If you have been on social media as a chiropractor for more than five minutes, you have probably been pitched a secret to ranking number one on Google Maps. It is always framed the same way: someone discovered something, it worked in their town, and now they are willing to share it with you for a fee. Sometimes it is a marketing company. Sometimes it is a current or former chiropractor who figured out a shortcut. It always sounds easier than it probably is.
I want to talk about two specific examples making the rounds right now, because both of them carry real risk, and the companies selling them are not going to be there to help you when things go sideways.
Why Chiropractors Are a Target for This Kind of Pitch
Chiropractic school does not teach business or marketing. Most of what chiropractors know about local search filters through the profession years after it was actually current, which means there is almost always a gap between what you know and what is actually happening with Google and AI right now. That gap is exactly where these pitches live.
The other thing worth knowing is that I get hit with the same pitches you do. Because people see Rocket Chiro and assume I am a chiropractor in active practice, I get cold emails and DMs constantly about my rankings, my website, my Google Business Profile. The fact that none of it is accurate makes it very obvious that these are templated, mass-produced outreach campaigns dressed up to look personal. If you have ever received one of these and thought it seemed suspiciously well-timed, it was not. It was a template with your name on it.
The Burner Phone Scheme
The first example is one I came across recently on Instagram. A guy claiming to be a chiropractor was promoting a method he used to rank number one in his market. The strategy: pay people to take multiple phones, turn on GPS directions to your office, and drive there. Do this enough times and you create the appearance of traffic, heat, and interest in your practice that Google interprets as a signal of prominence.
To understand why this seems appealing, you have to understand how local search actually works. There are three pillars: relevance, proximity, and prominence. Relevance and proximity are relatively straightforward. Prominence is the hard one. The most prominent practices in your area are going to have more website traffic, more Google Business Profile views, more phone calls, more people pulling up directions, and more reviews. Google sees all of that activity as evidence that your practice is a big deal in the area.
Faking those direction signals is an attempt to manufacture prominence without earning it. And in the very short term, it can work. Rankings do move. The problem is that Google is constantly analyzing patterns and comparing them to your historic norm and to other practices in your area. If your office suddenly has 45 people pulling up directions on a random Thursday afternoon, that is not a pattern that looks organic. It is a pattern that looks like exactly what it is.
When Google detects it, the consequences are not minor. Shadow banning, blacklisted profiles, removed reviews. These are not easy fixes. They are the kind of problems that can take months to sort out, and the company that sold you the hack is not going to help you sort it out. It is your business and your profile on the line, not theirs.
It is also worth knowing that if I were doing local SEO work for a client in a competitive market and I found out a competitor was running this scheme, I would report them to Google without hesitation. That is not being a bad sport. That is one business following the rules and another one not, and the one not following the rules has an artificial advantage. Reporting them is the correct response.
The Photo Raffle Trap
The second example is more subtle and easier to stumble into with genuinely good intentions.
Adding photos to your Google Business Profile is a good thing. It signals engagement, it keeps your profile fresh, and it gives potential patients a better sense of your practice before they ever walk in. Even better than you adding photos is when patients add their own, because that is an outside signal that indicates real depth of relationship with your community. A patient taking the time to post a photo to your Business Profile is a meaningful trust signal to Google.
So it makes sense on the surface to try to get more of that. The mistake is turning it into an incentive. Running a raffle where patients who post a photo get entered to win something, or offering any kind of reward tied to that action, crosses into bribery territory under Google’s policies. The intent does not matter. The structure of the exchange is what Google looks at, and the structure of “do this thing for a chance to win something” is an incentive, full stop.
The same principle applies to reviews. Asking a happy patient to leave an honest review is completely fine and encouraged. Telling patients they will be entered into a drawing if they leave a review is a policy violation, even if you genuinely believe they would have said nice things anyway.
What Actually Builds Prominence
The unglamorous truth is that the things that build real, lasting prominence in local search are the same things they have always been. Ask for reviews consistently and make it a part of your office culture. Post regularly to your Google Business Profile. Respond to every review. Fill out your profile as completely as possible. Add photos regularly, and when a patient has a meaningful moment in your office, ask if they would be willing to share a photo to your profile.
None of that is a shortcut. All of it compounds over time. And none of it puts your entire Business Profile at risk if Google takes a closer look.
This is also why the foundation you build with your chiropractic website matters so much alongside your Google Business Profile. A website that establishes real topical authority in your area works with your Business Profile to build the kind of prominence that holds up, because it is real. There is no pattern for Google to flag because there is nothing being faked.
The Question Worth Asking Before You Buy
Any time someone is selling you something that sounds like a shortcut in local search, ask yourself one question: if Google knew exactly what I was doing, would they reward me or penalize me for it?
If the answer is anything other than a clear reward, that is your answer. The companies selling these schemes are not building your business. They are gambling with it, and the odds are not in your favor.
If you want a straight, honest look at where your website and local search actually stand right now, you can request a free website and SEO review at RocketChiro.com. I will send you a custom video walking through exactly what I see and what I would recommend, no pressure and no obligation.
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