SEO Basics Archives - Simplified SEO Consulting

10 More Common SEO Terms

Keeping up with relevant SEO terms can feel like a losing battle at times

As SEO specialists, we understand there are many terms that may be a bit too technical for the average practice owner. In the past, we’ve covered ten of the most common SEO terms, but there are still many terms that should be addressed! So, today we are going to cover ten more common terms to help you better understand search engine optimization.

What is Structured Data?

Structured data is an SEO term that refers to the act of organizing data about your site to help search engines better understand how to display content. One of the best ways to achieve this is by using Schema.org. This site has a standardized list of markup languages that are used consistently across search engines. JSON-LD is one of the most popular, and the format preferred by Google.

Using structured data helps provide richer search results for Google. For many practice owners, improving off-page elements like how structured one’s data is can offer many SEO benefits. This is why addressing both on-page and off-page parts of your site is so important in an effective SEO strategy.

What is Search Intent?

Search intent is another one of our SEO terms that refers to the reason a person is searching for something. It is the purpose of an online search, and there are a few common types that people fall into. The four main types of search intent include:

Informational intent
Navigational intent
Transactional intent
Commercial intent

Searches with informational intent involve visitors looking for information about a specific topic. This may be something as simple as a dinner recipe, or information about therapy services in their area. Visitors with navigational intent on the other hand are more likely to be searching for a specific website. People likely already have a website in mind, and they are searching for that website in the search results.

The third type of search intent is transactional, which is when people search for something they would like to buy at that moment. Commercial intent is very similar. But, it generally means a person isn’t ready to buy something yet. Instead, they are likely doing more research on which products or services before they decide to buy. This intent may turn transactional in nature, but it is still worth mentioning the distinction between the two.

What is Keyword Stuffing?

Keyword stuffing is when an unnatural amount of keywords are included on a page in order to try and improve rankings. This is an outdated SEO strategy that can result in penalization from Google. Google prefers to see content that is focused, but still written for people to read. But, it can be difficult at times to avoid keyword stuffing when optimizing for specific keywords.

You always want to ensure your main keywords are going to be included throughout the page. But, overachieving in this sense can often be seen as a red flag to Google. The search engine is focused on providing helpful content for humans. So, including a large number of keywords in the text can be seen as a sign that you are only worried about ranking well instead of providing the best content and services for your ideal client. So, it’s important to always create content with them in mind!

What is A Directory?

In the context of SEO, a directory is an aggregate that lists private practice listings. Some of these may be more general, and others may be created around specific services or niches. Think of how Yelp and Google My Business collect the name, addresses, and phone numbers of a variety of different services. But, most directories also serve another important purpose. They often offer opportunities for high-quality backlinks on your site. Having multiple links on your site can serve as a signal that your site is reputable. But, the quality of every backlink will differ. So, each directory should be inspected before deciding to post anything to it.

What is Guest Blogging?

Guest blogging is another way to help build credibility through external links. By offering to write content for another site, you can potentially get a link from their site pointing back to yours. By featuring your content and linking back to your website, you can help improve how Google views your expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness. Thus, improving your chance of ranking well on the search engine.

What is Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP)?

AMP is a framework for creating web pages that load faster on mobile devices. It helps make sites that may have been originally created for a computer screen conform to the smaller screens of phones and tablets. Since so many people search using their phones these days, Google has given more focus to AMP. This means that ensuring your site is optimized for a mobile experience can help you rank higher in the SERP.

What is A Heatmap?

Scrollmap or website scroll heat map tool. Learn how Simplified SEO Consulting can offer support with therapist SEO and more. A heatmap is an SEO tool that shows a visual representation of the most viewed and overlooked parts of a page. These are often depicted using a color gradient going from blue to red. But, this will depend on the type of heatmap that is being used. Some heatmaps can provide valuable information about the content on your site. Others may be used in relation to geographical location.

What is a Keyword Research Tool?

This SEO term is self-explanatory but important. Keyword research is the foundation of SEO. They are the tools that one can use to identify stats about particular keywords you want and are trying to improve rankings for. Most tools offer a variety of estimations. These often include how much a given keyword is being ranked for, competition, and related keyword recommendations for a specific keyword and others similar to it. There are many free and paid options on the internet, so it’s important to take the time to find the tool that fits your needs best.

What are Impressions and Clicks?

Impressions are the number of times you’ve shown up in the search results for the keywords you are working to improve rankings for. While you may show up in front of people in google’s search results, this doesn’t mean they are clicking on the site to visit it. This is what is referred to as a click in the world of SEO. When people actually visit the site

What are Bounce Rates and Exit Rates?

A bounce rate is the percent of those that have visited a page and then left the site without visiting another page. Once a person has finished with a page, instead of visiting more pages on the site, they bounce back to Google. Then, they continue their search to find the right search result for their situation.

On the other hand, exit rates indicate where visitors are exiting your site after visiting more than one page. This can offer support in understanding the pages most people are leaving the site from. It can also help reveal content problems on the site. You may not have to worry about people leaving the site after reading a lengthy blog post, but you may want to take another look at your site if they are exiting important pages such as your contact page. Doing so can help you better understand which pages have these issues.

Begin Improving Counselor SEO With Simplified SEO Consulting

Keeping track of the ever-evolving list of SEO terms can be hard to deal with at times. But, our trained SEO specialists can offer support from anywhere in the country. We would be happy to offer support in helping you achieve your SEO goals. To start your SEO journey with Simplified SEO Consulting, please follow these simple steps:

Book a free 30-minute consultation call.
Meet with an SEO specialist.
Start improving your SEO!

Other Services Offered with Simplified SEO Consulting

You don’t have to keep track of SEO terms when working with an SEO specialist. Our team would be happy to offer support in improving your SEO with a variety of SEO services. We offer Done For You SEO Services and DIY Online SEO Courses, and a 12-week Done With You Intensive SEO Program. Feel free to read other posts from our blog for more helpful information!

About the Author

Sterling Humburg-Cage graduated from the University of Missouri with a BA in Psychology in 2020. He integrates what he learned in school into his work as an SEO Specialist with Simplified SEO Consulting. Sterling prides himself on helping current clients & alumni problems solve difficult SEO issues. He’s great at giving clients multiple options about how to approach a situation and responding in a timely manner to client concerns. Since he started, Sterling has met frequently with our alumni and provided them extra problem-solving support. He now provides additional support with a variety of local SEO services. He often goes the extra mile to do outside research. By doing so, he sure private practice owners have everything they need to rank well on search engines long term for the keywords their ideal clients are using!

September 19, 2022/0 Comments/by Sterling Humburg-Cage

Content, SEO Basics, SEO Tips

Call to Action Writing: SEO Tips for Therapists

After writing and finishing the main content of your blog, it can seem daunting to think of how to tie everything together. You may not know what to write. Or, you may be struggling with how to motivate the potential client to continue on their journey to make an appointment with you.

That’s where your “call to action” comes in. This section is a great way to summarize the pain points throughout the blog in a neat little paragraph. It also allows you to empower the client to take the next step in their journey to healing with your support.

What is the “Call to Action” Part of a Therapy Blog?

The “call to action” part of your blog is where you sympathize with your potential client. You do this by letting them know you and your team understand their struggles. It also summarizes their pain points in a neat paragraph so that they are not overwhelmed at the very end of the blog. It also lets them know that you, your team, and your practice are here to support them through their struggles and their healing journey.

