Practical guide for 2025

seo for physiotherapist

Step-by-step website and SEO tactics physiotherapists can do this week to attract more local patients

This guide is written for clinic owners and clinicians who want a straightforward checklist: the exact keywords to target, on-page fixes, local SEO steps, content ideas, review strategies and conversion tweaks that actually increase bookings.

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In this guide

Why SEO matters for physiotherapists Keyword research & targeting On-page SEO checklist Local SEO & Google Business Profile Content strategy & blog ideas Reviews & trust signals Conversion optimisation Tracking & KPIs

Why SEO matters for physiotherapists

Most patients start with a search: "physio near me", "back pain physio", or "post-op rehab [suburb]". If your clinic doesn't appear on page 1 for these queries, you're losing highly-qualified, local patients to competitors.

Local intent: Searchers are often ready to book — not just browse.
Organic traffic is cost-effective and compounding over time.
Good SEO improves trust and perceived expertise — essential in healthcare.

Quick result metric: Focus on local keyword rankings, website leads (calls & booking clicks) and Google Business Profile views — these are the fastest signals of SEO success for clinics.

Keyword research — what to target (and how)

Start with a small, high-intent keyword set. Use these to build service pages and blog topics.

Core service keywords

physiotherapist [suburb]
physio near me
sports physio [suburb]
pelvic floor physio
post-operative rehabilitation [suburb]

High-intent long-tail keywords (quick wins)

best physio for back pain in [suburb]
physio for ACL rehab near me
women's health physio [suburb]
home visits physiotherapist [suburb]

How to find more keywords (quick tools)

Use Google Autocomplete, People Also Ask, AnswerThePublic, and free Keyword Planner in Google Ads. Aim for 20–40 keywords split across services, conditions, and suburbs.

Keyword mapping tip: Assign one primary keyword to each page (e.g., "sports physio [suburb]" → Sports Physio page). Avoid targeting multiple primary keywords on the same page.

On-page SEO checklist — exact changes to make

These on-page fixes typically take a few minutes per page but have outsized impact.

1. Page title

Craft a title under 60 characters with primary keyword and suburb.

Examples:

Sports physiotherapist [Suburb] — Clinic Name
Back pain physio near me — [Clinic]

2. Meta description

150–160 characters. Include service, suburb and call to action.

Example:

Experienced sports physiotherapist in [Suburb]. Same-week appointments. Call or book online.

3. Heading structure (H1, H2, H3)

One H1 per page using the primary keyword. Use H2s for services, symptoms, and FAQ sections.

4. First paragraph & keyword placement

Include primary keyword within first 75 words. Keep tone natural — avoid keyword stuffing.

5. Service pages & location pages

Create separate pages for top services and for each suburb you serve (if you serve multiple suburbs). Each page should solve a patient problem.

6. Images & ALT text

Use clinic photos: practitioner shots, treatment rooms, exercises. Add descriptive ALT text with keywords (e.g., "physiotherapist assessing knee in [Suburb]").

7. Schema & structured data

Add LocalBusiness or MedicalBusiness schema with opening hours, address, phone, services offered and accepted payment methods. This improves click-throughs and eligibility for rich results.

8. Internal linking

Link from blog posts to service pages and your booking page. Use descriptive anchor text like "book a physiotherapy assessment".

Quick audit: pick 3 high-value pages (Home + 2 service pages) and run through this checklist this week.

Local SEO — show up when patients search nearby

Local visibility is the highest-impact area for clinics. Follow this checklist and measure weekly improvements.

Google Business Profile (GBP) optimisation

Claim and verify your GBP.
Use your exact clinic name, address, phone (NAP) — same format everywhere.
Choose correct categories: Physiotherapist, Sports Physiotherapist, Women's Health Clinic (if applicable).
Upload 10+ photos: exterior, interior, team, treatments, equipment.
Write a clear business description with services and suburbs.
Enable messaging and check it daily (or route to WhatsApp).

Local citations & listings

Ensure consistent NAP across health directories, Yellow Pages, HealthEngine, HotDoc, Whitecoat and local council listings. Use citation-building services or do 10–20 manual listings.

Local content

Create pages targeted to suburbs: "Physio in [Suburb] — same-week appointments". Use local landmarks and suburbs in content to signal relevance.

Local backlinks

Get links from local partners: gyms, GPs, sports clubs and local news. Sponsor events or write guest posts for local outlets.

Fast action plan (this week):

Claim/verify GBP and add 10 photos.
Confirm NAP on your website footer and directory listings.
Publish one suburb-targeted landing page.

Content strategy — topics that attract patients

Patients search for symptoms and solutions. Your content should answer their questions and lead them to book.

