5 Quick Tips to Boost SEO for Counselors

As a busy clinician, you may only have a few moments to think about marketing and SEO. So, you may be wondering if there’s anything you can do in between counseling appointments to boost your SEO and reach your ideal clients on search engines. Good news! There are several things you can do in between sessions! In this blog, I will detail 5 things you can do to boost your SEO in ten minutes or less!

5 Quick SEO Tips:

1. Add Your Address or Identifying Location Information to Your Footer

Adding your location to your footer tells Google where you’re located. Having it visible on every page on your website is extremely important. If you have a physical address, use that. But if you’re also seeing clients online or have an online-only practice then include a statement such as “serving the entire state of (insert name) including (name of cities in that state) via online therapy. For example “Although our counseling practice is physically located in Kansas City, MO, we see clients throughout the state including Columbia, Jefferson City, and Saint Louis via online therapy. 

2. Respond to Source Inquiries on HARO.

First of all, if you haven’t signed up for HARO (Help a Reporter Out) then I highly suggest you do this. It’s a great way to get a backlink. In fact, several of our clients including our founder, Jessica have been featured in major publications like The New York Times, Bustle, Huff Post, etc.

Some HARO tips:

• Make sure you sign up as a source
• Set filters to get inquiries on subjects you actually want to write about
• Make sure to include your URL and request that they include your link in any digital reprint of their article.

3. Do Some Light Keyword Research

You don’t have to spend hours doing keyword research. Just taking a few minutes here and there to check and see what terms are ranking well in your area will make optimization easier down the road. If you’re not sure where to begin check out these blogs about keyword research:

• Our 2021 Free Keyword Research Guide
• 4 Common Mistakes with Keyword Research
• Why Keywords Research is the Foundation of SEO
• Where do I put keywords on my private practice website?

4. Make a List of Blog Post Suggestions

Coming up with blog post topics can feel overwhelming. Especially if you’re pressed for time. So taking the time to create a list when ideas come to you can reduce your stress and simplify the blogging process.

If you’re struggling to come up with ideas here are some things you can try:

• Reflect on your past sessions, is there a topic that comes up often? If the answer is yes, then add it to your list.
• If you’ve recently read a good book that pertains to your counseling work, then add that to the list as well.
• Do a search for a keyword you’re targeting on AnswerThePublic.
• Pretend you’re a travel guide and come up with fun activities for your ideal client to do in your area. For example “5 fun fall activities for families in Kansas.”

Here are some great articles about blogging:

• Guide to Blogging to Improve SEO for Therapists
• Common Blogging Mistakes We See Private Practice Owners Make
• Part 1 of the Blogging Webinar Series: Do I have to blog for SEO?
• Part 2 of the Blogging Webinar Series: Why does blog content have to be original?
• How to Write a “Long Enough” Blog Post
• Timely Topics for Blog Posts
• Writing Blog Posts to Serve Your Clients and Boost Your SEO

5. Update your Google My Business Listing

Have you double-checked that all the information on there is correct? Did you add new information about your practice’s COVID safety policies? Have you posted a blog recently that you could share there? If not, taking ten minutes to do so can boost your SEO and give valuable information to your clients looking at your listing on Google.

Want to learn more about Google My Business? Check out these blogs:

• Google My Business Deep Dive
• Google My Business for Online-Only Private Practices
• Google My Business: Optimizing Your Profile

Final Thoughts on SEO for Counselors

Doing your own SEO is a large time commitment. But doing a little bit of work every day (or as often as possible) will have great long-term effects on your SEO. Google responds well to websites that are consistently making changes and improvements to better their user experience. So, doing these tips will increase your chances of ranking better in your area.

If you don’t have time to work on your SEO and make changes like these, don’t fret. Simplified SEO Consulting offers comprehensive Done-For-You SEO services. Our consultants are skilled at helping our clients create an SEO strategy that will thoroughly meet the needs of their private practice so they can get in front of their ideal client and grow their business.

Begin SEO Services with Simplified SEO Consulting

These are just some of the tips we share with clients when they work on their SEO with us. Our SEO specialists are ready to help you take your marketing to the next level and set yourself up for long-term success attracting your ideal client on Google.

To get started follow these simple steps:

1. Schedule a free 30-minute consultation with a Simplified SEO Consulting team member
2. Learn more about our SEO services and SEO training opportunities
3. Begin optimizing your webpage and watch your site rank better on Google!

About the Author:

Cory Moss is a Simplified SEO specialist & our Content Specialist based in the Kansas City metro area. She specializes in working on readability for therapist websites. She really enjoys helping her clients get to the top of Google and attract their ideal clients. Cory is great at speaking to clients about their dream practice and figuring out exactly what content on their website will help them reach those goals. She enjoys helping people learn about SEO and watching how people can improve their optimizing over time!