After you let your potential client know that you’re there to support them, that’s when you put how they should reach out to you to begin your services. Or, even set up a consultation. This is great to have because sometimes when potential clients search for questions late at night regarding their pain points, it will pull up your blogs rather quickly compared to your website. For example, if someone is looking for answers about trauma then having a blog about trauma can answer their questions but with the call to action, they can proceed to book a consultation with you.

This means, that having your contact information and how to go about starting the process to make an appointment or consultation is a great piece of information to have in your blog. It makes it easier for clients to make an appointment after reading about the topic they are struggling with. Especially, if they contain backlinks to your contact forms and service information.

What Does a “Call to Action” for a Therapy Blog Look Like?

As I sort of mentioned above, the call to action is made up of four parts:

Summarizing the potential client’s struggles
Sympathizing with your potential client about their struggles
Reassure the potential client that you, your team, and your practice are there to support them
Instructions on how to reach out to schedule an appointment or consultation.

Remember, a call to action’s main goal is to summarize the reader’s pain points, let them know there is support available, and give instructions on how to reach out to you. This will help motivate your client to book a consultation or appointment with you. This is what the end goal of a call to action is!

Here is an example of a call to action for a therapy blog:

Begin Anxiety Therapy at Lovewell Therapy in Ontario, Canada

Our team here at Lovewell understands how hard it can be to cope with your anxiety symptoms alone. That’s why we are here to support you. Our caring therapists are here to help you find the best coping mechanisms for you and empower you to live the life you want. To start anxiety therapy today:

Fill out a contact form on our website.
Meet with one of our caring therapists.
Start overcoming your anxiety and living the life you want!

This example has all four parts. It summarizes the potential client’s struggle. Sympathizes with them and their struggles because let’s be real, anxiety (or any mental health struggle) is hard! Then it lets the potential client know that we are here to help and support them. It also has information on how to contact the practice for an appointment and further information. Now, not all calls to action have to look like this. Some therapists prefer not to have bullets and incorporate their backlinks into a paragraph. That’s okay, too! As long as it contains the same information and lets the client know how to reach you, it will be fine.

Backlinks are Key for Your Therapy Pages

Now, your therapy page’s blog posts will have backlinks that connect to your contact forms and practice’s service pages for easier access for the client. This is to help streamline the process for them to make a consultation or appointment. But, it’s also so that Google will recognize that you are affiliated with that practice and knowledge about the topic the blog is speaking about. For example, putting backlinks throughout your blog linking to your services, your other blog posts, or to your “About Me” page can help potential clients connect with you. But, it also allows Google to know more about your experience and knowledge, too!

Needing Some Support? We Offer SEO Services for Therapists!

If you’re looking for support with your SEO, we can help! We offer a variety of SEO options designed to meet the needs of therapists. When you’re ready to begin optimizing your therapy website, please follow these steps:

Schedule your free 30-minute consultation with a member of the Simplified SEO Consulting team
Learn more about our SEO services and training opportunities
Start optimizing your webpage and watch your site rank better on Google!

Other SEO Services Offered at Simplified SEO Consulting

At Simplified SEO Consulting there is a wide range of SEO services that we provide to support therapists. Despite what phase they are in at their practice, we are here to help! ]We have different training options for therapists who want to learn how to optimize their websites with the help of our team members. For SEO one-on-one training, our 12-Week SEO Intensive program is a great option for those who want to work one-on-one with a specialist. Our Small Group SEO Intensives is perfect for helping professionals and therapists who would prefer to work in groups with other professionals. Another option is to purchase our DIY Online SEO Courses to learn SEO by yourself and at your own pace. Then, for therapists who are wanting to outsource their SEO, we offer Done-For-You SEO services.

If you’re not entirely sure what would be right for you, book a free consultation with one of our team members!

About the Author:

Lynsey, SEO Content Writer for Simplified SEO Consulting Lynsey is an SEO Content Specialist at Simplified SEO Consulting. At Simplified, Lynsey enjoys that she is writing content while making sure that the content sounds personal and has the client’s words and voice embedded, but also writing about important topics that will be used as resources within the mental health field. Her goal is to create quality content for clients to use as resources to help potential patients and learn as much as she can along the way. She is passionate about providing copywriting services for psychiatrists and therapists.

Schedule your next consultation if you’re ready to see how Simplified can serve you!

September 1, 2022/0 Comments/by Lynsey Heskett

Content, SEO Basics, Websites

A Guide To Creating An SEO Friendly Private Practice Website

Are you a therapist who is creating a new website? Or are you considering redesigning your private practice website? If you are and you want to get a head start on SEO you are in the right spot. If you have met with our consulting team then you might have heard that Simplified SEO Consulting likes to start working on SEO after your new website has had a chance to sit on Google for a little while. However, there are some things that you can do while creating your website that will give you a leg up on the search engine optimization process.

Mental Health SEO Keywords

SEO for private practice websites starts with choosing the right keywords. I am not suggesting that you have to do intensive keyword research as you are creating or redesigning your website. If you plan to do our Done-For-You SEO Program your dedicated SEO specialist will do extensive keyword research on each page that they optimize. While if you do our Small Group Intensive or Do-It-Yourself SEO Course you will receive training and more detailed instructions on how to conduct keyword research that will help you reach your ideal clients.

However, knowing the right keywords for your area as you are creating a home page, about page, and services pages can help give you a jump start on your SEO journey. For example, did you know that in general “anxiety treatment” is more commonly searched than “anxiety therapy” or “anxiety counseling”? Additionally when you compare searches per month in the US “therapist” is searched more often than “counselor”. The right keywords for you to use are dependent on what area you are trying to rank in.

References for Mental Health SEO Keywords

Content, Content, Content

It has been said time and time again that content is king/queen, but it remains to be true so it warrants being said again. When creating your website be mindful of which service pages you want to add. Think about your ideal client and what kind of mental health services you want to be offering. Then make a list of what services you want to provide. The list of services will look different for every private practice owner. It might include anxiety therapy, trauma therapy, therapy for women, sex therapy, therapy for men, EMDR, LGBTQIA+ counseling, therapy for teenagers, etc. The key is to identify what you want to offer and make an individual service page for each of them.

Once you move on to creating those service pages keep in mind the length of your copy. Generally speaking, you want your pages to have 500 words but no more than 3000 words. Google likes to have a lot of quality content when determining rankings. It can be hard to go back and add 200 words to a service page that was originally 300 words long. Instead, try to make sure that as you are creating content you are aware of the word count.

References & Guides For Creating Content For A Private Practice Website

Pay Attention to Your Slugs

Once you have created a new page or blog post for your website there is one more thing that needs to be done before publishing it. That is to create an SEO-friendly URL slug. Once a page has gone live it can be tricky to change an existing URL slug. This is why this is one of the most important things you can do for your SEO as you are creating your website.

So what should you include in your slugs? You should try to include both keywords and location indications. So first start with the main keywords you are wanting to focus on. Then include what city or state you are attempting to rank in.

