June 2012

In This Issue:

• Google Changes the SEO Game, Chiropractic Websites Affected
• What Are Your Patients Reading?
• Sherman College Seeking New President
• The Good, the Bad, and the Subluxated! - AKA - Chiropractic in the News
• Now You Know Internet Educational Services

Google Changes the SEO Game, Chiropractic Websites Affected

Google has recently made major changes in the way that it handles it web searches.  When  you or anyone goes to Google to conduct a search, Google uses a very elaborate logarithmic system to determine what you are looking for and give you the websites you seek. The latest rendition of the Google logarithm is called Google Penguin.

What Google Penguin does is eliminate many of the tricks that certain web developers and companies were using to try to get their sites listed higher on Google searches.

One of the tricks Google is now penalizing is non-related link building. This is when a company links your site to as many unrelated sites as possible to try to gain SEO ranking. Some chiropractic web companies were using this approach and as a result their customers websites have now dropped in the rankings, or placed into Google's "sandbox". Websites put into a "sandbox", are compared to being a holding area and have their search ratings on hold until they can prove worthy of ranking.

Google now penalizes any companies or websites that use what are termed "Black Hat" or "Webspam" techniques. These are attempts to trick the search engines into ranking their sites higher. It should be noted that Now You Know has NEVER used Black Hat techniques or purchased link building services so our subscribers have actually seen an increase in their rankings, while others have dropped.

Google does reward those websites with a good user experience using what is termed "White Hat" search engine optimization. The main characteristic of this is good content. Content and the user experience is what Google is after. Updating your site with a blog and realistic relevant content, along with proper use of keywords are some of the main ingredients of good white hat techniques. As one article summed it up in their recommendations, "Be Relevant, Be Balanced, and Keep It Real."

NYK has always used only White Hat techniques in our SEO strategies. NYK offers a free SEO review for our subscribers, and has affordable professional SEO services available for those who do not want to spend the time or energy learning all the ins and outs of professional level SEO.  If you want more information about Now You Know's personalized, one-on-one professional SEO services, please click here.

As it has been said by most experts for over a decade, when it comes to websites, "content is king!"

What Are Your Patients Reading?

Now You Know has always believed in the quality of the information that is put into our newsletters and on our websites. We are chiropractors, therefore the articles that we release are intended for our patients as well as our subscribers. Relevant, well written, timely and sourced content build respect and credibility. This increases action steps by the reader, increases their ability to make referrals, and translates into more new patients for your office.

Below is an article that was included in this months NYK newsletter, and now also appears on all the NYK subscribers websites. This article represents just one of six that were in this latest edition. When it comes to referral stimulation, and patient retention, it is all about the quality of the content.

Chiropractic is "High Quality" Care for Military According to Report

A piece of legislation passed by the U.S. congress on May 18, 2012 made strong pro-chiropractic statements while recognizing the benefits of chiropractic care for the men and women serving in the military. The original bill, numbered HR 4310, and titled the  National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013, not only spoke to the benefits of chiropractic care for the military, but also noted that chiropractors are presently not paid at parity for their professional services as compared to other professionals who care for the military.

The language of the portion of the bill that addresses chiropractic is as follows:

Comptroller General Report on Chiropractic Health Care Professionals.

The committee understands that for more than a decade, the Department of Defense has provided high-quality chiropractic health care services to Active Duty military personnel at military treatment facilities throughout the world. Today, chiropractic health care continues to be a key benefit for the men and women of the Armed Force as a result of increased incidences of musculoskeletal injuries sustained in combat. However, the committee is concerned by disparities in pay and job classifications that have resulted in chiropractors receiving lower wage rates than health care providers with either comparable or less training, skill sets, and health care responsibilities for patients in military treatment facilities. There-fore, the committee directs the Comptroller General of the United States to conduct a study and submit the findings to the Senate Committee on Armed Services and the House Committee on Armed Services by April 1, 2013, on the wage rates for chiropractors with-in the Department of Defense as compared to health care providers with either comparable or less training, skill sets, licensure and certification requirements, and health care responsibilities.

The committee mentioned in the above bill is the  U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Armed Services, who helped prepare the bill for the full congress.

The original legislation requiring  chiropractic care be available to members of the military was passed in the year 2000. However, implementation of the law has been slow with many military personnel not being given access without severe hardships. Today, however, there are doctors of chiropractic  working at 42 VA medical centers and at 60 Department of Defense facilities around the world.

Sherman College Seeking New President

Sherman College of Chiropractic has begun a search for a new president to replace Jon Schwartzbauer D.C. who announced he is stepping down as president.

In a statement Dr. Schwartzbauer commented, "I have seen Sherman College surpass expectations many times, in many ways, and I know the college has the potential to be truly exceptional," Schwartzbauer said. "I am honored to have been part of that path."

The Board of Trustees, headed by their chairman, Peter J. Kevorkian, B.S., D.C., has begun a search for a new president. On their website they describe some of the characteristics and qualifications they are looking for.

Sherman College of Chiropractic seeks a proven and dynamic leader to serve as the organization’s president.

The successful candidate will have a strong track record in inspiring, motivating and leading a senior management team and will take on the significant leadership role of representing Sherman College’s vision in the chiropractic profession. Additionally, the candidate will have earned a doctorate or chiropractic degree with a distinguished record of leadership, management and service in his/her field (D.C. preferred) including higher education, business and/or government experience. He/she must possess excellent written and verbal communication skills and a proven history of responsible fiscal management.

We seek an exceptional individual who will forge effective relationships with a broad number of constituents including students, faculty, alumni, donors and the Board of Trustees, and who will lead the college, build enrollment, increase supporters, and continue to enhance the college curriculum with the highest degree of personal and professional integrity.

Sherman College is home to a growing and diverse population of approximately 200 students and is located on a beautiful 80-acre campus in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. More information about the college can be found on our fast facts page.

Please submit a letter of introduction, curriculum vitae, and contact information for five references. Send materials by July 31, 2012, to Presidential Search Committee, c/o Sherman College of Chiropractic, P.O. Box 1452, Spartanburg, SC 29304.

The Good, the Bad, and the Subluxated! - AKA - Chiropractic in the News

• ICA Responds to CCE
• Chiropractic Jobs Projected to Jump 28 Percent by 2020
• Chiropractic may help women with amenorrhea
• Kids Need Chiropractic, Too
• Chiropractic spinal manipulation warning
• What's the difference between a chiropractor and a physical therapist?
• Team approach sought to back pain
• Chiropractors continue to treat children despite a lack of evidence
• Is Spine Manipulation for Neck Pain Safe?
• Why does the government subsidize chiropractic colleges?
• Spine manipulation for neck pain "inadvisable"
• Alberta to revive controversial chiropractic treatment subsidies for seniors
• Sides Square Off on Manipulation for Neck Pain
• Letting a chiropractor 'crack' your neck to ease pain could trigger stroke

Now You Know Internet Educational Services

We Are Chiropractors!  We know what it takes to run a successful practice. We know what kind of education is effective to communicate chiropractic to your practice members and to the public at large. We did not start off as a technology company that decided to sell websites to chiropractors. We are chiropractors who developed the technology to help you better spread the message of chiropractic. From our innovative Adjustable Websites, to our FREE in-office Chiropractic News Service, to our Real-News Email Newsletters, all of the services of Now You Know have been developed and tested by chiropractors, - for chiropractors. We don't try to sell services to chiropractors. We develop services and features we need in our office. Then we offer them to the chiropractic profession. We know what works! NO CONTRACTS!  You simply subscribe to our service and pay by the quarter. We have to continually earn your business.

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