Why Can't Chiropractors Rank Well In Other Towns Besides Their Own?

This episode of the Rocket Chiro Podcast dives deep into one of the most common local SEO questions chiropractors ask me: “Why don’t I rank in the town next to mine?” It’s a simple question, but the answer isn’t always what chiropractors expect.

I start by explaining that local SEO is heavily influenced by proximity. Google knows exactly where your practice is located, so if you’re in Chesterfield, Missouri, you’re naturally going to rank best for “Chesterfield chiropractor.” Ranking in a nearby town like Town and Country is possible, but difficult. The biggest factors that make it hard are your location, the density of chiropractors in the area, and how competitive their SEO is.

I also talk about the few situations where ranking outside your city is possible. You might be able to do it if there aren’t many chiropractors in that other town, if the ones there have poor SEO, or if you’re located in a gray metro area where town borders overlap—like being technically outside of St. Louis but still part of the St. Louis metro.

Then I shift gears to talk about smarter ways to expand your reach. You don’t have to chase unrealistic ranking goals. Instead, you can focus on keywords that naturally extend your visibility—like “sports chiropractor,” “chiropractor during pregnancy,” or “chiropractor for kids.” These kinds of searches reduce your competition because fewer chiropractors optimize for them, and they allow you to reach patients from a wider area.

I also mention a tool called Local Falcon, which I use in my free website and SEO reviews. It’s a great, affordable option for chiropractors who want to track their own local SEO and see how they’re performing across different search areas.

To wrap up, I remind chiropractors to go into SEO with realistic expectations. There’s no secret trick or quick fix. If someone makes SEO sound easy or overly complicated, that’s a red flag. The best strategy is to focus on strong local SEO for the area you’re actually in, optimize for the services and terms that make you unique, and let that naturally radiate into surrounding areas.

Resources Mentioned

Free Website/SEO Review: https://rocketchiro.com/chiropractic-practice-assessment
Best chiropractic websites: https://rocketchiro.com/best-chiropractic-websites
Chiropractic SEO: https://rocketchiro.com/chiropractic-seo