The Clinic Marketing Podcast - Local SEO & Healthcare Digital Marketing Tips for Clinic Owners & Wellness Providers

Mapping Out Your Q4 SEO Plan: How Clinics Can Stay Ahead in Search | Ep.131

• Darcy Sullivan • Episode 131

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Get ahead of the curve before Q4 begins. This episode reveals how to create a powerful SEO plan that boosts visibility, attracts new patients, and prepares your clinic for a strong finish to the year and a successful start to 2026. 

Episode webpage, blog & show notes: https://propelyourcompany.com/q4-seo-plan/

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Speaker 1:

Picture this it's January 2026. Your clinic, whether it's chiropractic, acupuncture, physical therapy or another wellness specialty, is thriving. Your phone's buzzing with new patients where they're booking online. Your website's at the top of Google and your Google business profile listing is pulling in local patients every single day. Now picture the opposite your competitors are the ones showing up everywhere online, while your clinic is stuck on page two running last year's marketing campaign. That's a frustrating place to be the difference.

Speaker 1:

A clear, strategic Q4 SEO plan. Patients are searching right now on Google Maps through AI-driven search tools and local directories, along with general Google searches, for clinics just like yours. And Q4 is your last big chance in 2025 to boost visibility, attract new patients and set your clinic up for a stronger 2026. So let's make it count. Hi, I'm Darci Sullivan from Propel Marketing and Design and you're listening to the Clinic Marketing Podcast, the show that helps chiropractors, acupuncturists, physical therapists, med spas and other wellness practitioners and clinic owners practitioners and clinic owners just like you grow online with smart, practical marketing strategies, and today we're mapping out your Q4 SEO plan. We're going to talk about why planning matters so much, what you should include in your plan and the different options you have to finish this year strong and roll into 2026 with momentum. So grab a cup of coffee or a glass of wine I'm not judging, because this is important.

Speaker 1:

Here's the thing Q4 isn't just another quarter. It's a time crunch for clinics. Patients are trying to use up their insurance benefits, squeeze in appointments before the holidays, they have extra seasonal related pains, or you have some that are starting to think ahead to their health goals for the new year. If you're showing up where they're searching, you'll not only fill your calendar, but you'll also build a strong patient pipeline for January and the months that follow next year. And we've all seen how search trends shift. The stuff people are looking for in October isn't the same as what they're searching for in April. Maybe they're searching chiropractic care for stress relief or acupuncture for seasonal fatigue or physical therapy for winter mobility. Those are just some examples. But if you're not planning ahead, you're always playing catch up. Plus, search itself is changing. It's changing fast Between Google algorithm updates, google's search generative experience, ai, online searches through AI tools like ChatGPT. The way patients find clinics is evolving, outdated, set it and forget it. Seo just won't cut it anymore. That's why a Q4 plan isn't optional. It's your competitive edge. All right, let's get practical. What should actually go into your SEO plan? First, you your website content updates. Your website is your digital front door and in Q4, it's worth making sure it's still doing its job. This does not mean changing everything to seasonal content Although a little bit of seasonal content, a blog post or two, definitely could help but instead think of it as a quality check.

Speaker 1:

Start by looking at your top performing pages, the ones bringing in the most traffic or patient inquiries. Are they clear? Are the calls to action obvious? Are there any outdated details that needed to be updated, like your services or insurance information? What about the conditions you treat? Are they actually highlighted on your website? Then look for easy wins. Could your services pages be a little clearer or more organized? More details added? Are your meta titles and descriptions aligned with what people are searching for right now? Is there an opportunity to add an FAQ section or internal links to help visitors find what they need?

Speaker 1:

If you have the capacity, adding one or two fresh blog posts, resources can help, but focus on topics that have staying power. Again, you can do a few holiday related topics, like holiday stress relief tips, but also consider going for evergreen content like five ways. Acupuncture improves sleep. Content that is evergreen will help stand the test of time and help deliver more traffic to your website in q1 of next year than something that only relates to q4 of this year. Then there's your Google Business Profile. It has to be claimed and optimized. Your Google Business Profile listing is what controls your Google Maps listing and what a lot of people still refer to as Google my Business. It is often the first thing patients see, so don't let it get stale. Double check your information for accuracy, review suggested edits, post updates or offers each week and add fresh photos. That one step alone can make you stand out from your competitors.

Speaker 1:

Next step consistency across the web. Make sure your clinic's name, address and phone number match everywhere online. Add yourself to new directories or partner with local blogs and events. Even sponsoring a holiday wellness fair can get you a valuable backlink, meaning that link is linking back to your website. And then we have AI searches. This is a new one for this year, am I right? Ai has been around for a bit, but now we are really starting to see it get interesting. Ai search tools are changing the game. Test how your clinic shows up in AI-driven results.

