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Google Business Profile Deep Dive

As many of you know, Google Business Profile is an essential aspect of local SEO components. Often when we can be found locally, we are more likely to show off for keywords such as therapy near me, online therapist near me, or couples therapy Northlake. Here is a quick recap of my previous blog post on Google Business Profile optimization. For more in-depth information Check out Google Business Profile for Online Practices or Optimizing Your Google Business Profile.  

Recap of Optimizing Your Google Business Profile Profile

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Set up your GBP. 

First set up your profile and claim it on Google. This is essential to be found and will give you access to the backend which will allow us to address more in-depth SEO factors. 

Basic information 

The basic setup of the profile will be to put normal information that indicates who you are. This includes your name, address, phone number, website, description, category, attributes (services).  

Google Business Profile Profile Tips

  • Build ethical reviews and respond with 24 hours to all comments. 
  • Add relevant blog posts that have been keyword optimized. 
  • Upload high-quality photos that reflect your brand. 
  • Make sure your business description appropriately reflects who you are. 
  • Keep key information up to date. 
  • Check-in on your monthly data to see how well your profile is performing. 

Now that we have done a brief recap, let us talk more in-depth about what needs to show up on your Google Business Profile.  

Creating the Business Description: 

The description of your business is important for people to know what they can expect. However, the business description can also be very intimidating. You only have 750 characters to explain your services in a concise yet descriptive manner.  

Some things to keep in mind. Are to make the description clear, highlight key factors that make you unique, address any relevant history, add in target keywords. Make sure you do not make the description ‘salesy’, add in misleading info, or add links or URLs. 

Here is an example of a format you can follow with GBP: 

[Business Name] provides [service, search term]. We have been serving the [city, state] for more than [time in business]. [Statement about your values or purpose] 

Example: [ Business Name] provides EMDR therapy. Our Christian Based Counseling Center in Rockford, Illinois has been helping clients move past trauma, anxiety, and depression in their lives for over 10 years. We strive to help people move forward from their past and find a way to become the best version of themselves. 

Tips on Optimizing Each Component of Google Business Profile Attributes:

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Business Name: 

Make sure your business name reflects what your website says,  

Region/Country: 

Select what area you are in. Make sure it is where you plan to offer services. If you offer multiple states, you may need to put the location of most of your referrals and indicate in the description that you offer therapy in additional states. 

Address: 

If you do not have an address, that is ok, place an address on the listing, and then later down in the options, you can request not to display your address.  

Phone:  

Add a phone number that is going to be easy to access and is consistent across all media that you have. 

Categories: 

Make sure you add the category that is most relevant to your services. When you are adding in categories, you cannot really overdo this, just make sure as you add this to your profile that it is relevant to your services. 

Website: 

Link to your website. A well-optimized website that has been added to your GBP profile can draw in more visitors to your website. This helps with trust flow. If people see the care you have put into your profile and your website, people are more likely to investigate your services.  

Photos  

Photos help to add a more individualized touch to your profile. The more that people see your team, products, logo, and services, the more likely they are to investigate your services and your site. 

On the GBP photo tab, you should include photos that include your: 

  • Office area (if applicable)
  • Building or location indicators for people to understand your location. 
  • Pictures of your team at work 
  • Professional photos of team members 
  • Any branding photos that familiarize people with your identity 

Hours 

Add your office hours and that you offer hours by appointment. Make sure to keep these updated, especially if you are going on vacation or out for a holiday. The more consistent and up-to-date you keep these hours the better. 

Posts 

Posts can be helpful to share any new blogs or cornerstones that display your view as a practice or clinician. Additionally, you can add posts for: 

  • Events 
  • Announcements 
  • Special Offers 

Make sure you add a high-quality photo, a description of the post between 100-300 words. Additionally, you can add dates, times, and sign-ups, and reservations.  

Manage Google Business Profile Reviews and Respond to Questions: 

The better engagement on your profile, the more likely you are to attract people to your site and services. If you do not have any reviews or ratings for your profile, people are not likely to be interested in your services. Therefore, having credible people who can vouch for you as a clinician in an ethical manner can help you come up higher in the search results. 

Takeaways for Optimizing Your Google Business Profile

Google my business set up screen on phone. Learning seo and google my business can be complicated. Get specialized help with our SEO specialists who provide insight and tips. Read our blog on google my business in counseling today!

