare decisions. That means more than half of your potential patients are getting recommendations from sources that traditional SEO doesn’t even touch.
Think about it from your own experience for a minute. When was the last time you asked Siri a question? Or used ChatGPT to help you research something? Or asked Google’s AI assistant for a recommendation?
If you’re like most people, it’s probably happening more and more often. And your patients? They’re doing the exact same thing.
So here’s the reality we’re facing: Traditional SEO was built for a world where people typed keywords into Google and scrolled through blue links. But that’s not how people search anymore.
Today, people are having conversations with AI. They’re asking detailed questions and expecting personalized, intelligent answers. And if your practice isn’t optimized for these AI-powered platforms, you’re essentially invisible to a huge portion of your potential patient base.
Now, I know what some of you might be thinking: “Dr. Mac, this sounds complicated. I’m already struggling to keep up with regular SEO.”
I get it. I really do. But here’s the thing—this isn’t about making your marketing more complicated. It’s about understanding where the puck is going so you can position yourself to intercept it.
Let me give you a real-world example of what I mean.
I have a client who was in the exact same position as Dr. Smith. Traditional SEO was working okay, but growth had stagnated.
So we implemented what I call “Search Everywhere Optimization”—we optimized her online presence not just for Google, but for AI platforms like ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity.
Within 90 days, her new patient consultations increased by 40%. Not from Google—from AI recommendations.
When people in her area asked AI assistants about chiropractors who specialize in pregnancy-related back pain—her niche—her practice was the one being recommended consistently.
Why? Because we structured her online content in a way that AI engines could understand, process, and recommend.
Here’s what’s really fascinating about this shift: AI doesn’t just look at your keywords and backlinks like traditional search engines do. These systems are analyzing the context, expertise, and relevance of your content in much more sophisticated ways.
They’re looking at things like:
- How well you explain complex conditions in simple terms
- Whether your content actually helps people understand their problems
- The depth and quality of the information you provide
- How current and accurate your information is
- Whether other authoritative sources reference your expertise
In other words, AI is rewarding practices that are genuinely helpful and authoritative—not just those that know how to game the SEO system.
This is actually great news for chiropractors who are passionate about patient education and truly helping people understand their conditions.
But here’s the challenge: You can’t just copy and paste your traditional SEO strategy and expect it to work with AI platforms. These systems require a completely different approach to content structure, keyword optimization, and authority building.
That’s where Search Everywhere Optimization comes in.
Search Everywhere Optimization for Chiropractors
Instead of just optimizing for Google’s algorithm, we’re optimizing for everywhere people actually search today—Google, ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, voice assistants, and the dozens of other AI-powered platforms that are emerging.
The result? Your practice shows up no matter where people are looking for help.
Now, you might be wondering, “Dr. Mac, how do I know if this is something I need to worry about right now?”
Great question. Let me give you three signs that your practice needs to embrace Search Everywhere Optimization:
First, your traditional SEO is working fine, but you’re not seeing the growth you expected. Your rankings are good, but new patient numbers have plateaued.
Second, you’re getting fewer phone calls and more people are just showing up after apparently “researching you online”—but you can’t track where they actually found you.
Third, when you ask new patients how they found you, they’re giving you vague answers like “I looked you up online” instead of specific sources like “I found you on Google” or “I saw your ad.”
If any of these sound familiar, it’s likely that AI recommendations are already influencing your patient flow—you just don’t realize it yet.
Here’s the bottom line: Traditional SEO isn’t dead, but it’s no longer enough. The chiropractors who thrive in the next five years will be the ones who understand that optimization needs to go beyond Google.
Over the next few episodes in this series, I’m going to walk you through exactly how to implement Search Everywhere Optimization in your practice. We’ll cover everything from optimizing your Google Business Profile for AI discovery to creating content that AI engines love to recommend.
But for now, I want you to do something simple. This week, I want you to experiment with asking AI a question about chiropractors in your area.
Open up ChatGPT or Claude and ask something like, “Can you recommend a good chiropractor near me who treats disc problems?”
See what comes up.
Is your practice mentioned?
If not, that’s your wake-up call.
The future of patient acquisition isn’t just about ranking on Google anymore. It’s about being the chiropractor that AI engines trust and recommend when people are looking for help.
And if you want to get a head start on this, I encourage you to check out what we’re doing at DCRank. We’re one of the first SEO agencies specifically focused on Search Everywhere Optimization for chiropractors.
You can learn more at DCRank.com. That’s D-C-R-A-N-K dot com.
In our next episode, we’re going to dive deep into Google Business Profile optimization—but not the way you’ve heard it before. We’re going to talk about the seven weekly tasks that don’t just improve your Google rankings, but also make AI engines more likely to recommend your practice.
Trust me, you won’t want to miss it.
Alright, that wraps things up for today’s episode.
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