SEO Strategy for Physiotherapist
A data-driven execution plan to capture local search intent. This playbook targets high-value "near me" queries and transactional service keywords.
Execution Roadmap
Most physiotherapists target 'back pain treatment' (12K searches/month). Elite clinics dominate 'sciatica relief in [City]' (800 searches/month) with 3x higher conversion rates. Here's how to uncover these gems:
Physio-Specific Keyword Framework
// Niche Keyword Formula
"[Condition] + [Treatment Modality] + [Location] + [Patient Type]"
Examples:
- "post-stroke gait training in Brooklyn for seniors"
- "ACL rehab dry needling in Austin for athletes"
- "pelvic floor biofeedback in Denver for postpartum women"- Use Google's 'People Also Ask' for condition-specific modifiers (e.g., 'sharp vs dull lower back pain')
- Mine Reddit's r/physiotherapy for patient language patterns (e.g., 'PT made my herniated disc worse - what now?')
- Analyze competitor Google Business Profiles for 'Services' section keywords
- Extract terms from PubMed abstracts about emerging treatments (e.g., 'blood flow restriction training for knee OA')
Prioritize keywords where the pain description is 2-3x longer than the solution. Example: 'My lower back seizes up when I bend to pick up my toddler' (12 words) vs 'lumbar stabilization exercises' (3 words). These convert at 47% higher rates.
Generic 'LocalBusiness' schema won't cut it. Physiotherapists need a 3-layer schema ecosystem that mirrors clinical workflows:
Physiotherapy-Specific Schema Template
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@graph": [
{
"@type": "ProfessionalService",
"name": "Physiotherapist Service",
"image": "https://example.com/physiotherapist-image.jpg",
"url": "https://example.com/physiotherapist",
"telephone": "123-456-7890",
"address": {
"@type": "PostalAddress",
"streetAddress": "123 Main St",
"addressLocality": "Anytown",
"addressRegion": "US",
"postalCode": "12345",
"addressCountry": "United States"
},
"geo": {
"@type": "GeoCoordinates",
"latitude": "37.7749",
"longitude": "-122.4194"
},
"areaServed": {
"@type": "GeoCircle",
"circleCenter": {
"@type": "GeoCoordinates",
"latitude": "37.7749",
"longitude": "-122.4194"
},
"circleRadius": "1000"
},
"hasOfferCatalog": {
"@type": "OfferCatalog",
"name": "Physiotherapist Services",
"itemListElement": [
{
"@type": "Offer",
"itemOffered": {
"@type": "Service",
"name": "Vestibular Rehabilitation",
"description": "Specialized treatment for BPPV, vestibular neuritis, and post-concussion dizziness using Epley maneuver and habituation exercises"
}
},
{
"@type": "Offer",
"itemOffered": {
"@type": "Service",
"name": "Physical Therapy",
"description": "Personalized physical therapy sessions for injury recovery, pain management, and overall wellness"
}
},
{
"@type": "Offer",
"itemOffered": {
"@type": "Service",
"name": "Sports Injury Rehabilitation",
"description": "Rehabilitation programs for athletes to recover from sports-related injuries and improve performance"
}
}
]
}
}
]
}Basic LocalBusiness schema with generic 'services' list
Nested PhysiotherapyClinic → PhysiotherapyService → MedicalCondition → Review schema with treatment-specific details and actionable booking links
Most clinics create generic 'back pain' pages. Top-performing physiotherapists build interconnected content clusters that guide patients through the entire rehabilitation journey:
Physio-Specific URL Architecture
// URL Structure Blueprint
/clinics/[city]/[condition]/[treatment-modality]/
/clinics/[city]/[condition]/[treatment-modality]/[phase]/
Examples:
- /clinics/austin/sciatica/dry-needling/
- /clinics/austin/sciatica/dry-needling/acute-phase/
- /clinics/austin/sciatica/dry-needling/return-to-sport/- Phase 1: 'Understanding Your [Condition]' (e.g., 'Why Your Sciatica Flares Up at Night')
- Phase 2: 'Treatment Options' (e.g., 'Dry Needling vs. IASTM for Sciatica: What Your PT Won't Tell You')
- Phase 3: 'What to Expect' (e.g., 'Your First 3 Dry Needling Sessions for Sciatica: A Day-by-Day Breakdown')
- Phase 4: 'Recovery Roadmap' (e.g., 'Sciatica Rehab Timeline: When You'll Walk, Sit, and Sleep Pain-Free')
- Phase 5: 'Prevention' (e.g., '5 Daily Habits That Trigger Sciatica (And How to Fix Them)')
Record 10 initial consultations. Transcribe the exact words patients use to describe their symptoms, fears, and goals. Use these phrases verbatim in your content. Example: Instead of 'lumbar stabilization exercises', use 'the 3 moves that stop your back from giving out when you bend over'.
Most physiotherapy websites have a generic 'Contact Us' form. Elite clinics create multi-step funnels that align with the patient's emotional and physical journey:
Physio-Specific Conversion Funnel
// Funnel Stage 1: Pain Point Validation
CTA: "Get Your Custom [Condition] Recovery Plan"
Form Fields:
- Describe your pain (1-10 scale + location)
- What makes it better/worse?
- What have you tried so far?