Examples of URL Slugs For Service Pages

Anxiety Page: anxiety-treatment-Little-Rock-Arkansas
Virtual Therapy Page: online-therapy-North-Dakota
EMDR Page: EMDR-therapy-Tulsa-Oklahoma
Stress & Burnout Page: stress-management-Edmonton-Alberta
Couples Therapy: marriage-counseling-Manchester-New-Hampshire

Include At least 3 Photos

As a Mental Health SEO Specialist, one of the areas I utilize during the optimization process is the alt text and photo title. It is a great way to increase accessibility while also integrating keywords and locations. At Simplified SEO Consulting we recommend all of our clients have at least 3 photos on each page and blog post. If you plan to start services with us or take our training course then it might be easier to include those photos while creating the website. Rather than trying to add them in later while working on SEO. You can learn more about the SEO benefits of including at least 3 photos on every page here.

Are You Ready to Start SEO Services on your Private Practice Website?

Whether you are just creating your private practice website, redesigning your website, or you have had a website for years it is never too early or late to start learning about search engine optimization at Simplified SEO Consulting. Our Mental Health SEO specialists are here to help! We have services ranging from SEO intensive training so you can learn how to optimize your own website to done-for-you SEO. It can be a big step to invest in SEO but we are here to help you at every step. Get started by following these steps:

Make a free consultation with one of our knowledgeable team members
Learn more about our dedicated SEO Specialists for therapists and the services we offer
Start increasing your rankings on Google

Services Offered at Simplified SEO Consulting

Our SEO specialists are here to help you get optimal search engine optimization for counselors. Are you short on time but want to move forward with SEO for your private practice website? Then our Done for You package might be the best choice for you. Looking to build your knowledge of search engine optimization for yourself but need guidance on selecting mental health SEO keywords? Wanting to reduce costs by working on your own website? Then enrolling in our SEO intensive training or online course are options that are built for you. Whichever route you choose Simplified SEO Consulting will provide you with support and guidance. Get started with your free 30-minute consultation today to figure out the best path for you!

About the Author:

Winnie is a part of our caring team of SEO Specialists at Simplified SEO Consulting. She enjoys learning and growing her knowledge in not only search engine optimization but also mental health. Staying up to date on all aspects of SEO so she can bring you the best service possible.

Her specialty is working with our clients who have picked our Done for You package. This includes helping those clients get their website SEO-friendly and finding the best mental health keywords for them. If you’re ready to start on your search engine optimization journey, schedule a consultation.

August 9, 2022/0 Comments/by Winnie Youger-Rash

SEO Basics, Training

SEO Training for Therapists: What are the Benefits of Learning SEO Yourself?

So you’re thinking about SEO! Maybe you heard about it on a podcast or read about it in a Facebook group for therapists. Perhaps a colleague mentioned to you that SEO helped them grow their practice, and now you’re considering it too.

Many of our clients come to us with a very basic understanding of SEO. They know that it helps people get found in search engines, but they aren’t really sure what it means. You might not even know what “SEO” stands for. (Psst, it stands for search engine optimization.)

Because of this, a fair amount of our clients don’t even consider the idea of learning SEO for their own website. They think that it’s too technical and confusing, and that only a computer-wiz could figure it out. But believe it or not, SEO actually isn’t that complicated. And there are plenty of benefits to learning SEO yourself!

SEO is Actually Pretty Simple Once You Learn the Basics

For context, I (like many of my team members) have a Bachelor’s degree in psychology. I never studied computer science or digital marketing, and honestly the only computer class I took in college was related to statistics for psychology! I’ve worked as an Intake Coordinator for a private practice, and had heard about SEO, but before I started working here I had no idea how it worked.

I wouldn’t have considered myself tech-savvy in the least, but after a bit of training I realized that SEO is actually pretty simple! Now, there are a wide range of SEO strategies, and yes there are some components of SEO that are a bit more “technical”. However, once you understand the basic principles of SEO, you can make big improvements in your website’s online rankings!

What are the Benefits of Learning SEO?

You Have Full Control Over the Content on Your Private Practice Website

When you learn how to optimize your website yourself, you have full control over the content on your website. Everything from the writing on your service pages and blogs, to the photos, and how you choose to incorporate keywords all comes from you. This ensures that everything on your website aligns with your values and brand. It also means that clients get a very authentic sense of your perspective, your voice, and your practice’s unique approach.

Now, if you outsource your SEO with us, we will do everything we can to match your voice and approach. However, many of our clients who learn how to optimize their own website find it very rewarding to know that all of the content on their website comes directly from them.

You’ll be Able to Maintain Your SEO for Years to Come

Another great benefit of learning how to optimize your website is that you’ll be able to maintain it for years to come! One of the great things about SEO is that once you are ranking well, your rankings should remain relatively stable.

However, we know that other practices and websites will pop up that also want a great ranking. So we recommend doing a few things to maintain your SEO, such as keeping up with a consistent blogging strategy or doing an “SEO tune-up” every once in a while. If you learn SEO, you’ll be able to handle these things yourself without having to pay someone else to do it. Which means that you’ll be able to stretch your investment even further!

You’ll be Able to Use Your SEO Training as You Grow Your Practice

Learning SEO is great for maintaining your current site, however it’s especially helpful if you plan on growing your practice. Let’s say you add a new member to your team with a new speciality. If you have the skills to optimize your site, you can get this new page added and optimized as soon as you need to.

Or, if you want to change directions and open a practice in a new location or start a consulting business, you can apply these skills to an entirely new website! When you learn SEO, the possibilities of how you use those skills are pretty endless.

Learning SEO is a More Affordable Option

You can probably gather from the reasons I listed above that learning how to optimize your website yourself is a more affordable option compared to outsourcing. When you gain SEO skills, you won’t need to pay someone to add and optimize new content to your website down the line. As your practice grows, you can even teach another member of your team how to optimize your blogs or do an SEO tune-up for you, and stretch your knowledge even further!

We always say that SEO is either an investment of time or money. It just depends on how you want to allocate your resources.

On That Note, Who Should Learn SEO?

It’s important to mention that learning how to optimize your website isn’t for everyone. While anyone can learn how to optimize their website, not everyone necessarily should.

Now, we actually have an entire blog dedicated to answering the question of who should do their own optimization. So I recommend checking that out for all of our thoughts. But in this blog I wanted to briefly mention that learning how to optimize your website does take some time and energy. So if you are an incredibly busy practice owner, it may not be the best option for you. (Though, you could always have a member of your team learn SEO!)

However, we know that learning optimization isn’t the best option for every practice. That’s why we offer Done-For-You services too! If you need help deciding what option is best for you, our team would be happy to give you our advice!

Interested in Learning More About Our SEO Training Options?

At Simplified SEO Consulting we offer a range of options to teach therapists and helping professionals how to optimize their websites! For those who want a personalized approach, we offer one-on-one SEO trainings. If you want to learn SEO in a group, our Small Group SEO Intensives are a great fit. Or, if you’re looking for an affordable option to get started, we have several DIY online courses that cover different SEO strategies!

If you’re interested in learning more about our different options and getting our suggestions on which is best for you, you can schedule a free video consultation with a member of our team. We’d be happy to learn more about your practice, your SEO goals, and give your advice!

Other SEO Services Offered at Simplified SEO Consulting

We understand that training and DIY options aren’t suitable for all practices. So for those who want to outsource, we offer Done-For-You SEO services at different levels. You can also start learning a bit more with our free 7-day SEO email series or by reading our other blogs on SEO. We are happy to be a part of your business’s journey in any way that we can.

