Several months ago someone presented a demo to me of a marketing campaign they were thinking of rolling out in my area. They showed me some slides, pretty graphics, a mini commercial, and gave me a pitch that the world is moving towards wellness so it would be in my best interest to get on the bandwagon of optimum health and wellbeing and begin projecting that to my community. With their help, and several thousand dollars of my hard earned hands on adjusting money, they could get me exclusively recognized as a wellness expert in my area.

They did not want to mention chiropractic in any advertising as to not give the public the wrong idea. Instead, I was to be marketed as a wellness expert! I decided to decline on the offer and continue to do what has worked for me best in the past… ask for referrals.

So it’s months later and I’m searching online (notice I do that a lot) and I come across some marketing from this same company. Wow, find out how you can get the pain relief you deserve for your recent auto accident and resulting whiplash injury. Call today to schedule your chiropractic appointment.

Now, I have nothing wrong with people seeking chiropractic care after being involved in a car accident, but is that wellness? I thought wellness care was something one typically paid cash for, involved affordable plans that allowed you and your entire family to get adjusted, and was focused around the correction or reduction of vertebral subluxation.

Having your head strike your seat rest and moving backward, after your vehicle was plowed into and your body is moving forward, is not what I visualize as a wellness experience. No, this is something commonly known as personal injury and yes it’s something many chiropractors specialize in, I’m not denying that.

There are lots of companies driving personal injury clients to chiropractors, I like when they are clear that their intent is just that. There are lots of companies promoting wellness services on behalf of chiropractors, I’m OK with that too. Nice when they describe clearly what it is they intend to do.

Not all chiropractors have a practice like mine, some specialize in things like auto collisions and work injuries. Chiropractor, Suzanne Frye, who went to the same school I did (CCCLA) sees lot’s of “PI” patients. Call her if you are you are seeking chiropractic care in Lancaster, CA.

The Chiropractors Pennsylvania page on Planet Chiropractic makes a good example of how different chiropractors practices can be. On the page are a number of chiropractors I’d feel comfortable referring to. I’d go see Ram Parikh for a personal injury or wellness, Sharon Gorman for a rockin’ adjustment, Joe Strauss for straight chiropractic (does Joe see personal injury cases?), and Skip George for scoliosis corrective care.

BTW: Nobody asked for links here. I picked Lancaster and Pennsylvania since they have something in common.

And for you that may be wondering what should I do now? I was in an accident or I want affordable family wellness care, who should I call. I’ll let you in on a secret… Either way, call a local chiropractor and ask them this question “What is a subluxation?” If they can’t answer you or flub about as if they have no clue, it’s likely a sign to call someone else.

They pop up like weeds, offers to chiropractors to get you “top” in search engines with magic search engine techniques and “soon to be” high traffic domain destinations. They use fear, your “territory” is still available but it will soon be gone, act now, send us your money, we are going to be at the top and you could be there too!

Someday I may have a list together of companies I’ve seen appearing in emails (spamming me), and in online advertisements, that were here today and gone tomorrow. It appears that for every one I see fail, two pop up. These companies are sometimes referred to as “skimmers” as they get your credit card for whatever monthly fee they can, and then they bid low in the search engines, hoping to capture enough consumer attention to make a profit.

The big players already have organically top ranked websites for the most popular terms and they also do paid placement, that is a much better model to follow.

Watch out for services that…

1. claim to soon be at the top of search engines for chiropractic related terms (why are they not there now?)
2. claim to soon be the most visited website for people seeking chiropractic care (again, why are they not there now?)
3. claim “top listings” but really mean paid positioning ad placements and not #1 organic search position results
4. use spam techniques to contact you and potentially the people in your community

What nearly none of these companies ever mention is that you could do almost all of this yourself (at least a few thousand already do) with a google adwords account (or some other search engine company account). You can create geo-targeted, finely tuned, paid search traffic for your website, it’s almost a no-branier.

This model applies to any industry but I pay particular attention to what is going on in chiropractic online, having been involved in it since the early 1990’s.

