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How to Write a “Long Enough” Blog Post

“What I really want to tell you is…”

I’m an avid listener of the Being Boss podcast, and this statement is one of the most impactful things I’ve learned over the years of learning from Emily and Kathleen.

Sometimes, the idea of writing a blog post is overwhelming or intimidating. Does anyone else feel that way? Before writing, I go back and forth about topics, (check out the post about Timely Blog Post Topics if this is your top issue!), then, I take forever to think about all the different ways I could start and structure the post. You’re calling me out with the core issue right now, aren’t you? 

Go ahead, let’s say it together: PROCRASTINATION. 

Yeah, I know. It’s not that I don’t want to do it. I want to write a blog post. Then the second-guessing creeps right in. Maybe even some imposter syndrome, depending on the topic. I want to share what’s going on in this wild brain of mine I just don’t always know how to put it into coherent, readable posts. However, once I get started, the words just flow. That’s where the above quote comes in. Start there. Quit overthinking it. If you don’t know where to start, find yourself second-guessing or just overthinking the whole thing, start typing. Start with, “What I really want to tell you is…” and just go for it.

Shows a serious young man reading on his laptop. Represents how seo consulting can support therapists in learning how long their content needs to be on their website.But, Danica, what in the world does this have to do with blog post length?

Oh, thank you! I’m so glad you asked. One of the big things we hear on consult and planning calls is that you have trouble paring down your message. You’ve got a lot to say, and just don’t think people will read the whole thing. So, is it better to write everything in one post, or to break it up into a series of posts? What is the cost/benefit analysis for SEO? Is there a perfect blog post length? Let’s break it down. 

Blog Post Length: Step #1

Ask yourself, what are you REALLY trying to say? What does your reader need to know in order to use the information you are taking the time to write about? This is where the quote above can help. Write that down. If you have at least 500 words to say about it, then you have the makings of a blog post! Congratulations. IF your thoughts can’t fill that much space, consider sharing on social media instead? There’s a time and place for both, right? 

Bonus tip: Later, you can compile some of your best, bite-sized advice into a longer blog post! What a great way to grab content you’ve already taken time to write and re-purpose it for a different audience or type of learner!

Blog Post Length: Step #2

I’m going to assume that if you have made it to this part of the post, you are clear about the fact that you have something worth sharing and have determined that a blog post is the best way to do it! Thanks for sticking with me here…this is a process. Now that you have written out your thoughts, about how long would that post end up being? Somewhere between 500-1,500 words? Excellent. That’s where I’m going to put the “optimal” stamp of approval. 1,600 words? Great. That’s fine too. This is not a bright-line rule! If you are closer to 3000 words, we should probably consider breaking that into at least two different posts, or finding another outlet for that brilliance. (Book chapter, perhaps?) A single blog post is just not going to be the best use of that wisdom. 

That said….our fearless leader Jessica is a huge fan of long blog posts.  Consider this quote from her,

“No such thing as too long of a blog post! My longest blog posts have not only ranked the best but are the ones new clients are most likely to reference! We have a couple of blog posts that people have specifically said were the reason they reached out and they’re longer posts…so, my personal opinion is longer is better.”

However, I’m going to go out on a limb and slightly disagree with her here…I think if it’s 3,000 words you’re totally ok breaking it into two posts! Now you have two 1,500 word blog posts which are both long enough to get ranking well!

Blog Post Length: Step #3

You’ve got your core genius written for this topic. You’re in that sweet spot of 500-1500(ish) words. You. Are. Awesome. 

Now, let’s make sure it’s readable! At the time of writing this post, I’m currently at 801 words. So, when all is said and done on this post, I’ll be right in that 1200-ish, safe place. That’s a LOT to read through on a quick break between clients if I don’t make it interesting. So, please take a quick glance back up the page.

3D illustration with the words "You are Here" on a map. Represents how private practice seo will help therapists and their private practices use SEO to boost their rankings and write content that is relevant to their services and clients.

See what I did at the beginning of the post? Blogging for SEO is all about readability.

Here are some reasons why:

  • Lowers bounce rates and raises your search engine rankings.
  • Improve the user experience with clear and concise writing.
  • Makes it easier for visitors to find the information they need.
  • Your content is easier to scan, which is important for readers who are in a hurry.
  • Content is more engaging due to including images, videos, and other multimedia elements.
  • Makes your content accessible to a wider audience.
  • Attracts more visitors to your website.

Readability makes you consider engagement. You’ve got pull quotes to read. A short, personal story to get semi-invested in. Interesting photos to help you make a point and break up space without distracting from your content.  An easy-to-follow, three-step framework to work through, without it feeling like work. Then, I’m going to wrap it all up, remind you how simple it was to do, and give you a clear call-to-action if you want to learn more or get some help from us with this.

Again, it doesn’t matter exactly how you write a blog post. You don’t have to use the same components I used, but for SEO, be sure to break up your text with visual elements (photos, subheadings, pull quotes, bulleted lists, etc.) and write at least 500 words. Even better if you’re making those keywords flow right in with the rest of your writing. That’s what I’m about to do, from an optimization standpoint.

