Copywriting for Chiropractors: the What, the Why, and the How

As a chiropractor (and a copywriter) I have a major confession…I think most chiropractic websites are so boring. 

I actually have trouble reading them, because it feels like most of the information in it is fluff, stuff that we think we need to add to them to sound *professional*. It feels like everyone uses the same words and the same ways to describe what they do.

The home page is usually filled with sentences like:

“We are here to help you thrive with our holistic approach!”

“We serve our patients so they live healthy, happier lives!”

“We focus on nervous-system based chiropractic care.” 

(Honestly, I’m not even sure what this means other than making a point that you don’t just do pain relief?)

Yet, even if there is a limited way to describe what we all do, we all KNOW we aren’t the same when it comes to the way we serve our patients.

We all have a different touch, a different approach, a different vibe. People will stay on as patients because they like your care and your personality. They like the way you talk to them and the feel of your office. 

Chiropractors are in a unique profession where patients have the opportunity to come throughout their whole life – it’s not unheard of for patients whose mothers came in for care during their pregnancy stay long enough to bring their own children in decades later. And it’s not uncommon for chiros to stay working in the office until they are beyond retirement age, because they just love it so much.

There are a lot of things changing within the profession, with insurance usage on the decline, cash practices becoming more common, and more practices encouraging care for holistic reasons and not just pain relief. This changes the relationships chiropractors have with their patients and it changes how patients decide where they seek care.

Meaning…it matters more than ever that who you are and what you really bring to the (adjusting 😉) table is obvious from the moment someone Google’s “chiropractor near me”.

Web design matters, but what you say in your copy matters more

The FIRST thing your potential patients will notice when they click on your Google link is the design of your website. They’ll notice the colors, the pictures, the overall vibe to your office. This does matter, because if your website is ugly, it’s likely not going to attract anyone in to read more.

But what truly matters more is the copy on your website (aka the words that talk about you and what you do).

The words on your site are ultimately what sells your services. You could have the most beautifully designed website in the world, but if the words on your site mentioned “crackin’ backs” and “snapping necks”, I doubt you would get many new patient calls.

Now, I’ve seen some questionable chiro websites out there, but I’ve never seen any that use the phrase “snapping necks”, thank goodness. So if that’s not the issue, then what is?

I’ll tell ya…it’s that most chiropractic websites say the same thing, often in the same words. 

They are full of chiropractic buzzwords that are so saturated, people likely glaze right over them, especially if they have already searched a couple sites before landing on yours. Wouldn’t it be great if your website was a pattern-breaker, meaning it caught their attention in a way that not only reflected who you are as a doc, but also matched exactly what they are looking for in their care?

This comes about through writing in your own voice, talking about your services in a way that isn’t about what you do, but how you meet the needs of your ideal patients, and letting your *authenticity* be what stands you apart from other offices.

Can’t I just use AI?

Of course, it is 2025 after all, and AI is being shoved down our throats at an alarming force.

But let me ask you, if you are looking to infuse your authentic essence into your copywriting, do you want it written by something soulless like ChatGPT?

The problem with using an AI program, is that it uses examples from other similar websites to write what you want it to write. If you are writing a new chiropractic website, it will consider what other chiropractic websites say to write your content for you…which is literally what you are trying to get away from.

If you don't want to sound like every other chiropractor on the web, then it doesn’t make sense to utilize a tool that takes examples from every other chiropractor on the web. Right?

What does make sense is writing your website copy in the same tone you would use to talk to your patients about your services. Are you loud? USE LOUD WORDS. Are you funny? Be hilarious on your website. Let who you are be infused into everything you share with patients, because ultimately, that is why they stay. 

If attracting and retaining patients were only a matter of skill, then young and new docs wouldn’t stand a chance. But there is SO MUCH MORE that goes into why people come to see you in the first place and why they stay.

So in your website, on your blog, and in your newsletters, let YOUR voice stand out. People will be so much more likely to schedule with you if they know (and like) who they are signing up with from the get-go. 