// Funnel Stage 2: Treatment Matching
CTA: "See Which Treatment Works Best for You"
Quiz:
- Q1: How long have you had this pain?
- Q2: What's your biggest limitation? (e.g., sitting, standing, sleeping)
- Q3: Have you had imaging? (Yes/No + type)
// Funnel Stage 3: Scheduling
CTA: "Book Your [Treatment Modality] Assessment"
Options:
- "I need relief NOW" (same-day emergency slots)
- "I want to understand my options" (consultation)
- "I'm ready to commit to rehab" (package booking)Most physiotherapists share generic advice. Top clinics publish original research, treatment outcome data, and insider insights that attract both patients and referring physicians:
- Publish annual 'State of [Condition] Treatment' reports (e.g., '2024 Trends in ACL Rehab: What 500 Patients Taught Us')
- Create 'Treatment Outcome Dashboards' showing success rates by condition, age group, and treatment modality
- Develop 'Physio-Approved' product guides (e.g., 'The 7 Best Braces for Patellar Tendonitis (Tested by Our Team)')
- Host 'Case Study Grand Rounds' where you present complex patient cases (anonymized) with treatment decisions and outcomes
- Create 'Myth vs. Fact' content series debunking common misconceptions (e.g., 'Why Your 'Bad Posture' Isn't Causing Your Back Pain')
Create a 'For Doctors' section with: 1) Treatment protocols for common conditions, 2) Red flags that warrant referral, 3) Outcome data for your clinic. Physicians will link to this as a resource, driving high-authority backlinks.
Generic blog posts about 'how to treat back pain'
Original research reports, treatment outcome dashboards, and physician-facing resources that establish clinical authority and attract high-quality backlinks
Most clinics optimize for '[City] physiotherapist'. Elite practices dominate by targeting micro-locations and local intent signals:
Hyper-Local URL Architecture
// Local SEO URL Structure
/clinics/[city]/[neighborhood]/[condition]/
/clinics/[city]/[landmark]-physiotherapy/
Examples:
- /clinics/portland/pearl-district/sciatica/
- /clinics/portland/ohsu-physiotherapy/ (near major hospital)
- /clinics/portland/rose-quarter-sports-rehab/ (near stadium)Partner with local gyms, sports teams, and senior centers to create 'Recovery Partnership' pages. Example: 'Our Partnership with the Portland Timbers: ACL Rehab for Soccer Players'. These pages attract high-quality local backlinks and referral traffic.
Most physiotherapy websites have basic technical SEO issues. Elite clinics optimize for treatment-specific ranking factors and user experience signals:
- Implement 'Treatment-Specific' page speed optimizations (e.g., lazy-load exercise demo videos, optimize medical imaging examples)
- Create 'Condition Hub' pages with internal linking structures that mirror clinical pathways (e.g., 'Back Pain' → 'Herniated Disc' → 'Microdiscectomy Rehab')
- Optimize for 'treatment intent' keywords with FAQ schema (e.g., 'How many dry needling sessions for sciatica?')
- Implement 'Patient Journey' breadcrumbs (e.g., Home > Back Pain > Herniated Disc > Post-Surgical Rehab)
- Create 'Treatment Comparison' pages with interactive tables (e.g., 'Dry Needling vs. IASTM for Plantar Fasciitis')
Physiotherapy-Optimized Robots.txt
// Physio-Specific Robots.txt
User-agent: *
Disallow: /patient-portal/
Disallow: /admin/
Allow: /clinics/*/treatment-outcomes/
Allow: /clinics/*/case-studies/
Sitemap: https://[clinic].com/sitemap.xml
Sitemap: https://[clinic].com/treatment-sitemap.xml
Sitemap: https://[clinic].com/condition-sitemap.xmlPrioritize crawling of high-value treatment pages by: 1) Adding 'lastmod' dates to treatment pages when you update protocols, 2) Using 'priority' tags in your sitemap (e.g., 1.0 for treatment pages, 0.5 for blog posts), 3) Implementing 'hreflang' for multi-location clinics.
Most clinics have generic testimonials. Elite physiotherapists create a systematic approach to collecting, optimizing, and amplifying patient success stories:
Treatment-Specific Review Schema
// Review Schema for Treatment-Specific Feedback
<script type="application/ld+json">
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Review",
"itemReviewed": {
"@type": "PhysiotherapyService",
"name": "Vestibular Rehabilitation"
},
"reviewRating": {
"@type": "Rating",
"ratingValue": "5",
"bestRating": "5"
},
"name": "Life-Changing Treatment for My Vertigo",
"author": {
"@type": "Person",
"name": "Sarah K."
},
"reviewBody": "After 3 sessions of vestibular rehab, my constant dizziness went from an 8/10 to a 2/10. I can drive again and sleep through the night!",
"reviewAspect": [
{
"@type": "ReviewAspect",
"name": "Pain Reduction",
"ratingValue": "5"
},
{
"@type": "ReviewAspect",
"name": "Expertise",
"ratingValue": "5"
}
]
}
</script>Encourage patients to leave reviews at key milestones (e.g., after 3rd session, at discharge, 3 months post-treatment). This creates a steady stream of fresh reviews that signal active, successful treatment to search engines.
Growth Model
This model assumes consistent content generation and basic backlink acquisition. ROI typically stabilizes within 90 days of full indexation.