Now, it’s YOUR turn to share

Young Muslim businesswomen sitting in a cafe, writing blog posts and using tablet for SEO on therapy websites. Represents how seo consulting supports private practice owners learning how to write quality content for their private practice website.Leave a comment, or connect with us to share your thoughts! 

What do you think? Does this make sense? What questions do you still have?

Do you feel like you have a better sense of how to plan your blog posts in a way that you can get the information out to your audience, with the quality and scope we know search engines are looking for? You can have the best blog post in the world, but if your ideal reader never sees it, it’s not doing you any good. That’s where we come in. 

What Can Simplified SEO Do For Your Therapy Practice or Other Small Business?

Whether you have a whole library of blog posts or are just considering sharing your wisdom with the world, we can help your information get seen. Our Done for You SEO services are a great place to start, with options ranging from optimizing 1-4 posts each month. If you’ve already had us optimize your site, consider getting a boost with an alumni blogging package! We can write them, or not, and will optimize them in a way that will not only get your posts read by more eyes but will also help get those eyes looking onto other pages around your site! This is key for turning casual readers into clients. Finally, if you’d rather just do all of this yourself, we’d love to teach you. We have online and in-person SEO training options for the DIY therapist who is ready to learn. 

Let’s Get Your Website Ranking!

To get started, apply to work with us! You can talk with me or Jessica about your goals, fears, and desired level of involvement in your blog or website. This will help us both determine where to start and how to get your site working for you! All this, without the never-ending investment of paying per click to get to the top of those search engines. We look forward to talking with you, soon!

Shows a picture of Danica Wolf, MSW. Represents how the team at Simplified SEO Consulting using SEO consulting to support private practice owners in learning how to write quality content and how to make sure it's "long enough".About the Author

Danica Wolf is an MSW who has years of experience in the mental health field herself first providing advocacy and then directing our local relationship and sexual violence prevention center.  She spent years managing the website for that center as well as for her own business as a Doula.  Since joining the Simplified SEO Consulting team, Danica has quickly become a favorite among our clients!  She loves interacting with small business owners around the world and watching their businesses grow as they start ranking well on websites!  Seriously, she loves hearing client success stories! Danica takes a very client-centered approach to optimizing, making sure that websites not only rank well on Google but truly serve the needs of clients who visit the site.  She is our Chief Operating Officer and helps ensure everything at Simplified is running as smoothly as possible for our clients!

 

Updated on 4/30/2023 by Lynsey

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Timely Topics for Blog Posts

It’s a new year! We made it to 2020, y’all!

Have you heard people talk about this being the year of finding your vision? (Get it, 20/20?)

Also, hot tip: don’t shorten this year when writing things like checks and other official documents. When you write it out like this [1/13/20] it’s way too easy for folks to then turn the year from the intended “2020” to whatever year in the past or future they want to make your check or document relevant again. Speaking of which…are we even going to be writing checks much longer into the future? I digress…OR DO I?!? 

Are you actually going off on a tangent if it’s interesting and timely? 

Here’s the thing, as long as it can be related back to your intended blog post topic, a timely, relevant rant can absolutely make your post that much more interesting to read!

People read blogs to be educated, entertained or empowered.

Think about it. Would you be reading this if you had zero interest in learning how to better build your business by blogging? No! You are reading this, right now, for a reason.

Why are you reading this and other blog posts, right now?

Woah, folks, we’re getting meta here…and I’m not talking about the meta description on the post. Though, that’s probably going to be entertaining or informative too! Back to the question of why you are reading. I would imagine you were either looking for the topic. Or, you are already a fan of the blog. Perhaps, you are a prospective client wanting to know if we have any clue what we’re talking about? Maybe, you were sent a link to this post from the e-mail mailing list. Did a friend share this with you? Awesome! We’d love to know so we can thank them! 

No matter how you found this, the hope in spending time writing all of this down is that we’re adding value to your life in some way. Think back to the quote above with three reasons people read blogs. If I’m not doing at least one of those three things, no one is even reading this right now. So, as I’m considering the timely topic of timely topics, I’m thinking about where you might be with your therapy practice’s website.

You are just getting back into the swing of things after the holidays. Many of you are currently hiring new therapists, expanding your practice or even about to launch new websites. What an exciting time! We always want to provide you with excellent information, but for those who are building or hoping to maintain the momentum you’ve built in a clear, actionable way, blogging is one of the best ways to do it.

Content Calendars and Other Tools: Are They Really Necessary?

There are a bunch of different ways to plan your content. Some people have complicated spreadsheets, content calendars or other tools to help strategically plan out your posts weeks and months in advance. This works well if you are: 

  • a hyper-organized person
  • working with a team to get these posts created, optimized, and posted
  • deadline motivated, or need external accountability
  • not sure where to start and just have a little bit of time to plan some things now in the hope of making a habit

Some people just know that it’s time to post and start writing. 

Good News: This Method for Identifying Timely Topics for Blog Posts Works Either Way!

Step #1: What are your clients’ pain points at the time your blog posts will go live?

Think about what your clients might be dealing with in the coming 30, 60 or 90 days, depending on how far ahead you are trying to plan. 