Blog & FAQ ideas

How to treat acute lower back pain at home (and when to see a physio)
What to expect at your first physiotherapy appointment
ACL rehab timeline: weeks 1–12 explained
Pregnancy pelvic pain — safe exercises and physio options

Content format & structure

Write 800–1,500 word posts for high-value topics. Use headings, short paragraphs, bullet lists, images of exercises, and at least one local keyword.

Video & exercise libraries

Short videos of home exercises increase engagement and time-on-page. Host on YouTube (embed on site) to gain search visibility.

Content calendar

Publish 1 blog/month initially, focusing on 6–12 cornerstone topics chosen from your keyword list.

Pro tip: Turn common patient questions into FAQ blocks on service pages — these often appear in Google's "People Also Ask".

Reviews & trust signals — convert searches into bookings

Online reviews are a major ranking and conversion factor for local health businesses.

Getting more Google reviews

Ask at the end of a great appointment — make it personal.
Send a one-click review link via SMS or email (template below).
Respond to all reviews — thank positive reviewers and resolve issues publicly.

SMS template: Hi [Name], thanks for visiting [Clinic]. If you have 30s, could you leave a Google review? [short link]

Trust signals to add on site

Practitioner bios with credentials and photos
Before/after or outcomes case studies (anonymised)
Memberships (APA, AHPRA) and insurer recognitions

Conversion note: adding an average star rating and 5 recent reviews near your booking button can increase click-throughs by 20%+.

Conversion optimisation — turn visitors into patients

Small UX changes can produce big jumps in bookings.

Make it easy to book

Show a prominent "Book online" button in the header.
Add click-to-call for mobile users.
Pre-fill short booking forms with phone & name where possible.

Optimize your contact page

Embed Google Map and directions.
Show opening hours, parking info and public transport options.

Use clear CTAs

Make CTAs specific: "Book initial assessment", "Arrange telehealth consult", "Request appointment for ACL rehab". One-click actions convert better than generic "Contact us".

Trust before booking

Show practitioner photos, quick FAQ about fees and private insurance, and recent reviews on the booking page to reduce friction.

Technical SEO — speed, mobile & structure

These are basic technical checks. Fixing them prevents ranking losses and improves user experience.

Mobile-first

Ensure the site looks and works on mobile. Large buttons, readable fonts, and fast image loading are essential.

Page speed

Target under 3s on mobile. Compress images (webp), enable browser caching and use CDN. Test with Google PageSpeed Insights and GTmetrix.

HTTPS & security

Always use HTTPS. Ensure forms submit securely and have an up-to-date SSL certificate.

Sitemap & robots

Have an XML sitemap and a robots.txt file. Submit sitemap to Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools.

Tracking & KPIs — what to measure

Without tracking you can't prove ROI. Set up these basic measurements.

Organic sessions and keyword rankings (monthly)
Phone call tracking and call sources
Booking conversions (online bookings & contact form submissions)
Google Business Profile views & direction requests

Set up (quick list)

Install Google Analytics 4 and link to Google Search Console.
Enable event tracking for booking button clicks and form submissions.
Use a dedicated phone number for online ads and tracking if running campaigns.

Common mistakes physiotherapy clinics make

Not optimising for local search and relying on organic national keywords.
Having poor GBP listings or inconsistent NAP across directories.
Overly long pages without clear CTAs — patients don’t want to hunt for booking.
Ignoring reviews and not responding to feedback.

Getting started — 30/60/90 day action plan

First 30 days

Claim and optimise GBP
Fix titles & meta on 3 priority pages
Publish one suburb landing page

Days 31–60

Start monthly blog (pillar topic)
Set up analytics & track conversions
Request 10 reviews from recent patients

Days 61–90

Build exercise video library
Acquire 3 local backlinks
Run a speed & mobile UX audit

If you'd like to move faster, Congero can build a mobile-optimised, SEO-ready website and GBP setup in under 48 hours — then help keep content and SEO updated via text message. Learn more or get a demo below.

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Frequently asked questions

How long until I see SEO results?

Local SEO improvements (GBP, citations) can show impact in 2–6 weeks. On-page content and backlinks typically take 2–4 months to move rankings. Tracking leads and bookings is the quickest indicator of progress.

Do I need a blog to rank?

Not always — well-optimised service pages and GBP can rank. But a blog helps capture long-tail queries and supports internal linking to your services.

How many reviews do I need?

Aim for 20+ quality reviews over time. Recency matters: getting 3–5 reviews in a month does more for rankings and conversions than a single old batch of 50 reviews.

Ready to get more local patients?

If you want a fast, SEO-ready site plus ongoing updates and local optimisation, Congero builds and manages clinic websites for a flat monthly fee — includes domain, hosting, GBP setup and unlimited updates via text.

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