About the Author

Kaite Ritchie is our Administrative Assistant, Alumni Specialist, and a Mental Health SEO Copywriter at Simplified SEO Consulting. Before joining our team, she worked at our founder’s private practice as an Intake Coordinator. Since she worked at the practice where it all began, when Jessica taught herself how to optimize her own website, she learned how powerful of a tool SEO can be! Now she enjoys writing and optimizing content for our clients, and helping therapists decide if learning SEO is the right path for them during our free consultations. You can schedule a free consultation with Kaite to learn more about our SEO services and get help deciding whether one of our trainings is right for you!

July 29, 2022/0 Comments/by Kaite Ritchie

Analytics, SEO Basics, SEO Tools

Analytics, what is it and why is it important to my SEO?

If you’re reading this blog, chances are you already know about the importance of SEO, also known as Search Engine Optimization. But, there’s a second, often overlooked, aspect to SEO that is extremely important as well. It’s called analytics. Analytics can be a scary word that brings to mind thoughts of statistics, mathematical equations, and computations that many of us just don’t understand. However, analytics really aren’t that scary and they play an important role in SEO. So, what are analytics? Let’s take a look.

Analytics and SEO: The Intersection of Knowledge and Application

The definition of analytics, in simple terms, is the process of discovering, interpreting, and communicating significant patterns in data. Ok, maybe that is not so simple! Let’s try this, analytics allow us to see insights and meaningful data that we might not otherwise notice in relation to our SEO efforts.

Four Key Reasons to Utilize Analytics with Your SEO:

Analytics can tell you where your organic site traffic is coming from.

This is important because understanding where your traffic is coming from tells you how to attract more potential visitors. Are clients coming from referrals or google searches? This helps determine if your SEO is driving your target customers to your brand through organic search or other sources.

Analytics help determine which keywords you should attempt to rank your private practice for.

Analytic tools can tell you the monthly search volume of the keyword, ranking difficulty, and where you are ranking for that keyword. Analytics also monitor your movement up or down in rankings, so you know which keywords need more optimizations!

Progress tracking made easy

Analytics help you track your overall progress with your website’s optimizations through a number of key metrics listed below:

Organic traffic

This is any traffic that comes to your website that originates from a search engine. Organic traffic is not paid for.

Bounce rate

This tells you the number of visitors to your website that leave after viewing only one page. A high bounce rate could indicate a problem with the user experience on your site that needs to be addressed.

Returning Visitors vs. New Visitors

This metric tells you how many new individuals are visiting your page versus visitors that have been there before (such as an existing client). The more new users the better as this means you are more visible on the internet.

Page load speeds

This refers to the amount of time it takes for your webpage to fully load for your users. Slow load times not only drive clients away from your page but also negatively impact your SEO results with Google. Statistics state that if a page takes longer than 3 seconds to load, more than1/4 of all users will click away from your site.

Conversion rates

This is the percentage of people who visit your site and complete the desired task before leaving. For example, say your goal is to get people to fill out the online contact form. Conversion rate can measure the percentage of visitors to your site who complete this task. This allows you to see how compelling and successful the SEO work on your site is.

Click through rate (CTR)

This last metric measures the number of people who see your result on the search engine result page (SERP) such as the Google search results and actually click on the link to go to your page. The more people clicking to your page the better! This is where your meta descriptions come into play. A great meta description will draw people to your site because they want to learn more. Learn more about writing the perfect meta description here.

Return on Investment

Lastly, and maybe most importantly, analytics help you measure your return on investment (ROI). When you look at all the combined analytics listed above together, they paint a picture of how well your SEO work, applications, and optimizations are working together to drive your ideal client to your site. This lets you see in real-time on a regular basis how effective your monthly SEO spend is and what needs improvement.

Free Analytics Tools for SEO:

There are a wide variety of options available on the internet for gathering your analytical information that are free. Below is a list of some available tools for you to explore and use:

Google Analytics

Google Search Console

SEM Rush

Moz

Ahrefs

Closing Thoughts

Here at Simplified SEO Consulting, we consistently use analytics to inform our decision-making when it comes to optimizing your web pages and blogs. In fact, all of our clients have access to a customized Data Dashboard pulling the metrics we most want to target to track SEO success and ROI. We know that these tools give us a greater understanding of how best to serve our clients and help them achieve their business goals. We also encourage you to get familiar with these tools! Understanding analytics gives YOU greater control and insight into helping your business reach its goals on the path to becoming everything you dreamed it could be, now and into the future.

Begin Improving Your SEO and Analytics Understanding with Simplified SEO Consulting

Our team works closely with therapists nationwide to optimize their SEO based on analytical metrics! If you have been searching for an SEO company that understands analytics and its real-world applications, you’re in the right place. Our wonderful team of mental health SEO specialists at Simplified SEO Consulting would love to talk strategy with you and help you get connected with the best service for you. To get started with our service follow these simple steps:

Schedule a consult with our Consultation Team
Learn more about our talented team of mental health SEO Specialists
Start learning SEO for Eating Disorder Therapists that align with your brand!

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 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

Mary is one of the newest members of our dedicated and knowledgeable SEO Specialists here at Simplified SEO Consulting. She brings with her certification in Google Analytics (Google Analytics IQ Certification) and understands the importance of analytics and their application. She loves staying up to date on all things analytical in order to bring clients the most informed service possible.

If you are ready to start your analytical SEO journey with us, schedule your free 30-minute consultation with us now. Mary and the rest of our team are ready to support you!

July 28, 2022/0 Comments/by Mary Miller

SEO Basics

What to Include on the Therapy Service Pages of a Private Practice Website

How are your services currently listed on your website? Do you have a list of your different specialties? Maybe a paragraph about the different therapy services you offer? Or, perhaps you actually have separate pages for each of your services, but only a couple hundred words on each of them.

You Need Service Pages to Rank for Therapy Keywords

My biggest suggestion for therapists and helping professionals who want to improve their SEO is to create individual service pages for all of the services they want to rank for. And if they already have service pages, I almost always suggest that they bulk up their content! Often the response I get is, “I feel like I’ve said all there is to say.” Or, “I want to keep it simple.”

Here’s the thing. If you want to rank high on Google (and be easily found by clients) for the different services you offer, Google has to know that you offer that service. If you only mention the word “anxiety therapy” or “EMDR” on your website a couple of times, Google isn’t going to rank you well for it. And honestly, the clients coming to your website probably aren’t going to be compelled to reach out if they don’t know much about you.

So in this blog post, I’m going to share my tips for deciding what service pages you should create and what you should add to those service pages to rank higher on Google and get noticed by potential clients!

What Sort of Services Need Their Own Page?

Therapy Service Pages

I mentioned that if you want to rank high on Google for a keyword, you should probably have a service page for it. Now, you may be wondering what sort of things need their own service page. For example, do you need a “trauma therapy” AND a “trauma therapy for children” page if you offer both of those services?

The short answer is, maybe! It really depends on who your ideal client is, how much of a “niche” you have, and what your SEO goals are.

If you have a group practice and you have a clinician that specializes in trauma therapy for adults and a clinician that specializes in trauma therapy for children, then it would be a good idea to have two separate pages! However, if you are a solo therapist that specializes in trauma therapy and happens to sometimes offer trauma therapy to children, then you probably don’t need a separate page for it.

So, I would suggest starting with the services that you specialize in and that you are excited to offer. For some, this might be postpartum therapy, coaching for parents, and anxiety therapy. OR if postpartum therapy is your niche, then you should have separate pages for postpartum anxiety and postpartum depression. This is going to be very dependent on your practice and what you really want to rank for.