For example, should you write: 

  • A series about keeping or recovering from New Year’s Resolutions for busy perfectionists? 
  • A dating/love series for individuals on the autism spectrum? 
  • Posts about applying to college, grad school or for jobs when dealing with depression or anxiety? 
  • Summer planning for single parents? 
  • First vacation post separation or divorce? 
  • Postpartum preparation for teachers?
  • …what else might be most relevant for your audience?

Step # 2: Brainstorm

Jot down your thoughts.  Or perhaps it’s easier to just record yourself talking about the topic.  You can listen back later and turn those thoughts into a blog post!

If getting started is tough for you, check out this post for information about post length and how to get started!

Step #3: Keyword research

Do some keyword research! What do people want to know? How can the things people are actively searching for be integrated into what you’ve already identified as relevant to YOUR ideal client(s)?  Use a couple of different keyword research tools and identify a few target keywords people reading your blog post might be looking for.

Bearded man with tattoo sleeves blogging and looking thoughtful about SEO when posting a blog. Simplified SEO can help therapists and therapy websites rank in search engines like Google and Bing!

Step #4: Write the blog posts

Make it happen. It only sounds hard when you’re staring at a blank page. Trust me. I know the feeling. 

Step #5: CELEBRATE your success

By crafting a well-written blog post, you did a thing that is going to help people and help them find you. Good work, you brilliant human, you.

Now, it’s YOUR turn to share

Leave a comment, or connect with us to share your thoughts! 

What do you think? Does this make sense? What questions do you still have?

Do you feel like you have a better sense of how to plan your blog posts in a way that you can get the information out to your audience, with the quality and scope we know search engines are looking for? You can have the best blog post in the world, but if your ideal reader never sees it, it’s not doing you any good. That’s where we come in. 

What Can Simplified SEO Do For Your Private or Group Therapy Practice?

Whether you have a whole library of blog posts or are just considering sharing your wisdom with the world, we can help your information get seen. Our Done for You SEO services are a great place to start, with options ranging from optimizing 1-4 posts each month. If you’ve already had us optimize your site, consider getting a boost with an alumni blogging package! We can write them, or not, and will optimize them in a way that will not only get your posts read by more eyes but will also help get those eyes looking onto other pages around your site! This is key for turning casual readers into clients. Finally, if you’d rather just do all of this yourself, we’d love to teach you. We have online and in-person training options for the DIY business owner who is ready to learn to optimize their own website. 

Let’s Get Your Website Ranking!

To get started, let’s schedule a free, 30-minute consultation! You can talk with me or Jessica about your goals, fears, and desired level of involvement in your blog or website. This will help us both determine where to start and how to get your site working for you! All this, without the never-ending investment of paying per click to get to the top of those search engines you have to worry about with Google Adwords. We look forward to talking with you, soon!

Photo of woman looking at camera | Danica Wolf, MSW | Mental Health SEO Specialist | Columbia, MOAbout the Author

Danica Wolf is an MSW who has years of experience in the mental health field herself running the local rape and sexual violence prevention center.  She spent years managing the website for that center as well as for own business as a Doula.  Since joining the Simplified SEO Consulting team, Danica has quickly become a favorite among our clients!  She loves interacting with small business owners around the world and watching their business grow as they start ranking well on websites!  Danica takes a very client-centered approach to optimize making sure that websites not only rank well on Google but truly serve the needs of clients who visit the site.  She is currently the Lead SEO Specialist and helps review website pages others have optimized to ensure every website is gaining as much traction as possible!

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Writing Blog Posts to Serve Your Clients and Boost Your SEO

We’ve all been there, sitting at our computer trying to get the motivation to write that blog post that has been on your to-do list for weeks. But, an idea for what to write about just isn’t coming to mind.
Lately, I have had a lot of conversations with our clients about blogging. So, today I want to explain the purpose of a blog and how it helps your SEO. Additionally, I will give you some tips on how to choose a topic to write about.

What is the purpose of a blog post?

Many people think that blogging is simply another marketing tool to boost your SEO. This is true. But, thinking about blogs this way makes it really hard to motivate yourself to sit down and write. So, turn that thought around and think about it like this: blogging WILL help me get to the top of Google. AND it will help me help more people and share some good information.
 
Adding new content to your website on a regular basis is critical to your SEO rankings. Adding new content tells Google what to rank you for. Additionally, it tells Google that you’re still paying attention to your site. Therefore, they will move you up in the rankings. Ultimately, blogging serves a very important purpose.

Blogging is another way you can serve your clients.

smiling male therapist writing a blog post for his counseling clinic | SEO for therapists | Simplified SEO Consulting

As I mentioned above, blogging increases the likelihood that Google will rank you higher. So, you are getting the word out about the services you provide to potential clients looking for help.
 
But, you can also help your current clients, former clients, and the clients who rarely come into your office by blogging.
 
For example, it isn’t uncommon that I will give a current client the assignment of reading a blog that I wrote. Because the content in there is relevant to what they are working on in therapy. So, I will email them the blog post and then we will discuss it the next time I see them.
 
Frequently, I post about the blogs I have written on the Facebook page for my private practice. Many of my former clients or the clients that I have only seen once in-person follow me here. I have had clients reach out to me after seeing the post and reading the blog to ask for additional help.