There are some great online services out there providing solid online marketing services, you just have to be savvy and rule out the “One Hit Wonders.” They usually burn through their cash and your credit cards in about 90 days, all will often quit while they are still ahead. What happens to your “territory” then?

For what it’s worth I currently don’t use paid placement advertising for my Los Angeles Chiropractic office but I have in the past and it can be a great tool if that is something you want to do. If you are in a non-metro area you may really be in a good position to benefit from paid placement. Then again, in smaller metros you can also dominate organically.

Alright, enough of my chiro rant!

Related Topics: Chiropractic Internet Directory Scams

Dr. Crain and I both agree that the raw energy pouring out of new chiropractors is something to love. The student was hoping that “every chiropractor” would read the article so his comments are being posted here along with a link to the original piece. Thanks to all that send encouraging comments our way. We don’t always get a chance to post them or include them in content but let me say that I am appreciative to every individual that has sent something our way.

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Dear Dr.

My name is Davy Rigsby and I am a tri 7 student at Parker. The article that was posted on your website titled, “Does Chiropractic Technique Matter” is one of the best articles I have read on your website to date. It gives such clarity of what we do and what our intent and purpose should be for every adjustment that a patient receives from us. I hope that every chiropractor reads this article so that they too can be refreshed and more clear as to what our purpose in chiropractic is. Thank you for your website and for the wonderful articles that make me more passionate about getting out into the world and giving true health to people and saving lives!

Yours in health,
Davy Rigsby
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Thanks again Davy for sharing your thoughts. It’s great to know that students in chiropractic colleges throughout the world are benefiting from the content appearing on this website. As of Thursday, there will be nine years of news posts made to the Planet Chiropractic website. Every article ever published in the news is still available online and you can get access to all that content from the archives news page.

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Words can’t describe how much I appreciate your article “Vaccine Related Autism Cases Killed in Press“. I have spent the last three days writing letter after letter to local newspapers, national newspapers, and major television networks in an attempt to make them understand that the parents seeking justice in the vaccine court are not conspiracy-seeking activists. It was so refreshing to “come up for a breath” and read your article. NBC’s Today show went so far as to accuse these parents of “be in it for the money”. I am outraged at this comment when I think about the many parents who have had to sell their house or spend their entire savings on treatments for their children.

Personally I do have a vaccine injured child but due to the statutes of limitations I have not been able to file a claim under the NVICP. I am very grateful for your comments about the lack of attention to the independent research indicating a very strong causal relationship between Thimerosal and neurodevelopmental disorders. This research is being blatantly ignored by the major media outlets.

Once again, thank you for bringing attention to the unfair reporting.

Sincerely,
Ohio Jane (name changed for publication purposes)
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Thank you to all the parents that took the time to e-mail us. It makes us feel that last weeks efforts did not fall on deaf ears.

Notice I said developing websites for patients and not chiropractors. In chiropractic, there are many sites using the “chiro” prefix in their domain name. We chiropractors tend to see these terms and we say “KiRo.” However, consumers often say “cheero” like cheerios or cheer for me, yippie doodle day. Now in fairness I also hear some consumers say words that sound like “cheeropractic” instead of “KiRoPractic.”

If you are building sites geared towards chiropractors than you may be just fine. If your website is geared towards the general public I’d suggest you stick with the term “chiropractic” in your domain. Whatever you do, don’t get kitchy and make a bonehead mistake like I did thinking anyone is going to know what “c1″ stands for.

There are probably more domains available in the “chiro” area but if you get creative you’ll find there are still a large number of super chiropractic dot coms out there.

Recently I picked up some domains that will appear to be obvious choices when you read them but believe it or not they were available for purchase.

The first one is called Chiropractic Homepage and it is home to a project I am involved with. It’s a project website geared towards working out designs for homepages and other parts of websites. Some good information there if your looking to get into the guts of your web structuring.