Service Pages for Age Groups

Besides service pages for the different mental health concerns you want to rank for, you can also have service pages for the different age ranges you work with. If you work with children, teens, adults, and seniors, then you can make a “therapy for ____” service page for each of those age groups.

However, it’s not essential to create service pages for different age groups. This is only important if you want to rank for “teen therapist” or “therapy for children” for example.

Online Therapy Service Page

If you offer online therapy, especially if you are an online-only practice, you really want to have an online therapy page as well. If you offer online therapy in multiple states, you’re going to want to have an online therapy page for each state if you want to rank for terms like “online therapist in North Carolina” or “online therapy in Los Angeles”.

However, if online therapy is a service you offer simply to accommodate clients and not something you really want inquiries about, then you don’t need an online therapy page. Again, it’s all about what you want to rank for.

Additional Service Pages

Beyond the specific service pages I’ve mentioned, there may be others that are applicable to your practice. You can also have service pages for the different treatment models you use such as EMDR, the Gottman Method, or DBT. If you are bilingual and offer therapy in more than language, you can have a service page dedicated to your therapy services in Spanish for example. Or, if you cater to clients of a particular faith or culture you can have a service page focused on that as well.

Think about the terms that clients are searching for. If a service of yours is something that is commonly searched for online, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to have a service page for it. You can use tools like KW Finder to learn what keywords are actually being searched for widely in your area.

What Content Should be Included on a Service Page?

Now that you know what service pages you may want to add to your website, you should start thinking about what needs to be on those service pages.

In order to have enough content to show Google that you’re an expert on the services you offer, we suggest that you have a minimum of 500 words on each of your service pages. If you have more, that’s great! However you shouldn’t have much less than 500 words.

If you’re thinking that you won’t have enough to write about to get to 500 words, then you may not be considering all of the information that you should include on the page.

What is Your Ideal Client Struggling With?

First, you want to start with what we call “pain points”. Pain points are the things that your clients are struggling with. Think about the clients who you’ve worked with or people who’ve reached out for help. What were their main concerns? Maybe their social anxiety was making it challenging to make friends. Or their troubles in their marriage were starting to affect their children. Perhaps their addiction was causing financial problems.

You may even mention the common symptoms of PTSD or anxiety. Or, you can list the common reasons that people seek therapy for the specific service you’re offering. For example, the common reasons that teens come to therapy or that couples seek support.

By mentioning these pain points you are showing prospective clients that you actually understand what they’re going through. You’re also showing that you’ve worked with enough clients to really understand the challenges that they’re dealing with. It also gives you an opportunity to explain the specific ways that therapy can help them.

How Can Therapy Help Them?

In addition to mentioning the challenges that they may be experiencing, it’s important that you also describe the ways that therapy can help. You want to give prospective clients hope by telling them how they can expect their life to be different after therapy.

Will they be able to manage their anxiety? Will they feel less trapped by their traumatic memories? If you’re having trouble, think about your clients that have made changes in their life. What was different for them?

You can also describe why therapy for their specific mental health concern is effective. This may mean giving a brief description of the CBT triangle and how therapy can help break the cycle of anxious thoughts. Let them know how therapy can actually help them manage or overcome their specific concern.

How Can You or Your Therapy Practice Help?

Beyond giving a description of how therapy can help, you need to explain how you or the therapists at your practice can help them. What makes you unique?

Is it your approach to therapy for that specific service? Or maybe it’s that you’re trained in a specific evidence based prevention like EMDR. Maybe you specialize in culturally sensitive services or take an intersectional approach to therapy. This is where you get specific about why clients should want to work with you.

Don’t forget to wrap up this section with a “call to action” where you direct them to contact you or your team if they’re interested in beginning therapy. Make it easy for them to take the first step.

The Next Steps: Optimizing Your Service Pages and Creating Blog Posts

Creating service pages with valuable content is only one piece of the puzzle. It’s a great way to start showing Google that you’re an expert on the services you offer. And it’s incredibly valuable for potential clients who want to learn more about you and your services. However when it comes to SEO, content only goes so far.

Optimizing Your Therapy Website

In order to rank well for the keywords those service pages are targeting, you really need to optimize them. The basics of optimization include adding keywords, location indicators, and other elements like internal and external links to the pages of your website. However there is a bit more that goes into it, so I’m going to direct you to this comprehensive guide on optimizing a private practice website for more information.

Writing Blog Posts

Once you’ve written and optimized your service pages, the next step is to start writing and optimizing blog posts related to those service pages. See, you can only pack so many SEO elements into your service pages in a way that feels natural. At a certain point it’ll look repetitive, awkward, and it won’t appeal to clients.

That’s where blog posts come in! Blog posts allow you to create more relevant content that is valuable to potential clients AND that continues to show Google that you’re an expert on the services you offer. Blogs also allow you to pack in more of those SEO elements.

We recommend starting with at least 3 blogs per service page to start. However a consistent blogging strategy (such as posting 2-4 optimized blogs per month) is a great way to really improve and then maintain your rankings.

It may sound a bit overwhelming right now, but if you take it step by step you can slowly and steadily start improving your SEO and creating a website that is packed with great information for prospective clients.

However, if this all is sounding like a bit too much for you to take on, you can reach out to us for help!

Our Mental Health SEO Specialists Can Optimize Your Website For You!

As a busy therapist you might not have time to learn SEO and optimize your own website. That’s where we come in! Our team is entirely focused on helping therapists and helping professionals rank higher on Google. The Mental Health SEO Specialists on our team can optimize your service pages and blog posts to help you rank higher on Google and reach more clients! If you’re interested in learning more about our SEO services, you can follow these simple steps:

Schedule a free 30-minute video consultation with one of our team members
Learn how our SEO services can help you reach more of your ideal clients
Watch your online rankings improve and get back to focusing on your practice

We are so excited to be a part of your SEO journey!

Other SEO Services Offered by Simplified SEO Consulting

At Simplified SEO Consulting we offer a wide range of SEO services to help therapists at different phases in their practice! For therapists who are too busy to optimize their website and want to outsource their SEO, we offer Done-For-You SEO services.

We also offer training options for those who want to learn how to optimize their own website with the help of our team members. Our 12-Week SEO Intensive program is great for those who want to learn SEO one-on-one. Our Small Group SEO Intensives are perfect for therapists and helping professionals who want to learn SEO in a group of other professionals. You can also purchase our DIY Online SEO Courses to learn SEO on your own, at your own pace.

If you aren’t sure what option is best for you, then you can book a free consultation with a member of our team for our suggestions!

About the Author

Kaite Ritchie is our Administrative Assistant, Alumni Specialist, and a Mental Health SEO Copywriter at Simplified SEO Consulting. For years Kaite worked as an Intake Coordinator for our founder, Jessica Tappana, at her private practice. During that time she helped clients get set up with the right therapist for them. And she learned how a well optimized website can help clients find the therapist they’re looking for. She now uses that knowledge to help therapists create service pages and blog posts that will speak to their ideal client! You can schedule a free consultation with Kaite to learn more about our SEO services and how we can help you.

July 26, 2022/0 Comments/by Kaite Ritchie

Backlinks, SEO Basics, SEO Tips

SEO Terminology: 10 Common SEO Terms and What They Mean for Therapist SEO

In the world of Search Engine Optimization, there are so many terms that are thrown around.