Choosing a topic for blog posts

Using our Done for you services

For our clients taking advantage of our larger Done for You packages, your SEO specialist will send you a list of 5-7 blog post ideas at the end of every month. We review your data and your keyword rankings on Brighter Vision. Then, we generate a list based on keywords we think you need to target. For example, this month I noticed that a client’s keywords for anxiety were dropping. So, the ideas I sent largely focused on anxiety-related topics.

If you are not utilizing this package here are a few tips to get you started:

1. Look at is what keywords you want to rank well for but aren’t.

Private practice owner thinking about what to write a blog post about | SEO for private practice owners | Simplified SEO Consulting

Maybe these rankings have dropped or were never high to begin with. You can find all this information in your Brighter Visions data where we track your keywords. So, say you notice that the keyword “anxiety treatment in Los Angeles” has fallen from tenth place to twenty-second place on Brighter Vision. You may want to consider writing a blog post on what to expect with CBT anxiety therapy. Targeting anxiety and anxiety treatment in this blog is critical and will help you rank well.

 
This is why it is so important to track your data. If one keyword drops, it is pretty easy to target it in a blog post and start ranking better for that keyword.

2. Have you ever noticed that you have the same conversation with a couple of clients in your sessions? That’s a pretty good indicator that you should write a blog post about this topic.

If this is happening to you, sit down after a session and write some notes on what you are saying to your clients. That way, your words will sound authentic. And, you will be able to quickly write a blog post that will be helpful to your ideal client.

For example, you notice that you have several clients come to you with fears about social interactions during the holiday season. So you may want to consider writing a post on how to handle social anxiety during the holiday season. Or a post on self-care during the busy holiday season.

3. Check out your intake paperwork.

Why are your clients coming in? If several clients come in with concerns about a certain symptom and you do not have a blog post about it, write one. For example, several people come in saying that they have trouble falling asleep. So, I would write a blog post on the importance of sleep hygiene.
 

4. If you have read a good book, saw a great quote on social media, or read an article and want to share it, consider writing a blog post about it.

One thing Google notices is duplicate content. So, switching it up is important. Describe your reaction to the content and what advice you’d add.
If you’re writing a blog post that you feel good about and has at least 500 words, then you are most likely getting some keywords in it. As long as you do that it is pretty easy to go back in and optimize it yourself or have our SEO specialists do it for you.

Begin optimizing your website with Simplified SEO Consulting

Therapist blogging for her private practice | Online SEO services | Simplified SEO Consulting

I hope you found this information on blogging useful. It is something we feel strongly about at Simplified SEO Consulting. If you are ready to get to the top of Google, follow the simple steps below to get started:

  1. Book a free consultation,
  2. Speak to one of our SEO specialists to find what service is the best fit for your private practice,
  3. Start ranking better on Google and get more clients!

Other SEO Services offered by Simplified SEO Consulting

Simplified SEO Consulting is proud to offer you a variety of SEO services designed to meet your needs. For busy practice owners, we offer the popular Done for You SEO Services. With this package, our team of SEO specialists will optimize your page for you. But, if you are the do-it-yourself type we offer SEO training packages. These are designed to teach you the skills you need to get your website ranking well. We also offer the opportunity for you to learn SEO in a weekend at one of our intensive training sessions for private practice owners. This is for clients who want to learn how to do SEO themselves. Additionally, we offer Simplified SEO alumni packages and maintenance packages to keep you ranking well. And we offer à la carte SEO services for those of you who just need a little guidance.  Contact us with specific questions or book a free SEO Consultation to decide which service is best for your practice.

photo of Jessica Tappana SEO specialist and founder of Simplified SEO Consulting

About the author:

Jessica Tappana is a therapist, group practice owner & an SEO expert.  Jessica is passionate about helping therapists and their ideal clients find one another. She believes quality mental health care can change the world.  Her group practice has grown primarily through great SEO and now has seven clinicians and one virtual assistant and she still sees around 10 individual therapy clients a week herself. However, most of her focus has shifted to helping other therapists around the world get in front of their ideal clients on Google.

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SEO & Story Brand

Do I have any other Story Brand fans out there?  If you haven’t read Donald Miller’s book “Story Brand” yet, I highly encourage you to pause for a moment and go purchase it on Amazon.  I’ve read through it 3 times myself, participated in a small group study where we went through it together, and created several versions of a brand script.  It’s just an all-around great book for every business owner to read.

*pausing now so you can purchase the book*

Ok, hopefully, you’re continuing to read because you’ve now purchased this wonderful marketing book.

In general, Story Brand has great advice for therapists.

Now, hopefully, I’ve made it clear that I REALLY like Story Brand and I think Donald Miller’s marketing advice is generally golden.  Some of my favorite things I’ve learned from Story Brand:

  • As a business owner, you are the guide in your marketing, not the hero.  Our customers are the hero.
  • Keep your messaging simple.  This is especially true on websites.  We want a client to be able to immediately tell what service we offer when they land on our website (Donald Miller calls this the caveman test), so I often work with SEO clients on simplifying their language in their writing, adding a clear call to action button and even simplifying the navigation bar so people can easily navigate a website.
  • Your website should have a clear, short statement explaining what you do “above the fold” or before someone scrolls down.
  • A website needs clear calls to action.  It shouldn’t be difficult for a client to figure out what to do next or how to get ahold of you.
  • Paint a clear picture of how your service will help the client.  On a website, it’s important to do this through having positive, outcome-based pictures.  Photos quickly convey how someone will feel after working with you.