Overall, a well-optimized Google profile is helpful for clients to get a quick glimpse into who you are as a private practice. When clients see the care, you have taken to keep your information updated that is more likely to bring in potential clients. Therefore, making sure you set up your free account and have it well optimized is key. Wherever you can add in relevant keywords. Such as in descriptions, titles, and so on.  

Begin Working with Our Talented Team! 

If you are looking to see how your google business profile can help your website, then talk with one of our specialists. We do not do direct SEO optimization on GBP, but we are happy to help you as you set up your own profile. We can track your information on our data dashboard and give you some insights as you navigate through the SEO process. Or if you are looking to set up your own website to link to GBP, talk with our client success specialist.

We can get you set up with our services and begin optimizing your website in a way that highlights your skills to potential clients soon. Our wonderful team of SEO specialists at Simplified SEO Consulting would be excited to help you on your SEO journey. Contact us today to learn more about GBP, and the support we can offer for List Management and Local SEO prominence.  To get started with our service follow these simple steps: 

  1. Schedule a consult with our Client Success Specialist 
  2. Learn more about our talented team of SEO Specialists. 
  3. Begin working with your ideal clients and making an impact on the mental health world! 

Other Services offered by Simplified SEO Consulting   

Simplified SEO consulting offers a wide range of services that can help you begin working with your people. We offer. Done for You SEO Service packages, online courses, and SEO training opportunities. Our most popular course includes our “Top of Google” Online course, and we have 12 weeks (about 3 months) of intensive SEO for those who want to learn with a guide. For those looking for a more specialized package, we also offer an SEO strategy package. To get started, schedule a consultation with our Client Success Specialist today!  

About the Author:  An SEO Specialist at Simplified. SEO can be complex. If you're looking for SEO help for therapists, we can help. Get in touch with our client success specialist and begin to understand how SEO and google my business work or how to optimize your website.

Jasmine, an SEO Specialist, and Client Success Specialists at Simplified SEO Consulting. You may be wondering where to start with your SEO for private practice or group practices. You have come to the right place. 

Jasmine Jaquess is currently working towards her Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Northwestern University and is currently beginning per practicum work soon. Currently, she serves as the Client Success Specialist in new client consults with Simplified SEO Consulting and is a Mental Health SEO Specialist. She specializes in platforms such as Squarespace and Wix but has learned to love WordPress sites as well. Her favorite part of the job is writing copy for clients and helping them find their voice to communicate with clients how they can best serve them. 

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Google My Business for Online-Only Private Practices

Whether or not online practices can have a Google My Business listing is quite a controversial subject right now. Many of our clients have attempted it, only to have their listing removed when Google realizes they don’t actually have a physical location. We know Google’s guidelines on the matter are ambiguous, and we realize online-only […]

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Google Business Profile: Optimizing Your Profile for Therapists and Counselors in Private Practice

Woman sitting on chair with animated tools floating around her. If you're wondering if google my business can help you, you've come to the right place for answers. SEO and google my business can help direct clients your way. Learn more and get started today!

We all like to get the hands-on tools that are going to better help us in life. A hidden gem that some business owners do not take advantage of is a Google Business Profile. It is more than just a simple verification tool for your business to have a spot on Google. It actually has many cool features that are just waiting to be discovered. Of course, in order to get started, we must start with the basics.

Claim your Google Business Profile listing

First things first, claim your business it’s free. Let Google know you’re here and you’re proud. In order to get started, go onto GBP and set up your account, and give them your information. Google will then send you a postcard via mail. The next step is to enter your verification code from the card. And there you go, it’s quick and easy. 

Once you’re set up with a Google Business Profile…

When you’re creating information for you google my business in counseling, its key to make sure your information is comprehensive and up to date. For example, when you’re inputting your website on google my business, it needs to be the same on your website and on GBP, even if there is a slight variation, google may penalize you or not recognize your business.

Google Business Profile Basics

Here is what GBP absolutely needs:

  • Name
  • Address
  • Phone Number
  • Website
  • Description
  • Category
  • Attributes

Not only is it important to add this information, but it’s crucial to the success of your business, especially if you’re looking to find better ways on how to rank on google for therapists. The information needs to be detailed and most importantly accurate. For example, in your description use as many of the 750 words as possible adding in keywords and information about your niche. As we’ve said previously when we discuss content for service pages and blogs, remember that Google loves content. The more the better. Essentially, the same principle applies to your GBP. 

