SEO for Therapists

What we will cover in this guide (feel free to skip ahead to a section you are interested in)

• What is SEO?

• Can anyone do SEO? (NEW!)

• Why is SEO important for therapists?

• What’s the difference between local and global SEO?

• Components of your SEO Strategy

  • Site experience

  • Technical

  • Content and Keywords

  • Backlinking

• What’s next?

• SEO Checklist for Therapists and Counselors

Ready to get started? Let’s go! 

[opt-in for SEO Checklist for Therapists and Counselors]

What is SEO?

If this is what you are asking yourself right now, that’s totally okay and you are in the right place. 

SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization and it’s the art and science of getting ranked in Google. 

Here’s an example of what it looks like to show up in local search results for “therapist in Sacramento” (later on in this guide I talk about the difference between local and global SEO).

So the term SEO may sound slightly intimidating but there are parts of doing Search Marketing that anyone with a computer and some patience can take on.

Listen to more about my definition of Search Marketing in this podcast episode.

[embed podcast episode]

If you are looking for hands on SEO help (as in you don’t want to learn how to do this for yourself) click here to check out our SEO retainer services. 

But before we get into the actions you can take, let’s go into why this is even important.

Why is SEO important for therapists?

There are over 5.6 billion searches made on Google every day and a large portion are people searches for mental health support and services.

Especially for Therapy and Counselors, you are targeting local clients in your geographical area that you can serve.

And if you have other online services or products that anyone can purchase, then you can use Search marketing to attract visitors from anywhere in the world. This works well with online courses, e-books and guides. 

The point is that people are using Google to research their mental health and whether you are doing SEO intentionally or not, you are probably already ranking in the search results.

How do you know? One of the easiest ways to get a sense of where you currently are in the ranking is using the Search Console. This is a free tool that Google gives us for SEO. 

Listen to the following podcast episode for more information about the search console:

[embed podcast about search console]

What’s the difference between local and global SEO?

Like mentioned, there are both visitors searching in your geographical area, as well as globally. To show up in local and global searches, the strategy and actions are slightly different, although they are connected.

Listen to this podcast episode to learn about the differences between each one:

[embed podcast about local vs. global seo]

One of the biggest differences with local SEO is setting up your Google Business Profile account. This is how you can start showing up in Google Maps and be found by your local clients. 

[screenshot of Google my business]

[link to Google business profile]

If you are restricted to practice in your state or area, this is especially relevant to you. 

If you are looking to do both local and global SEO, then treat them as separate actions, although the results from each will help with all rankings. 

• Components of your SEO Strategy

Ranking in the search results isn’t about doing one specific thing like adding words to your website but instead a combination of things that for your specific website and brand.

Here are some parts that you can start to impact:

• Site experience

What is the overall experience of your website? Is it easy to navigate? Is it easy for visitors to know to get where they want to go? Is the design intuitive and pleasant to experience?

If you aren’t working with a web designer, I recommend you stick with pre-made website templates, since these already come with well designed base. Eitherwise, consider

• Technical

• Content and Keywords

• Backlinking