Anyways, I could go on and on about all the things he got very right in his book.

There is one place I disagree with Donald Miller’s advice….

There’s just one place I disagree.  And I know I might ruffle a couple of feathers by disagreeing with such a genius marketer.  But I can’t help it….

At one point in the book (page 154 in my well loved copy), Donald Miller recommends that you delete half the content on your website. In fact, he says your website should have “very few words.”

*Gasp*

In fact, this is something I’ve heard Donald Miller repeats when he speaks and that he’s very, very critical of websites (like mine) with a large amount of content. As someone who helps therapists, psychiatrists and other mental health professionals with their SEO every single day, I disagree.  

Why do I disagree?

Because if you delete half the content on your website it will be much more difficult to get your website to the top of search engines.

Google needs your website to have enough content that it can figure out what your website is about. It can’t rank you for the searches your ideal clients are doing unless it realizes that you have information bout that topic!  You may have heard the phrase, “Content is King.”  This is SOOO

500 Word Minimum for Therapist Blog Posts | Simplified SEO Consulting true when it comes to SEO.  I’ve told you before that Google likes lots of content.

It is well established in the world of SEO that Google ranks sites with more words higher.

Google assumes that if you have the word “divorce” on your page you know what the word means.  If you have a paragraph about “divorce” on a page all about life transitions you may know a little about the topic.  But if you have a whole page with lots (500+) of words? Wow, Google now assumes you’re an expert. When someone is searching for tips for getting through a divorce, Google now understands that your website has the information that person is looking for!!

So, how do we stay (mostly) true to Story Brand while also getting great SEO?

Question mark and man to show how this post answers several questions about SEO & Storybrand for therapist & private practice websites.I believe it’s possible to both stay true to Story Brand and create a well-ranking website with tons of content.  We use your brand script to make sure we really understand your services.  Then, we sprinkle the phrases you’ve used throughout your site as we optimize.

Most importantly, we simplify your message by using your brand script when we write headings and subheadings on your page.  We know nobody reads big blocks of text on a website.  But they do scan the page.  Therefore, the subheadings are what people are most likely to read on your page.

We use this knowledge to our advantage.  Subheadings on your page absolutely need keywords in them. However, they also need to be written more carefully than anything else on your page because they are what your clients are most likely to read.  So, the subheadings should be very easy to understand and clear.  In other words, they should be written with your brand script in mind.

Can I still use the Storybrand wireframe and rank well on Google?

Absolutely!  I’ve seen several website that use the Storybrand wireframe and just add more content.  I also think it’s ok if your home page has fewer words.  That is, after all, the page most people will see.  I recommend people prioritize design & carefully chosen wording on their home page.  Then, you have some carefully chosen service pages explaining that you are an “expert” on treating your ideal clients.  These service pages should use Storybrand but will likely have more words on the page than Storybrand recommends.

So, don’t throw the recommended wireframe out just because you are adding more content to your site.  Just know, at least on some pages, you’re likely adding more words than a Storybrand professional would recommend.

Content still needs to be quality content

Now, I don’t want you to misunderstand me here and think I’m just telling you to go add a couple thousand words of text to every page of your website.  Content for content’s sake is not necessarily good. A huge part of what my staff does is help our clients strategically choose content that will both be very useful to your clients and improve your SEO.  And when you’re creating content, you still want to keep in mind the principles of Storybrand.

For example, I strongly recommend blogging regularly as part of your SEO Strategy.  You can write excellent, really informative blogs that provide some great tips to your ideal clients. In fact, I often assign my old blog posts as homework to clients or my client care coordinator will send out an old blog post for someone to read while they wait for their first appointment! However, I think you’ll write even better blog posts if you remember that even in those you’re setting the client up as the hero. In the blog you’re saying, “Here is a tip that will help you conquer your anxiety dragon. It’s a tool that will help you on this quest.” Not, “I’m so smart that he’s a magic technique that will solve your problems for you.”

Content is only one part of good SEO strategy

Now, just because I’m talking about how I recommend adding more content to your website than Donald Miller recommends does NOT mean I’m saying adding a bunch of content should be the focus of your SEO Strategy.  First of all, content that isn’t carefully chosen isn’t helpful.

However, it’s also important to note that content is only one piece of the puzzle.  You also want to address technical issues on your site, have a secure website, make sure you’re using the type of words your ideal clients might use, build lots of backlinks to your website and so much more.

So please, know that you need to add content to your website if you’re created a website that follows Storybrand closely but isn’t ranking well. But also know that just word dumping on your website won’t alone get you great SEO.

Our SEO consultants love to work with Story Brand fans!

The truth is, my favorite new trend with SEO clients is that many are sending us their brand script!  This is so flipping cool.  It makes our day. Or week. Or month.