No matter how solid your ChatGPT prompt is, AI won’t get you the way you get yourself, or the way a chiropractic copywriter (Hi! It’s me!) would.

SEO is the #1 way to rank higher on Google

Recently on a chiropractic Facebook group, I saw a post encouraging people to share their website URL to encourage SEO feedback to their site. Love the enthusiasm, but that tactic is not going to work.

The biggest problem I saw with that, is it is a private Facebook group. Google and other search engines are not going to use information from private Facebook groups to share anyone’s business on their platform. It’s not accessible and it’s not encouraging public viewership.

What DOES work, is regularly posted, SEO-optimized content from your website…aka *Blog Posts*.

Did you know that a single blog post can rank on Google if it has the right SEO keywords, is well-written and easy to understand, and answers a question that people are actually Googling?

It’s true. What this means for you is that you could be posting regular content that could show up when people ask questions like “does chiropractic actually work?” and “what is Webster Technique?” And when they click on your blog that answers this question, they will already be on your website and have the opportunity to look at what else you have to offer.

Even if you are able to rank for a keyword like “Webster Technique” outside of your town or state, this is still helpful because other people will be visiting your site, getting your site more hits and therefore, more credibility through the eyes of the search engine gods. 

Setting up your website copy and blogs to do the MOST for you will help get more eyes on your biz and more interested patients in contact with your services.

And yes, reviews and referrals are incredible and helpful, but don’t you want all the pieces you have working their hardest for you?

The Copywriting for Chiropractors Checklist

I’ve put together a simple checklist of items that will help get your website working hard for you, so you don’t have to do as much (or feel roped into posting your website URL on a private Facebook group that will have absolutely no effect on your SEO ranking on Google in the first place). 

1. Optimize your website pages for SEO and write in your own voice!

2 major contributors to higher SEO rankings are clear, specific target keywords AND getting more traffic to your website to build social proof. This is done by researching good keywords to use, using a different keyword for each web page, and writing in a way that keeps people looking at your page for longer. 

Story-based, conversational copy is typically what keeps people interested, because they are engaged and WANT to keep reading what else you wrote. This really does matter, more than just having all of the “conditions we help with” and “techniques we use” listed somewhere on your site. You want people to spend time on your page because this gives it more credibility. And if your site is filled with good info to share with people, wouldn’t you want them to hang out longer?

Google knows if someone skims your page for 5 seconds before hitting the back button to find a different page. It will punish you for this by hiding your website farther and farther back from its top searches. It sucks, but it is what it is.

2. Publish regular SEO-optimized blogs answering questions your patients ask (or questions you want them to ask!)

Writing solid blog posts will bring more traffic to your site, help you rank higher on Google, and get more potential ideal clients familiar with you and your services. 

Are there questions you answer every day in practice? Are there ways you explain things that are different from other providers? Make these blog posts! Blogs should also have their own SEO keyword (different from your web pages) and publishing them regularly will keep Google’s eyes on you (and it’ll keep your website legit as well, so that Google actually wants to rank you higher than others).

3. Hire a Copywriter to do this for you!

Most chiropractors are already wearing too many hats in their business (not to mention their home and personal life as well). They don’t usually want to spend time writing a new website, optimizing their SEO (because, yawn! I totally get it), or writing consistent blog posts. 

The good news is, you don’t have to! You can hire a copywriter to do it for you. Copywriters often have different specialities within the services they provide or the types of businesses they work with. I specialize in both website copy and blog writing, specifically for health and wellness businesses, because DUH, it’s what I do too! 

I’m a practicing chiropractor who LOVES to write. It’s a hobby, a passion, a dream, it’s all the things. And that makes me uber equipped to write for health businesses because I get what they do, I understand their jargon, and I know what their patients are looking for, because I also have patients looking for the same things.

Investing in a copywriter might be one of the biggest shifts you can make in your business going into the next year and be one of the choices you make that fills your schedule with people you actually want to work with.

If you’re interested in discussing how your website (and practice) can be improved with individualized, optimized copywriting, inquire here!