If that one was not straight forward enough can you believe Chiropractor Website was available and I think I picked it up for eight dollars. Bought this last year and quickly threw up a template web to the domain. It has some major SEO issues (we’ll get into that another time) but the domain itself gets searched for everyday because people are searching for a “chiropractor website” instead of some complicated name we decided to use because I thought it sounded good (like adiola). If you visit the site you may notice it appears like an office website but it’s actually a template that is a work in progress. I don’t currently promote it in my local area.

I could go down a list of what I think have been great domain purchases which turned out to be duds and I can also count the no brainers that seemed too simple to even think they were available (they were).

So, get your thinking caps on and get searching for that great cheerio domain name that is going to just magnetically draw people to it. Let me know if you pick up something spectacular!

From a search engine standpoint the reason someone would include RSS content on their site would be to increase the amount of data showing up on a particular page. Most yellowpages and directory web sites don’t have detailed information about the business listings they are displaying, beyond basic address and contact info. For example, if the Yellow Pages web site had a listing for a chiropractor in Winnipeg, Manitoba there would not be much content on the page other than the doctor’s phone number, address, city information and postal code. The webmaster for the site (or whoever is doing the search engine optimization) will seek to find other sources of content so that more information will show up on the pages being displayed. This approach is sometimes effective in improving rankings for pages in search results.

One particular way to do this is by the use of RSS aggregation. There are numerous ways to take individual RSS feeds or even groups of RSS feeds and display them on a particular page of a web site. The interesting thing about RSS is that the original source of the feed will typically get inbound link love which will increase the likelihood that someone is going to visit the web page of the original author that published the RSS content. I put more information at the end of this post on how to create RSS mixes.

If you’re not confused yet hold on because it’s going to get a little bit more complicated. I was doing some searching online last night and I noticed an article from Planet Chiropractic was appearing on a business listing page of a Canadian Yellow Pages directory. There was a link next to the content indicating the source of the RSS the directory site was displaying. It was not Planet Chiropractic. The source listed was a web site called chiroblogs (a chiropractic blog directory). The web site is aggregating RSS content from a number of locations (with a large amount of content coming from this blog) and it is increasingly appearing in search engines for chiropracticly related queries.

ChiroBlogs contacted us at some point and asked if it was OK to include our content in their index. When it comes to RSS you may want to weigh out the risks versus the benefits of someone else displaying your content. In this case I’m assuming chiroblogs.com is getting an increased amount of traffic especially since they’re being indexed and displayed on corporate web sites such as the Yellow Pages. I could be complaining that they are getting all the glory for content I created, since some of my posts are also showing up on the website. However, one of the RSS pieces of content that was being displayed on the Yellow Pages was the blog entry I posted about a chiropractic adjusting table for sale in Los Angeles, California. In order to view the details of that post one had to click on the source at the yellow page site which then directed them to this web site and the article about the adjusting table. That article also included a link to the actual ad. To complicate things even further the advertisement itself had an RSS feed that was appearing on numerous other web sites, creating multiple other potentials for people to see the content.

One thing I can say about my experience with RSS so far is that information can now travel like wildfire. It offers up an opportunity for content to go viral and move very quickly in many different directions. For someone trying to sell an adjusting table it seems like a good thing. For someone trying to promote a video it seems like a good thing. For someone that has content that they don’t want appearing anywhere else other than their web site, it may not be such a good thing. If that’s the case you may want to put some controls on your RSS feeds if you’re going to still use them. One thing you can consider is maybe just including a few sentences of content into your RSS distribution.

If you’re seeking to learn more about RSS check out these topics…

What does RSS stand for?
Chiropractic Jobs and Other Classifieds Now Available Via RSS

The article linked here may seem incredibly complicated for some but it includes a link to a source for creating custom RSS feed mixes. The results of mastering a tool such as an RSS feed mixer could be extremely valuable to any webmaster. Mixing your RSS feeds

Sicko takes a seriously critical look at the U.S. medically dominated health care system. The film is scheduled for release in major theaters on June 29th but pirated copies of the Oscar-winning filmmaker's new documentary have been appearing online at locations such as YouTube and movie UseNet groups (such as alt.binaries.movies.divx). Apparently, several attempts have been made to upload the video to Google owned YouTube with all versions being removed since the weekend. BitTorrent files of the film are appearing on peer-to-peer websites and thousands of free downloads have already taken place, according to various news reports.