If you do the hard work of reading Story Brand and creating a brand script, it helps us clearly understand your message. This helps us be more clear as we optimize your page.  It informs everything from your meta descriptions to the internal links we place on your site.  Most importantly, we try to incorporate elements of your brand script when we’re writing subheadings on your page.  This way, your website does a better job of converting when people do a quick scan of your page!

Have your brand script ready and want to start focusing on SEO for your website?

You’ve read Story Brand, have a clear picture of how to describe your services and have even made some changes to your website. Now you’re just ready to get that website in front of more people while still maintaining a clear message.  That’s where we come in!

Search Engine Optimization helps you get your website out there in front of more people.  At Simplified SEO Consulting, we offer several options to help you do this.  If you’re the DIY type, we have online SEO courses including a comprehensive one that takes you step by step through our favorite SEO techniques.  We also have a 12 week SEO intensive if you’re looking for support and guidance to optimize your site. On the other hand, if you find your just too busy to worry about SEO yourself, our staff can optimize your site for you with our “Done for You” services.  Even with this option, you’re welcome to send us your brand script and we’ll do our best to incorporate the simple messages you’ve come up with as we optimize your site.

How to start working on your SEO

We help therapists, psychiatrists, counselors other small business owners (generally in the health and wellness industry) get their websites ranking well on google.  Getting started is easy!

  1. Set up a free 30 minute Zoom appointment to talk to one of our SEO specialists about which service is the best fit for your needs.
  2. Begin learning to do SEO yourself or working with our staff through a monthly “done for you” package.
  3. Watch your website begin moving toward the first page of Google.

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Where to Fit Internal Links

You’ve heard that internal links (any time you have a link that sends someone from one page of your site to another) are great for SEO.  But you aren’t sure where to fit them into your website.  Sometimes, they seem to fit in naturally.  For instance, on an anxiety page you may mention that anxious people also often feel depressed and be able to link to the depression page.  But sometimes you just can’t figure out where to fit in an internal link.

2 Sections to Include on Most Pages of Your Website for SEO

There are two important sections that we often add to websites when we’re optimizing websites for our “Done for you” clients. These sections serve multiple purposes, but one purpose is that they give us space to include valuable internal links!  Feel free to add these two sections to your own website or to do a hybrid option.  For instance, some people will kind of combine them into a single section.

#1: A Direct Call to Action Section

A lot of therapists include lots and lots of fun content about why depression stinks, how A therapist with a client in a full private practice | SEO tips and tricks | SEO Consulting Serviceyou really want to feel better from depression, and how counseling can help with depression. However, we often need to include some sort of call to action to encourage people to take the next step from reading and digesting this information to actually acting.

For example, at the bottom of a page about depression counseling, I would encourage you to have a direct call to action that says: “Begin depression counseling in Tulsa, Oklahoma.” This should be in an H2 subheading.  Then describe exactly how they would go about beginning depression counseling.

Two Benefits of a Call to Action Section

It is really important to have a section with a very direct call to action.

First of all, you’re able to use some great keywords in a subheading. For example, take the above example of a section titled, “Begin Depression Counseling in Tulsa, OK.” You now have ‘depression counseling’ and you have ‘Tulsa, Oklahoma’ in a higher level (H2) subheading. Those are great keywords and Google will assume they’re important since they’re in a subheading.

The second benefit is that this section invites the client to move beyond simply reading your page and actually book an appointment with you. You’re very simply spelling out the steps that they need to take to begin depression counseling. So many people looking at your website are flooded with emotion or in a hurry when they are taking a quick look at your website.  If we make it super clear, then the minute they have read enough to know you are “the one” they can easily scroll to the bottom to get started.

*Note this does NOT replace having a clear “Start now” or “Contact us” button at the top of the page as well!

Example of a Call to Action

You don’t have to keep living with these symptoms, when you’re ready to get started, we’re ready to get started! Here are the steps you need to take:

  1. First, contact us through our website – here you will include an internal link to your contact page.
  2. Next, it is to meet with one of our caring therapists – include an internal link to your therapists page.
  3. Then, it’s time to begin healing – Or whatever the outcome is going to be-no link, just paint a picture of the outcome.

Other Mental Health Services Section

Pieces of the puzzle | SEO course | SEO marketing for therapistsAnother addition you can include on many of your website pages is a small section at the bottom of the page our SEO team often call the ‘Other Services’ section. So, the subheading might read: “Other mental health services offered by ABC Counseling Center,” or something like that. I recommend including this on all of your service pages and on many blog posts as well. For example, we’ll have a paragraph mentioning that we know that mental health is complicated, so depression counseling isn’t the only thing that we do at ABC Counseling. We also offer anxiety treatment, common meditation training, couples counseling, etc. Then, you can include an internal link back to each of those services.

This section gives you a chance to include a BUNCH of internal links. These internal links are really good for SEO. However, it also has the added benefit of potentially encouraging people to check out other pages on your website, which decreases your bounce rate and tells Google that people must find this website valuable.

SEO Services for Therapists & Mental Health Professionals

Simplified SEO Consulting provides SEO services for therapists.  We offer “Done for You” monthly SEO packages where we optimize several pages each month for you as well as SEO Training services.  We believe in going really in doing in-depth SEO Services that truly work.  If you are a mental health provider and are ready to get your page to the top of Google, schedule your free 30-minute consultation today! We’ll answer any questions you have and see if any of our SEO Services might be a good fit for your practice.