There is a lot of lingo surrounding search engine optimization. In fact, there is so much that it can sound like a different language without having prior knowledge. So today, we are going to discuss common SEO terms and their place in the grand scheme of things.

What Are Long-Tail and Short-Tail Keywords?

Keywords are the terms that we chose to focus on and include in content to better show up for those terms. When it comes to short-tail keywords, these are phrases such as “anxiety treatment” that only have one to two words that make up the keyword. Long-tail keywords however can have four or more.

Short-tail keywords often overlook long-tail when it comes to search volume. Since these keywords are shorter and more general, they are often searched for by a larger number of people. On the other hand, long-tail keywords are usually more specific due to the longer nature of the phrase. Thus, making them easier to rank for while helping focus in on a specific niche or topic. There are pros and cons of using each, which is why it’s important to use each when optimizing for specific search terms you’d like to rank for.

What Does HTML Mean?

HTML stands for HyperText Markup Language. This is a basic markup language for documents used by web pages across the internet. HTML is used to tell web browsers what elements are present on a given page and make up the backbone of what you will see on a webpage. Every element is represented somewhere in the HTML of the page. While you may not be able to see it without a bit of technical knowledge, it still serves an invaluable purpose in SEO and web design as a whole.

What Does SERP Stand For?

This stands for search engine result page. When you search for something on Google, this is the page you see with all the possible search results related to your inquiry. The factors that determine where pages fall in a SERP can be difficult to understand, especially with the ever-evolving nature of Google’s search algorithm. But, understanding the major updates that may occur can help improve your SEO efforts in a variety of ways.

What Is a Meta Description?

A meta description is a short paragraph that appears on SERPs and summarizes what the page is about. Normally Google will automatically create these based on the content of the page. But, these are rarely as effective as if you were to manually create your own. Writing your own meta descriptions for each of your web pages will allow you to also work in crucial keywords you are hoping to improve rankings for, thus helping google better understand the focus of the page and what you are hoping to rank for.

What Is the Difference Between Crawling, Indexing, Rendering, and Ranking?

Crawling refers to when robots (crawlers) for a search engine discover new pages on your site, and the links they have to other existing pages, which is why internal links are so important. After a robot crawls a site, it can index the crawled pages. Indexing is when these pages are recorded by the search engine, analyzed, and sorted based on the content of the page.

Rendering occurs when search engines take the HTML of your page, and use it to understand the structure of the page. It is the process of compiling the code of your site in order to better understand what an actual person will see when they visit the page. Finally, ranking is what private practice owners work to improve through SEO! Your ranking is where your site falls in the SERP, and this constantly changes due to other competitors working to climb to the top of the search results.

What Is a Sitemap?

A sitemap acts as, well, a map of your site! This helps search engines organize the pages on your site to crawl and index the content of your website. Without submitting your sitemap to something like Google My Business, SERPs may have a harder time understanding the type of content on your site, whether that be a video, image, or article. Plus, sitemaps also provide crawlers with another way to discover each page of your site. As a result, you don’t have to worry as much about isolated pages being looked over due to a lack of links. Your sitemap will take notice of them even if they’re not linked to any other page.

What Are Alt Text and Alt Titles?

These are unseen additions to photos and other graphic elements on a page that help improves accessibility and provide content for search engines. The text and titles added to photos help search engines index pages correctly. These often include descriptions that explain the content of the photo and can provide a great chance to also rank for your focus keywords. These alt attributes can be added to the HTML of your site in different ways. Including them also helps toward improving how well you rank on Google.

What Are Internal Links, External Links, and Backlinks?

Internal links are the embedded links on your website that connect each page to one another. External links are similar, but they link to external sites independent of your site. Backlinks is a type of external link in which another site creates a link that returns back to your site. Internal linking is an essential part of your site structure. External and backlinks are invaluable as well. They can help to improve the authoritativeness of your site. But, be careful, not all sites may be as reputable as others, meaning the wrong link can actually hurt the credibility of your site.

What Is Black Hat & White Hat SEO

These are the methods in which you try to rank better on SERPs like Google. Black hat SEO tactics are those that can help you improve your rankings, but are often unethical and go against SERP guidelines in the process. In short, you want to avoid black hat SEO practices. Instead, white hat SEO practices are ethical methods to help improve your search engine rankings.

What Is a Featured Snippet?

These are becoming more important as Google continues to make finding the right answers more convenient for those searching for them. These are the small bits of text that often appear at the top of Google’s search results that are meant to offer quick answers to an inquiry. These make it easier for searchers to find answers without having to sift through an entire page. They also help capture attention and can improve the chances people will visit your site for more useful answers to their questions.

Begin Improving Counselor SEO With Simplified SEO Consulting

Our team of SEO specialists is experienced in offering support to improve the SEO of therapists nationwide. We offer a number of services that can help you improve your practice, and find your ideal client. If you are ready to start your SEO journey with Simplified SEO Consulting, please follow these simple steps:

Contact Simplified SEO Consulting
Meet with a member of our team of SEO Specialists
Start ranking higher on Google and meeting with your ideal client

Other Services Offered With Simplified SEO Consulting

Our team of mental health SEO specialists is happy to offer a number of services to support your SEO efforts. We offer Done For You SEO packages as well as online courses, SEO training, Done With You 12-week intensive, and strategy sessions. We would be happy to start working with you by scheduling a free 30-minute consultation. Learn more by visiting our blog or visit our services page today.

About the Author

Sterling Humburg-Cage graduated from the University of Missouri with a BA in Psychology in 2020. He integrates what he learned in school into his work as an SEO Specialist with Simplified SEO Consulting. Sterling prides himself on helping current clients & alumni problems solve difficult SEO issues. He’s great at giving clients multiple options about how to approach a situation and responding quickly to client concerns. Since he started, Sterling has met frequently with our alumni and provided them extra problem-solving support. He often goes the extra mile to do outside research and make sure private practice owners have everything they need to rank well on search engines long term for the keywords their ideal clients are using!

July 19, 2022/0 Comments/by Sterling Humburg-Cage

SEO Basics, SEO Tips

How to Write Meta Descriptions for Your Blog Posts: A Guide for Psychiatrists, Therapists & Mental Health Providers

Meta descriptions can be a valuable asset for your blog posts. Why? Because they are one of the first things people see when they do a search engine results page (SERP) search. A well-written meta description can entice people to click on your post, which can result in more website traffic and better SEO. In this blog post, we will discuss how to write effective meta descriptions for your blog posts. We will also provide some helpful tips and examples.

As a therapist, you likely have a wealth of knowledge and experience that you can share with others. Blogging is a great way to share that information. And I’ve often talked about the benefits of blogging regularly both for your SEO as well as for your clients. Therefore, I often talk about blogging when I’m teaching mental health providers to manage their own SEO. And I often talk about meta descriptions when I talk about SEO. However, someone recently pointed out that most of the examples I share are related to service pages so I thought we’d chat a bit about meta descriptions for mental health related blog posts.

What is a meta description?

A meta description is a brief summary of a web page or document that appears on the SERP below the title. Meta descriptions are typically between 150-155 characters long. The main purpose of a meta description is to briefly explain what the page is about and help people decide if they want to click on your result or not.

How do I write a meta description?