*Pro-tip: The more information you have on GBP the cheaper google my ads will be. So if you’re going the SEO/ Google ads route, Google my business is key for you.

The relationship between Google Business Profile and SEO for Mental Health Professionals

The strategy of SEO is great for websites. You do the work and clients stream your way after a few months of intensive work. However, while SEO is great for websites, there are more ways to incorporate SEO from your website into Google to come up better. Think of it this way. If I type in therapy near me and your website pops up, I am going to click on this and see what you have to offer me. However, if your website pops up, but someone else does as well with a GBP box, I am more likely to choose their therapy website over yours. So the bottom line is to make a Google my business and make sure you’re ranking for therapy/counseling near me. This will help your local SEO and allow you to begin better engaging with your audience and potential clients.

How to build a solid profile for Google Business Profile

Build Credibility Through Google Reviews?

This is kind of a controversial topic for the mental health professionals out there reading this. A great way to build credibility with Google is to get some reviews. The more reviews you have the better. However, as mental health professionals, how does one do this? Ethically, most mental health professionals cannot ask our clients for reviews due to their own codes of ethics. So if you can’t get reviews from your clients, then who? Well, the controversial answer and solution are to ask people who know you. Find people who are familiar with your body of work, and who are also trusted mental health professionals, such as colleagues or a mentor who will give you honest reviews. The key is to find someone you trust and knows you well. Likewise, if someone is always referring clients to you, they are a good choice, because they trust you.

The reason we see this as ethical is that when someone knows you and your professional image and can speak highly of you so clients know you’re credible, that is the best review you can receive ethically.

What to do when you receive reviews?

Once you are able to get some reviews. Reply within 24 hours. More responses equal to more potential customers. Google will also see you as trustworthy and rank your business higher. If you have good reviews, respond and thank them. If you have neutral reviews, you may create a happier raving fan by responding.

Unfortunately, there is the possibility of receiving bad reviews as well.  If you have bad reviews, it is crucial that you respond. This is an opportunity, not a punishment. You can try to offer an opportunity for feedback or a follow up for this individual. Sometimes, though you may receive bad reviews from clients who cannot be changed. It happens. While you may not be able to change their mind, you can respond, extend a hand to resolve the issue, and then move on. Focus on your raving fans knowing you’ve done all you can.  

And, of course, when responding to reviews from a client be careful not to confirm or deny they were seen at your practice. For example saying something like, “Thank you so much for the feedback” acknowledges their response without confirming they were a client.

Additionally, know there will be times when clients feel inclined to leave a review on your GBP and that’s also ok, as long as it was done ethically. No one made them and it only builds your professional image.

Add Key Blog Posts 

Here it is again. Blog, blog, blog. It is so good for your SEO. Not only does it lift your website, but it can also lift it through the use of Google my business. Did you know that you could add your blog posts to your GBP page? It is just another way to funnel more SEO traffic into your website. It also presents a good opportunity for potential clients to see your expertise. All you need to do is every time you publish your blog posts, go to GBP, and add new posts. Insert a picture and a description of the blog post, along with the URL of your blog. That’s it! 

Build a Beautiful Photo Gallery

If content is king, consistency is queen - blogging and social media tip - handwriting on a napkin with a cup of coffee. If you're interested in Google my business in counseling, you're on the right track. Adding this to your practice is SEO gold. It is just another way to add more traffic, keywords, and blogs to Google. Begin today by learning more from this SEO blog post. If you want to learn more schedule a meeting with one of our specialists today!

Adding photos is another great way to add value to your GBP. Not only are you providing a visual representation of your services, the people, and your business, but you’re also improving your SEO.  Two things to consider, to begin with, is to first add photos to your business regularly. This could be one a week or once every few weeks, but keep it consistent. Second, make sure the quality of the photos is on point. Most people don’t want to see blurry unfocused photos, so if this is not your specialty, like a coworker or hire someone.