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How Long Should Blog Posts be to Help SEO?

I have a confession. I love writing blog posts.  In fact, earlier in my practice when I had more time I was literally publishing two blog posts per week on my counseling website!

However, after a year of helping other therapists on their websites, I realize not everyone enjoys writing blogs.  In fact, most of the therapists I work with don’t seem to enjoy it.  On the other hand, there are private practice owners that fall into the category I am in now…we just don’t have time to write a blog!

So, if you are going to invest time in writing a blog post for your counseling website, how long does it really need to be?

Say What You need to say

So, the first thing I’ll point out is that you need to go until you’ve said enough to make your point.

Therapist teaching someone about Mental Health | SEO Tips related to blogging | Simplified SEO Consulting

Remember that the person reading the blog post often has very little knowledge of the topic you are discussing.  They’re reading this because they want to learn about this topic from you.  So, you owe it to the reader to write enough to get some information across.  You really want to offer valuable content that will truly provide value to your readers.

For example, let’s say you’re writing a blog post on how to use active listening to improve relationships. As mental health professionals, the importance of active listening has been emphasized over and over again.  Therefore, you might be tempted to just write 2-3 paragraphs on leaning in and staying mindful in the conversation, checking for understanding and validating the other person’s feelings.  If your audience was other professionals needing a quick reminder, a 3 paragraph post would be perfect!

However, you are writing for the general public, right? Therefore, I’d recommend starting first with 1-2 paragraphs explaining what you mean by active listening. Then, writing those same three paragraphs with a little more detail than you’d planned as well as a couple of examples.  Finally, include a paragraph describing the expected outcome!  It’s important to show your readers the value of what you’ve shared.

Long Enough to Use Examples in Your Blog

People learn through stories and examples.  Tips, concepts, and new skills are great things to share through a blog post on a counseling website.  But to be honest, they’re also easily forgotten.  However, people remember stories and examples.

You likely already do this in counseling sessions with clients.  For example, when I’m teaching the concept of radical acceptance I sometimes talk to my clients about going through a difficult hike at a local state park.  However, while on that hike the client stumbles upon a tree that has fallen across the path.  I ask what they would do. They brainstorm several responses.  But typically all of their responses involve accepting the reality that the tree has fallen. I ask why they didn’t say they’d yell at God for letting that tree exist.  Why didn’t they pretend the tree wasn’t there and keep going?  Clients understand that in order to keep going on their hike, they had to accept that the tree existed and find a way to cope with their reality. Furthermore, they then are quick to apply this concept to their own life.

Ok, But Really…How Long Should a Mental Health Blog Post be to Help With SEO?

500 Word Minimum for Therapist Blog Posts | Simplified SEO ConsultingTo truly help your website rank better on search engines, each blog post should be a minimum of 500 words.  In fact, it should probably be longer.  Most website pages that rank on the first page of Google are more like 2,000 words long. So…500 words is ok, but a 2,000-word blog post is better for SEO.

However, I know that many private practice owners are overwhelmed when I start asking them to write 2,000 words per page on their website. So, I usually say let’s start with 500 and go from there.

Let’s use this post as an example…

I just did a word count and so far I’m at 667 words on this blog post.  The short paragraph above could have answered the original question (how long should a counseling blog post be to support SEO?). However, this blog post includes a lot more than those two short paragraphs.  Why? 1) I’m giving you additional information I hope you find helpful and 2) A longer blog post will help my site more with SEO.

Consider at least a couple of longer posts

That said…I highly recommend that everyone have at least a couple of “Cornerstone” content type blog posts.  That means you have at least a handful of really in-depth, comprehensive blog posts that speak to the core things you help people with.  This includes comprehensive guides or topics you cover frequently.  These posts highlight your expertise and provide valuable content to website visitors.  So, even if most of your blog posts are in the 500-700 range, consider writing a couple of longer, more carefully crafted 2,000-word “cornerstone” type blog posts.

I Don’t Like the Look of Bulky, Long Blog Posts

In my work as an SEO consultant, I’ve worked with several mental health professionals who intentionally had fewer words on their websites for aesthetic purposes.  They’re often concerned about overwhelming clients when I start talking about adding more content to their site.

The truth is that most people don’t want to read every word of a 2000 word blog post.  In this modern era, most of our website viewers are used to getting information quickly.  So…I have a couple of recommendations for breaking up long blog posts…

Strategically Use Headings & Subheadings to Break Up Long Blog Posts

Readers will appreciate more short sections rather than one huge block of words. You want to aim for not having any sections over 300 words. So, if you have a long section of your page, you want to look at where you can break it up by adding a subheading.  Furthermore, aim for not having any paragraphs longer than 150 words.

Use Photos StrategicallyPhoto of biker at sunset | SEO Tips for Therapists | Optimize photos | Simplified SEO Consulting

Photos can also break up a page.  More than just breaking up the page, photos can help make a point or really set the tone for your page. Photos can add value to your page. Sometimes, I use smaller photos with text wrapped around them to help illustrate a point. However, there are also times when I use larger photos centered on a page to help break up the content.  And of course, as you’re adding those photos, make sure to include some alt text with keywords to help from an SEO standpoint.