The first step is to identify the main keyword or phrase for the blog post that you want to target. Once you have your keyword, you’ll want to include it in your meta description. In addition to your keyword, you’ll also want to make sure that your meta description is clear, concise, and interesting. You want people to know what they’ll be reading about if they click on your blog post, and you also want to entice them to do so!

Here are some tips for writing effective meta descriptions:

– Use your keyword(s) early on in the meta description

– Keep it under 155 characters

– Write in complete sentences

– Make it interesting and compelling!

You can read more that I’ve written about why (here) & how to specify a meta description (here).

Why isn’t Google using the meta description I wrote in SERP results?

There are a few reasons why your meta description may not be appearing in SERP results. One reason could be that your meta description is too long- remember to keep it under 155 characters.

Another reason is simply that the exact keyword the person is searching for wasn’t in the meta description you wrote, but you did use that exact phrase somewhere else on the page. In this case, you can expect Google to pull a random sentence from somewhere on the page that happens to use that exact phrase.

A final reason could be that Google didn’t think your meta description was as relevant or interesting as some of the other results on the SERP, so they chose to display a different result above yours. This is why it’s important to not only use your keyword(s) in your meta description, but also to make sure that the meta description is interesting and relevant!

It’s frustrating when you take time to write what you believe to be the PERFECT meta description (includes keywords, accurately summarizes the page & is interesting) but know that it’s common. And while we can influence what Google shows, we can’t ultimately can’t control Google.

Does a meta description directly impact SEO?

Essentially, Google has said the meta description does not directly impact your SEO. However, it is still an important part of your on-page optimization and you should still use keywords you think your ideal clients are searching for. Google does see what you’ve written, and not using keywords in your meta descriptions could result in Google using a random sentence in the middle of the page when your blog post shows up in search results.

In short, yes, you should still be writing meta descriptions for your blog posts!

A well written meta description improves your “click through rate.”

The click-through rate (CTR) is the percentage of searchers who click on your result in the SERP. A higher CTR means more traffic to your website, and a lower CTR could mean that your result wasn’t as relevant or interesting as the other results on the page.

So, having a well written meta description greatly improves the chances Google will show what you’ve written in search results which will result in more clicks to your website.

While we can’t control everything that Google does, we can influence it. And one way to do that is by writing interesting & relevant meta descriptions for our blog posts.

Examples of Meta Descriptions for Mental Health Websites

Now, for the part of the blog you’ve probably been waiting for. The examples! I’ve provided a few different examples of meta descriptions for mental health blog posts below.

Everything You’ve Ever Wanted to Know About Trichotillomania | Chino Anxiety Specialists

Meta Description: From its causes and symptoms, to treatment options and all the questions in between, this post tackles every aspect of trichotillomania.

A Simple Guide to Common Antidepressants | Blue Skies Psychiatry

Meta Description: A psychiatrist from Billings, MT explains commonly used antidepressants. This is a must read for everyone taking an antidepressant.

Busting Myths About PTSD: Thoughts From a Trauma Therapist in New York City

Meta Description: While trauma & PTSD are often discussed, everything you hear may not be true. Get your PTSD questions answered from a NYC trauma therapist.

How Alcoholism Impacts the Entire Family | Miami Family Therapy

Meta Description: Alcoholism affects every member of the family. A therapist discusses exactly how alcoholism impacts the entire family in this helpful guide.

Setting Your Marriage Up for Success: Lessons from a Marriage Counselor | Woodlands Christian Relationship Center

Meta Description: Curious how premarital counseling can help set your marriage up for success? Learn how this Texas, Christian counselor helps & lessons taught

Bipolar Disorder: All Your Common Questions Answered | Charleston Comprehensive Mental Health Care

Meta Description: This blog post dives into the most common questions our psychiatrists, therapists & case managers are asked about bipolar disorder.

Support For Optimizing Your Mental Health Website

If you need help optimizing your website for mental health SEO, Simplified SEO Consulting is a SEO business exclusively serving psychiatrists, counselors and other helpers. We offer a range of services including SEO training, DIY courses & “done for you” services. Our training program includes ongoing small group intensives and an in depth, customized 1:1 SEO training program. Right now, we’re most excited about the Fall cohort of our small group intensive starting and an upcoming kind of unique thing we are doing which is our blogging for SEO mastermind and cruise retreat that will take place this winter.

Upcoming Unique Opportunity Related to Blogging & SEO

In December, our group will meet weekly (except for the week of Christmas) to support one another as we write blog posts that will help improve SEO and serve our ideal clients. Then, January 6-9, 2023 we’ll be going on a 3 day cruise in the Bahamas. In addition to having fun, we’ll be spending time talking about SEO strategy and optimizing our blog posts. You’ll have personalized, in person support from our founder as well as our director of SEO as you write meta descriptions for your blogs, optimize your subheadings, do additional keyword research, write sections to highlight your expertise for Google and so much more!

However, we do want to keep this group small so we can really get to know one another and give everyone lots of individualized support! So, reach out to us ASAP. You can do so by emailing me (Jessica) directly at jessica@simplifiedseoconsulting.com if you want more information or are ready to join!

July 7, 2022/0 Comments/by Jessica

Business Tips, SEO Basics

SEO for Counselors: Why We Don’t Sell Short Term Solutions?

The Truth is Short Term Solutions Just Don’t Work When Doing SEO for Counselors.

We know that when it comes to your practice whether you’re just building it or you’re scaling up, that patience can be challenging. You’re ready to make a bigger impact and have added security to your business. However, we are open and honest from the start that SEO takes at least 6 months to get you a ranking so you can begin to establish credibility and maintain it. Sometimes businesses need more time if they are an online-only practice, if they are coming back from a bad reputation, or if they are in a bigger more populated area.

Additionally, SEO has gotten more competitive over the years. We know that our strategies work and have strategies and approaches that line up with this. However, we want you to be an informed consumer, so you can get the most out of your investment. Here are a few reasons why we don’t sell short-term solutions and why hanging in there with us will benefit your practice long term.

SEO for Counselors Takes Time

The simple fact is that SEO is about building up your domain trust over time. That means having a strong keyword strategy, being intentional in how we incorporate SEO factors, building high-quality backlinks, and impactful content that your ideal clients need. Six months sounds like a long time when you just want to add new clinicians or you just don’t have the funds to invest in this huge business expense, but in the long term taking time with SEO will benefit you.

Nothing Good Comes from Cutting Corners in Business

One thing we don’t want to encourage with SEO is putting up a bunch of content all at once or keyword stuffing. These are considered black hat SEO strategies. Additionally, buying backlinks is a big no. These tactics can tank your SEO and leave you struggling to build up any credibility. It is honestly better to invest in SEO within the guidelines and parameters of what Google has set forth for consumers. Really Google wants you to find your ideal clients, but just like with a client, when mistrust is established, it is harder to regain. So we recommend and recognize the need to do SEO at a slower pace ( 3-4 pages at a time), in order to have that long-term payout.

We Want to Help You Get Your Ideal Clients and Maintain Referrals

SEO cannot be done in the short term because you need to get to the first page. If you don’t have service pages or quality blogs that your ideal clients will connect with, then you are not going to have the greatest outcome with SEO. Even if you have good referrals know, they will catch up to you. So it’s best to follow a strategy where we do intensive optimization on services pages, create quality cornerstone blogs, and over time watch the data to see what is and is not resonating with your ideal clients. Through our process, we have steps we expect to follow that tell us whether SEO is or is not working.