There will be many questions about movie piracy and what affects this will have on the films popularity. Personally, I think the film will be a smash success, regardless of pirated circulation.

According to reports, a company based in Santa Monica, California has been working to flood the internet with "fake" versions of the film in hopes to thwart would be downloaders from getting the real thing. Sounds to me like a placebo version!

There has been controversial discussion over the fact that Moore filmed parts of SICKO in Cuba without authorization from the United States Treasury Department, something that would currently be illegal for a US citizen to do. A conspiracy theorist could wonder whether the film was leaked intentionally in order to be sure it made it to the masses.

Don't know if it what has happened was straight piracy, a viral marketing campaign, or something of some other nature. All I know is the film is expected to be released in the US on Friday, June 29th, and at least in the chiropractic profession, there is some major buzz to go see this film in theaters.

Your Chiropractic office or Organization can sponsor a SICKO Film Screening. Information on getting discounted group ticket rates, announcement flyers, and tips to make your sponsored screening a media event are all available here... Sponsor a SICKO Event

Spent some time today with leadership of the California Chiropractic Association, to discuss potential for chiropractors, chiropractic groups, and organizations, to work together online in creating more advanced and easy to use interfaces that will be beneficial to chiropractors and the people they serve.

If BJ Palmer were online, I would imagine he would be maximizing fully all the potential the internet had to offer, in promoting and preserving the message of chiropractic.

I have to give credit to Dr. John Bueler for having the vision to put todays meeting together. As a cohesive group we talked about ways to better serve chiropractors using technologies both available today and those that are yet on the edge and upcoming.

There were discussions of teaching chiropractors en mass of how they can improve on their websites, how they can better communicate the message of chiropractic online and in their communities, and how they can use existing tools to best utilize their time invested in internet activities.

The meeting took place among many that CCA leadership is holding this weekend, in conjunction with their annual Summer Convention (which is this weekend in San Diego).

California is a hotbed of creative internet activity, so it’s just natural that an organization like the CCA take a leadership role in not only providing services to their chiropractic members, but also in developing and partnering with others to deliver cutting edge services that can be utilized by other chiropractic organizations throughout the world.

If you are with a chiropractic group or organization that would like to develop advanced technologies that benefit the members of your organization and the people they serve, contact me for more information regarding our chiropractic business and technology services.

Our chiropractic information technology services focus on advising chiropractic organizations and businesses on how best to use the internet to meet their business and/or organizational objectives.

That sounds like a lot of business mumbo jumbo but basically after more than a decade of practically living online I have developed a massive wealth of information that is valuable and available in helping your website do better.

Ever wonder why chiropractors use different techniques? There are nearly as many ways to deliver a chiropractic adjustment as there are chiropractors. How is it possible that adjustments can be so different and still get good results?

“There are many paths to the top of the mountain, but the view is always the same,” goes the Chinese proverb.

The chiropractic adjustment in all its various forms relies on a single principle: the body knows how to heal, regulate and develop itself. The intent of each adjustment is to remove interference and upgrade the bodyÂ’s internal communication to allow the free expression of innate wisdom.

There are perhaps a quadrillion cells in the human body, each one with its own body-wide web of connections to other cells and the central nervous system. Cells make up the tissues that make up the organs that comprise the physical body; all of them busy around the clock with conference calls, emailing, faxing and sending packages, even while we sleep. Reducing static and interference on the lines of communication is the intention and the effect of every adjustment.

We are spiritual beings living in physical bodies. Every aspect of the human experience is lived through the nervous system. Everything we think, hear and feel begins as a bioelectric impulse perceived and given meaning by the mind. We are born with instincts for survival and procreation, and various desires such as finding love, meaning and purpose, not to mention fun.