Speaker 1:

Add FAQs to your site to answer patients' questions in a conversational manner and start thinking about voice search, if you haven't already. People are literally talking to their phones asking who's the best chiropractor near me? You want to be the answer to that question. Finally, track your progress Before you start. Write down your baseline traffic, your keyword rankings and how many new patients are coming from SEO right now. Set goals like a 20% boost in organic traffic or 15 new patient bookings per month, and check in weekly to see what's working. Okay, so you know why Q4 matters and what to include, but how do you actually make it happen? Here are some ways to take action, depending on your budget and how hands-on you want to be.

Speaker 1:

If you're the type who likes to take control but still wants a clear role, option one is the DIY route with expert guidance. For this, we suggest our program, the Ready Set Rank Clinic SEO Toolkit. If you're the type who likes to take control but still wants a clear roadmap, this is for you. The Ready Set Rank Clinic SEO Toolkit is our DIY solution, built specifically for clinics. Think of this as a done-for-you roadmap to finally get your clinics ranking higher on Google Search and Google Maps. It's specifically designed for clinics and it's designed so you don't need to be an SEO expert. Inside you'll find step-by-step lessons, checklists and templates. We walk through keyword research, website optimization and building a content plan that actually attracts patients. You'll also learn how to claim and optimize your Google business profile listing, earn more five-star reviews and show up for those near-me searches in your area. The toolkit even includes ready-to-use website page templates, blog post frameworks and a tech library, so you'll get results no matter what platform your website is on. It's everything you need to implement a strong SEO plan on your own without guessing, and it's built with acupuncturists, chiropractors, physical therapists and other clinic owners in mind. If you're interested in this program, you can visit propellyourcompanycom and check out the Ready Set Rank Clinic SEO Toolkit. If you love the idea of the DIY approach, but you feel like you need more accountability, coaching and feedback, then I suggest option two. Coaching and feedback. Then I suggest option two, which is the Ready Set Rank Accelerator program.

Speaker 1:

The first round of the Ready Set Rank Accelerator program was only open to people who were already members of the Ready Set Rank program. Now this is a three-month program where we dive in with a one-on-one SEO strategy call to review your website, your Google business profile listing and your current SEO plan. We come up with a customized 90-day action plan for your clinic. Then you get group live coaching sessions to keep you on track and answer any questions you might have. Now, at the time that I'm recording this, we're opening this up for the October through December, the Q4 era. So if you're interested in that, please check out Ready Set Rank Accelerator. If you are not already a current member of Ready Set Rank meaning you have access to the Ready Set Rank clinic SEO toolkit or you purchased it before it became that and it was the Ready Set Rank chiropractor bundle then you now have the option to join the accelerator program and on the accelerator page, down at the bottom of it, you will find a bundled package that also includes the Ready Set Rank program, and the reason for that is the Ready Set Rank program offers you all of these amazing templates and step-by-step strategies that, again, the Accelerator helps ignite and take to the next level. So you can check that out by visiting Propel's website under Programs the Ready Set Rank Accelerator Program.

Speaker 1:

Now there's still more options. Option three sometimes the biggest wins come from your Google business profile listing. If it's incomplete, outdated, you're losing patience to your competitor, and our Google business profile audit uncovers issues and gives you personalized roadmap to fix them. You can also book a Google business profile audit by visiting our website, propellyourcompanycom, and links to all of these resources can be found on the show notes or episode webpage. Now, if you're thinking, I don't have time to do any of this, I just want it handled on my behalf, that's exactly what we do at Propel. Propel Marketing and Design offers full service done for you SEO. We'll handle your website optimization, your Google business profile, your content strategy, everything so you can focus on running your clinic. If that sounds like the right opportunity for you, I encourage you to book a discovery call to talk about our full service SEO options. Now what if you're just curious and you want to stay ahead of the AI and Google changes? Well, if you are curious about what's changing in AI, search and Google algorithms, I encourage you to join our free SEO clinic workshop. It's packed with Simple strategies you can use right away.

Speaker 1:

Q4 is your chance to finish this year strong and position your clinic as the go-to choice in your area, whether you're taking the DIY route, joining Accelerator, booking an audit or handing over SEO directly to us. The key is acting now, not in November or December, when it's too late. A Q4 SEO plan isn't just about getting up. It's about getting ahead and owning your local search results. A Q4 SEO plan isn't just about keeping up or doing the bare minimum and coasting throughout the rest of the year. It's about getting ahead and owning your local search results.

Speaker 1:

So let's recap your next steps. If you want a DIY approach, grab the Ready Set Rank Clinic SEO Toolkit. If you want coaching and accountability, join the Ready Set Rank Accelerator program before spots close in early October. If your Google business profile just needs a boost, book a Google business profile audit. If you want full service SEO done for you, book a discovery call. And if you're curious about AI and Google changes, sign up for our free clinic SEO training. Pick the option that fits you best, but do it before the end of the month. So your Q4 SEO plan is live and ready to work for you. Thanks for hanging out with me on the Clinic Marketing Podcast. I'm Darci Sullivan from Propel Marketing and Design. Let's make Q4 your best quarter yet.

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