Surgical & pain
SEO & AEO for Sports Medicine Practices
Get found by athletes and active individuals searching for sports injury treatment, concussion care, and performance medicine.
With 8.6 million sports injuries occurring annually in the US,[1] athletes and active individuals are actively searching for specialized care. Nearly 80% of Americans participated in at least one sports or fitness activity in 2024,[2] creating substantial demand for sports medicine expertise. Your online visibility determines whether these motivated patients find your practice.
Sports medicine occupies a unique position in healthcare – treating highly motivated patients who want to return to activity quickly and safely. The global sports medicine market reached $6.7 billion in 2024 and is projected to grow at 6.6% annually.[3] These patients research extensively, comparing providers, treatment approaches, and recovery protocols before choosing who will help them return to their sport or activity.
Yet many sports medicine practices struggle to capture this high-intent traffic. Hospital systems and large orthopedic groups dominate search results for terms like "sports medicine doctor near me." Google confirms that "review count and review score factor into local search ranking,"[4] giving established practices a compounding advantage. Independent sports medicine physicians – often with superior expertise in specific sports or injuries – remain invisible to the athletes who need them most.
Why sports medicine practices struggle with search visibility
Understanding these challenges is the first step to solving them.
Athletes search for specific injuries, not general practices
A runner with IT band syndrome searches "IT band treatment" – not "sports medicine near me." Your content needs to address specific injuries and sports to capture these searches.
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Patients use AI for injury research and provider recommendations
Athletes increasingly ask ChatGPT "best sports medicine doctor for runners in [city]." If your practice isn't structured for AI comprehension, you're invisible to this segment.
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Competition from orthopedic groups and hospital systems
Large orthopedic practices position sports medicine as one of many services. Independent sports medicine physicians need to differentiate on specialization and athlete-focused care.
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Our approach for sports medicine practices
We build SEO and AEO infrastructure specifically designed for sports medicine practices. Our platform creates injury-specific and sport-specific content, implements medical schema markup, and optimizes your local presence – all while positioning you for AI citation when athletes search for specialized care.
Unlike agencies that deliver generic healthcare SEO, we understand the unique patient journey of athletes and active individuals who want to return to their sport as quickly and safely as possible.
- Build comprehensive content for every injury and condition you treat – from ACL tears to concussions to overuse injuries.
- Create sport-specific pages that demonstrate expertise with runners, CrossFit athletes, youth sports, or your key patient populations.
- Structure your site so Google and AI tools understand your sports medicine specializations.
- Optimize for condition-specific searches like "rotator cuff tear treatment" and athlete-focused queries.
Live in one day
Unlike agencies that take months to show results, our AI-powered system deploys optimized content for your practice in days. You review, we publish.
Frequently asked questions
Common questions sports medicine practices ask about SEO and AEO.
Athletes usually begin with injury-specific searches ("IT band syndrome treatment") before searching for local providers. Word of mouth and online reviews are highly influential for sports medicine – research shows these are more important than social media for physician selection.[5] Being visible throughout this journey with sport-specific content is essential.
Key takeaways
- Athletes search for specific injuries and sports, not general "sports medicine"
- Sport-specific content demonstrates authentic expertise to serious athletes
- AI tools are increasingly used for injury research and provider discovery
- Independent practices win by specializing where large groups generalize
- Review reputation and word of mouth heavily influence athlete decisions
Sources
Learn more
Explore these concepts to understand how we help sports medicine practices get found.
Guide
Entity SEO explained
When patients search for "orthopedic surgeon near me," Google isn't just matching keywords anymore – it's looking for known, trusted entities.[google-knowledge-graph] If your practice isn't established as an entity in Google's Knowledge Graph, you're invisible to both traditional search and AI tools like ChatGPT.
Guide
Local SEO for doctors
Local SEO focuses on improving visibility for location-based searches. For medical practices, this means appearing when patients search for "orthopedic surgeon near me" or "best dermatologist in [city]."[google-local-ranking]
Guide
What is Answer Engine Optimization (AEO)?
When a patient asks ChatGPT "best orthopedic surgeon in Boston," is your practice among the sources it cites? With nearly 60% of US adults searching for health information online,[cdc-health-it-2023] and AI tools rapidly becoming part of that journey, practices that aren't optimized for answer engines are invisible to a growing segment of patients.
Guide
Patient reviews and reputation management
Patient reviews significantly influence both search rankings and patient decisions. Google explicitly states that "review count and review score factor into local search ranking,"[google-local-ranking] making online reputation management essential for attracting new patients while maintaining trust.
Common challenges
Problems that practices in this specialty commonly face.
Common Problem
Why Your Website Traffic Is Up But Phone Calls Are Flat
Your analytics show website traffic growing – month over month, you're getting more visitors. But your phone isn't ringing any more than before. New patient inquiries remain stubbornly flat. This disconnect between traffic and results is increasingly common, and it signals a shift in how patients are using search.
Common Problem
Why Your Practice Doesn't Appear When Patients Ask ChatGPT
Patients are telling you they "asked ChatGPT" or "checked with AI" before booking. When you try the same queries, your practice doesn't come up. Meanwhile, competitors – sometimes with fewer credentials or worse reviews – are getting mentioned. This isn't random, and understanding why is the first step to fixing it.
Related specialties
Explore how we help practices in related specialties.
Surgical & pain
Orthopedic Surgery
Orthopedic patients actively research providers online – nearly 60% of US adults search for health information online. They search for specific conditions, procedures, and specialists before choosing who to trust with their care. If your practice isn't visible in Google and AI search results, you're losing patients to competitors who are.
Surgical & pain
Physical Therapy
With over 600,000 practicing physical therapists in the US and a $47.6 billion market, physical therapy is a highly competitive space. Patients increasingly have direct access to PT services without physician referral, making your online visibility critical. Nearly 60% of US adults search for health information online – your search presence determines whether they find your practice.
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