Best practices for photos on GBP

However, it is not as simple as adding any photo you feel like adding. First, make sure it is relevant to your business. If you’re a physical therapist and you’re showing information about a fast food restaurant google will see your content as non-relevant. It is also important to make sure you’re reviewing the pictures that customers post as well. Ultimately, the pro in this is that Google will see you engaging with your customers. Which is huge for SEO and relevance. However, note that there are times customers may upload unflattering pictures to your Google Business Profile page. Unfortunately, there is nothing you can do about this because Google does not allow you to take them down. The only way to get around this would be to reach out to the individual to take it down. Otherwise, checking in regularly will be the best way to safeguard this from repeatedly happening.

Lastly, the best way to use photos to help your SEO is to geotag them. This just means adding in your location so Google can find you. Likewise, before you add in any photos, rename them with keywords to help google coordinate the correct clients to you. For example, if you have a photo about EMDR and you’re demonstrating the technique, make sure you’re optimizing the title for EMDR therapy, EMDR therapy near me, EMDR therapist, EMDR therapy in (insert location), and so on. 

Talk about who you are and what you do

Adding in quality and a detailed description of your business can also help you rank. Add information such as your niche and your services. Likewise, add in keywords. Yes, you can add keywords into GBP that helps you rank even higher on Google and will boost your SEO. See what keywords are best searched for in your area by using keywords associated with your niche. If you’re unsure where to start, there are a few free resources such as Uber suggest and Google trends. 

Keep Google my business up to date

Especially now in midst of a pandemic, it is very important to add information on how people can access your services. If you have a physical location but are providing online services. Make sure this is evident on your website and on your GPB page. Likewise, this is a great time to add such keywords as online therapy, counseling, therapist, counselor, psychologist, and so on to the list of information on your website. 

Additionally, if you add or remove services, make sure you’re updating your profile accordingly. 

GBP has data updates

Kind of like google analytics, you can see insights on your customers via a section on your Google Business Profile. If you want to see how often people are visiting your website or page each month, and what they are viewing. You can also view a performance report that allows you to see insights about your information.

Publish your Google Business Profile page!Close up of google my business on phone app. Have you considered adding a google my business? If you're wondering does Google my business help me increase my rankings continue reading this Simplified SEO consulting blog to learn more.

You’ve finally made it! It’s time to get in front of your potential clients and begin doing what you do best. Helping those overcome the barriers that prevent them from living life to the fullest. If you have any additional questions about your Google Business Profile, let us know. If you’re an online counseling practice, no worries. We’ve got a great blog specifically about using Google Business Profile for Online only practices.

Begin SEO Services at Simplified SEO Consulting

Are you looking to see how our services blend well with Google My Business? Simplified SEO Consulting in Columbia, MO offers DFY packages, courses, training options, and alumni services. If you have any questions or your question was not answered, please reach out. Our passionate team of SEO experts would be happy to answer your questions, just reach out today! We can also discuss potential services that may work for you including List Management support to improve your Local SEO presence, especially if you’re a busy practice owner. To get started follow these three steps to begin ranking better on Google.

  1. Schedule an appointment for a free 30-minute consultation with a member of the Simplified SEO Consulting staff
  2. Learn more about our SEO packages and training opportunities
  3. Start doing better keyword research and get your ideal clients

Other Services offered by Simplified SEO Consulting

Simplified SEO Consulting is passionate about providing SEO services for mental health professionals and therapists. Our comprehensive SEO services are included in our Done for You SEO Service packages. Also, we offer alumni packages and al la carte SEO services. Our SEO staff provides several SEO training opportunities. including our “Top of Google” online course and 12 weeks of online video training. We also offer an SEO Strategy package to learn more about SEO and what you can do to rank better on search engines.

Get in touch with Simplified SEO to learn more, or book a free SEO Consultation with our Client Success Specialist or one of our SEO specialists to decide which option is best for your business. We look forward to working with you and your business!

About the Author:

Jasmine Jaquess is currently working towards her Masters of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Northwestern University. She has been doing SEO with Simplified for the last few months. Currently, she serves as the Client Success Specialist in new client consultation with Simplified SEO Consulting and is an SEO specialist. She specializes in platforms such as Squarespace and Wix but has learned to love WordPress sites as well. She really enjoys hearing the clients’ goals for their businesses and helping them achieve them.

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