Add a call to action!

Man, there are so many great reasons to have a call to action on each page! In fact, every website should have a call to action section.  A call to action:

  • Add content to your page making it a little longer
  • Is a great place to add some keywords
  • Gives you space to add internal links
  • Encourages viewers to take a step beyond just reading this one blog post

But at the end of the day…just keep publishing consistent content.

At the end of the day, it is more important that you consistently publish content on your site than how long the post is.  I would rather see you post a 400-word post twice a month than a 2,000-word post once every three months.

Puzzle pieces going together | SEO Training & Monthly SEO Packages for Therapists & Mental Health Providers

Do you need help putting the puzzle pieces together to get your site ranking? Our SEO Specialists can help!

Begin SEO Services with Simplified SEO Consulting

Simplified SEO Consulting provides SEO services for therapists. We offer both“Done for You” monthly SEO packages where we optimize several pages each month for you as well as SEO Training services.  Our SEO services go really in-depth working to optimize every aspect of your page AND help convert clients once they do find your site!

Right now, we’re looking for more private practice owners who are ready to get to the top of search engines this Fall!  We only help a limited number of businesses per month, but just decided to take on a few more clients in August and a few more again in September. So, if you’re ready to get your page to the top of Google, schedule your free 30-minute consultation today!

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3 Important Tips for Writing a Guest Blog Post

Writing a guest blog post can be a great way to get more backlinks for your website! I highly recommend reaching out to therapists and asking if you can write a blog post for their site, or better yet write one for each other’s site so you get fresh content on your site as well!

Step 1: Finding a Site to Post OnBlog | Blogging for Therapist Websites | Simplified SEO Consulting | SEO Training

I’ll be honest. I have a tendency to say “no” when some random person asks to write a blog post for me.  Why? Because I assume they’re just trying to get a backlink and have no clue the quality of their posts…or even if they’d write the post themself.  Therefore, I recommend you start with therapists you already know.  Or ask on a therapist Facebook page who would be willing to let you write one.

Step 2: Get the Most Out of the Post

This is where my tips come in.  Your time is valuable.  But you want good SEO, so you’re committed to writing a few guest blog posts.  How do you make sure you get the most return on your time investment?  Here are 3 tips to help ensure your blog post helps both you and the person you are writing it for:

Don’t Post Duplicate Content…But Consider Similar ContentTherapists looking at their website | SEO Solutions for Psychotherapists

If you publish the same post on more than one site, Google may see it as “duplicate” content.  Therefore, it could actually hurt your SEO.  However…similar content is allowed!

For instance…you might write a post for your own counseling website called “2 Important Tips for Improving Communication with Your Spouse.” In the post, you describe how using active listening and finding common ground can help improve communication in a marriage.  Then, for your friend Sarah’s counseling website you may write “2 Important Tips for Reconnect With Your Teen.”  Guess what?  You describe the exact same two communication techniques here!  The difference is that your introduction, examples, etc. refer to the relationship between a parent and teenager son or daughter.

This way, you can write several blog posts quickly.  You already have a topic and outline for the blog post, you just adapt it to a different population for each website!

Make it Easy for the Website Owner

Your guest blog post (if well written) already makes the website owner’s life slightly easier in that they’re getting fresh content on their site for free. However, when it comes down to it, you asked them for the post.  Therefore, they’re basically doing you a favor.  So, make their life easy.  Write a quality post with at least 500 words.  Take a look at their website and try to include a few internal links to other pages on their site.  Break up large sections of text with subheadings that use keywords. Consider adding a Call to Action at the bottom of the page where you recommend the readers use their services.

There are small things you can do if you’d like.  The easiest guest blog post I’ve used on my site was when the writer also included 3 pictures (with suggestions for alt text) and even a suggested meta description!  Guys, all I had to do was basically copy and past the post onto my site then schedule for a day when I know my site gets traffic!

Give Yourself Backlinks

Earn Quality Backlinks from there counseling websites | SEO Services for therapistsNow we address the reason you’re writing this post in the first place.  At the bottom of the page include a small section.  Title this “About the Guest Author.”  In this 2-3 sentence paragraph include several backlinks to your own site. Here’s one way to format it:

____ is a therapist (backlink to your “about” page) and the owner of a counseling center in _______ (use counseling center in location as anchor text to link to your home page).  She/he specializes in _______, _________ and _______ (backlink to each of your individual service pages).

If relevant, you may also mention how you know the owner or someone at the practice your are posting on.

Are You Ready to Work on Your Website’s SEO?

Maybe you’ve been reading my blog posts for awhile.  You’ve started using the tips I’ve provided.  But the bottom line is you want to move to the top of Google faster.  You’re ready to grow your private practice.  If this sounds familiar, you may be ready for SEO Consulting services.  Whether you’re wanting to learn to do your own SEO work or wanting someone else to optimize your counseling website for you; Simplified SEO Consulting would love to help. We offer both SEO Training for practice owners as well as monthly SEO packages. Please reach out by e-mail or simply go ahead and schedule your free consultation to talk about how our services might be able to help you.

 

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