The bodyÂ’s master control system is composed of the brain, spinal nerves and hormonal messengers, linked with complex feedback loops. Mental impulses maintain the miracle of life, seamlessly integrating all functions of all cells in the body at all times. Billions of bits of information travel back and forth between brain cells and tissue cells every second. The electricity of life hums and vibrates through the nerves as long as there is no interference.

Mother Nature requires only that we observe her natural laws in return for the miracle of a healthy life. Health is determined by the choices we make every day, including what we eat, what we think and how we move. It has been said that our biography becomes our biology.

Chiropractic springs from ancient traditions of healing based on natural laws and an understanding that good health is a matter of personal responsibility. We eat food to provide the body with abundant toxin-free nutrients, but also for the absolute pleasure of it, hopefully without too much overindulgence and excess. The pure water we drink allows the body to filter toxins and recharge bioelectric pathways. The mind needs feeding too, thriving best on a diet of gratitude, possibility, creativity and discipline.

Motion is key to the bodyÂ’s physical and mental health to maintain tone and enhance circulation and the flow of energy. But just as no amount of flossing and brushing can fix a dental cavity, all the stretching and exercise in the world will never restore and maintain motion in the spine as does regular chiropractic care.

Starting with its humble beginnings in 1895 with Dr. D.D. Palmer in the United States, chiropractic has spread around the globe and helped millions of health-seeking people experience the benefits of enhanced well being.

Dr. Darrel Crain is a Family Chiropractor and Natural Health Writer practicing in San Diego, California. He is the President of the CCA San Diego County District and can be reached at 619-445-0100

About a week ago a friend of mine e-mailed me suggesting I check out a new search engine web site called Mahalo. He wanted to get my opinion on the web site so I checked it out (I always love when friends check out my web site as well).

So I checked out the web site and I thought it was pretty basic. It had a simple and clean layout that was easy on my eyes. I spent a few minutes searching for various terms and then e-mailed my friend back to tell him what I thought.

The next day I thought I’d check the site out again since I really didn’t give it a good going through the first time out. I decided to take a look at the FAQ and to do some searches for terms that are currently popular and see just how good this Mahalo was. (Mahalo is Hawaiian for thank you.)

I did a search for the term “SEO” and Mahalo converted it into the key phrase “Search Engine Optimization” bringing me back groups of results. There was a list of the Mahalo top seven which included a wikipedia link and the typical pages I expected. What I thought was really cool was search result number 7, which was for a site called WebMasterWorld. Not only did Mahalo have a link for that web site, it listed the three latest headlines of posts made to the webmasterworld forum.

Further down the page there was also information listing prominent people in the area of SEO. Names included people such as Bruce Clay, Matt Cutts, Barry Schwartz, and Brett Tabke, among others.

Below that was some information on search engine optimization news which had Google News as the primary source of information. That was followed by some links for search engine optimization blogs, search engine optimization tips and tools, and then search engine optimization conferences.

It was the result on conferences that caused me to pause and got me thinking about these results. I was already pretty much familiar with everything on this page but I began thinking that if I knew nothing about search engine optimization there really was some of the “best of the best” information available for me to check out, all from a single page.

Turns out the human editor that created this page is “Dave,” some guy born in Hawaii and living in Los Angeles. Checking further down on Dave’s page I see that he’s written a whole bunch of search related information for Mahalo. First thing that catches my eye in his list is Googles Picasa. Neat thing about these results are that there is a download Picasa link right at the top of the page, along with a bunch of alternative locations to get the free software.

Today I decided to check out the site again and I was even more impressed than I was yesterday. In fact, it seemed as if the search engine web site had already evolved during the past 48 hours and now the results were even better. I decided to make Mahalo my homepage for at least the next 30 days and I’ll do a follow-up after that time.

According to the web site, Mahalo is the world’s first human powered search engine. It is run by an enthusiastic and energetic group of individuals who crunch through numerous web sites seeking out great search results. Rather than automated machine run search engines, these humans filter out spam and do their best to hand pick the best search results they’ve come up with on any number of search terms.

If you’re looking to check out something that’s fresh and new, send your browser over to Mahalo.com.