Many chiropractors are starting to realise that having a good website is a MUST now a days with everyone using the Internet as a means of finding information and booking their various appointments, whether that be holidays, business trips etc ..... and now even chiropractic treatments!

For those chiropractors with a website it appears there are two types on the web; one being the "brochure" site constructed of clinic contact details, meet the team (if you are lucky!) and a bit about the benefits of chiropractic. The second type is a fully functional marketing tool, where the viewers can book their appointments, they can refer a friend and be entered into a prize draw and they can sign up to a monthly newsletter, to mention a few. I can safely say there are not many chiropractors with the second type of website! AND, there are also still a vast number of clinic owners though who don't have any website at all !

If you do have a website or may now be realising perhaps you should have one, these are a few tips we think are important:

* The Meet the Team section is very important......and include photos, maybe a team photo as well as individuals. Most members of the public when deciding on choosing to book a meeting for the first time want to see that you look pleasant and friendly. Include the team photo on the home page if possible as this will help to breakdown the first barrier between you and a new patient.

* Put some special offers on your website to encourage people to book online. This will get word about as well as people are likely to mention it to their friends

* Make sure you get some testimonials from your existing patients and publish these online to give your practice some credibility

* If you can have a booking form where patients can select a suitable date and time for an appointment. This is an efficient way of managing the practice appointment diary as the practice manager can check the time slot is available and make contact with the new / existing patient to confirm.

* Look into paying for a good website designer to get your branding and website looking slick and attractive. We can recommend a couple of people who work on our website who are fairly priced and we think do an excellent job. If your budget allows, consider some website optimisation (again we can recommend someone) as this will ensure that when people search for a chiropractic clinic in your area that they will be able to find your website.

Hope this has been useful tips for starting to market online.