For example, are you getting a big boost in rankings? We expect to see this month 1-3. Are you starting to get a few referrals? Not an overwhelming amount, but a few inquiries, that came from Google and are good fits? Great! That is what we want to see in months 3 and 4. If we get to that month 4 and we see that we are not getting what we hope, we restrategize early on. So we may modify some meta’s or write a blog post. Another point I expand on below is that the timeline for more competitive areas is a bit different and we expect that. In months 5 and 6, we want to know if you are getting more consistent referrals to your site. This is the time you should be blogging and getting backlinks.

Certain Locations Are More Competitive Than Others and We Want To Set You Up For Success

As mentioned before, we have some consistent trends in what we hope to see for your site, but what if you’re doing SEO in New York, Denver, Colorado, or Orange County, California? What Then? Well, the truth is that we may see in certain areas that the return on investment happens at a slower pace. I mean how many therapists are doing similar things to you in New York, Florida, or California? What matters here is that you are clear on your niche and how you help and support your, clients. Our goal is to help you stand out from the rest of the crowd. You have a unique voice that will bring in your ideal people.

One thing to note is that this is where blogging can help make that process easy. Don’t just write a blog on “Benefits of Online Therapy in New York”, write one about Why Online Therapy in New York is perfect for the person who thinks their problems are not big enough for therapy. What is this person telling themselves, how are they negating their experiences, what beliefs and internal dialogues are they giving into, and how can you help them deal with the feelings that have yet to give voice to. This will help you stand out in a competitive world of counseling and SEO.

Each Niche, Geographical Location, and Website Requires a Specialized Strategy

We don’t sell short-term solutions because each area has its own timeline for when SEO will begin to work, the more specific you are the better the SEO outcome, and different platforms are better for SEO. If you expect to get a ranking on a Wix website in New York within 6 months, to be honest, that’s not a realistic goal, that is why we recommend moving to Squarespace or WordPress. If you are on WordPress in Texas and specialize in pre and postnatal care, getting a ranking may be a faster process. We tailor our strategy to your needs, and that may mean needing a few extra months to break through the wall of the Google search engine for others, this process may be quicker.

We Always Paying Attention to The Data and Shifts in the Algorithm

As SEO specialists, we know that you trust us to be the experts. With that being said, we also know that Google’s algorithm can change at the drop of a hat. We are always monitoring these changes, so we can modify your SEO strategy accordingly. Much of the time, even when Google updates, we may see a month or two of fluctuating data, but then it settles down and we see the payoff from the work we have done.

It takes time to undo the adverse effects of Black Hat SEO and Bad Reviews

Lastly, if you are looking to scale up your practice, but you are dealing with the negative impacts of Black Hat SEO or bad reviews, we are here to support you through the process of undoing these issues. Plus, we can help you build back up your reputation. However, when these things happen, it can be a process. We have helped many individuals combat these issues, knowing that the process may take up to a year to reach the intended outcome. We don’t say this to discourage you, but to set you up for realistic results. If you do need support in this realm we have a great team of individuals who can help you navigate his process whether that means a strong Google my business strategy or helping you reestablish trust with Google.

The Take-Home Message When Doing SEO for Counselors and Therapists

Our team loves helping individuals reach their business goals and visions. Everyone’s strategy looks different, but for good reason. There is no one size fits all approach to therapy and we also believe that with SEO for counselors and therapists. We all follow some basic tenants, knowing that each client we work with has a slightly different approach. If there is some way we can support you, please reach out. Our consultation team would love to work with you and give you some insight and recommendations.

Begin SEO for Counselors and Therapists From A Team Who Truly Cares!

SEO is a process, but one worth taking. We have helped many private practice owners and groups scale up their practice. Our wonderful team of mental health SEO specialists at Simplified SEO Consulting would love to talk strategy with you and help you get connected with the best service for you. To get started with our service follow these simple steps:

Schedule a consult with our Consultation Team
Learn more about our talented team of mental health SEO Specialists
Start scaling up your practice and filling your clinicians

Other Services offered by Simplified SEO Consulting

About the Author:

Jasmine is a Mental Health SEO Specialist and our Client Success Specialist at Simplified SEO Consulting. It can be challenging to know where to start with SEO, luckily Jasmine is here to help. If you want insight, recommendations, or to talk about the next steps with SEO, contact us for a free 30- minute consultation.

Jasmine Jaquess is currently working towards her Master 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. Jasmine really enjoys hearing the clients’ goals for their businesses and helping them achieve them. She works with coaches, eating disorder specialists, trauma therapists, and more.

June 1, 2022/0 Comments/by Jasmine Jaquess

SEO Basics

SEO for Therapists: Does your page need an SEO tune-up?

SEO tune-ups are an important part of maintaining good Search Engine Optimization. This does not mean you have to spend hours reoptimizing the page. As an SEO specialist for therapists, I am going to cover two topics in this blog in regards to SEO for therapists. First, I will explain the ideal times to do SEO tune-ups. Second, we will look at what parts of search engine optimization you should prioritize during a tune-up.

When to Do an SEO Tune-Up

SEO Tune-Ups as Maintenance

Maintenance is an important part of SEO. You did a great job putting all that work in to do the original optimization of the page. So why would you need to do maintenance on it? Think of the website page as a car. You put the work and money in to replace the transmission and it gets you to your destinations better than ever. Just because you spent all the time working on the transmission doesn’t mean you are going to stop regular maintenance on your car, right? You’ll still get oil changes, replace the air filter, and replace the windshield wipers. This is because these are all maintenance tasks that help keep your car running well and get you to where you need to be.

Maintenance for SEO on your website is similar. During your original SEO optimization, you or your SEO specialist laid great groundwork. However, to keep ranking high on Google then you have to give it some TLC on occasion. Go in and make sure that locations, keywords, and zip codes are all accurate and up to date. Then go in and reindex it. Allowing Google to take new notice of your keywords on that page.

Falling Keywords

You’ve ranked well on google for a specific keyword for a while and suddenly it’s dropped in rankings. What is the best course of action? One option is blogging which you can read more about here. Another option is to do an SEO tune-up on the website page associated with that keyword. For example, if you have noticed a drop in keywords such as anxiety treatment, anxiety symptoms, panic attack, etc then it might be time for a tune-up on your anxiety page. It’s always a good idea to do a quick round of keyword research to make sure you are still targeting the ideal keywords. From there go in and see where you can reconfigure and work in those keywords you want to boost.

You Have More Copy to Add

Another great time to do an SEO tune-up on your page is if you are going to add or change the copy. Don’t let your previous SEO work keep you from changing the copy on your page. Go ahead and update pages when you have new information or find new inspiration that you want to include on them. Try to make it a rule of thumb that when you edit the copy you go through and do a tune-up as well. Don’t forget to index your pages once finished so you can get credit from Google for the changes.

What to focus on when doing an SEO tune-up

The point of a tune-up is to help increase the ranking of an already optimized page without spending hours on it. There are three important areas to make sure to focus on when doing a tune-up. This includes the meta description, links, and subheadings.

Meta Description

There is no such thing as a perfect meta description. It can always be tweaked or improved. Which makes it a great place to start when doing a tune-up. See if you can reword it to fit in another keyword, location, or zip code. One thing to keep in mind is that you have to keep it to 155 characters or less. Next, take a look at your Meta title or site title. Make sure you have your main keyword and a location with a zip code in it. If there is enough room see if you can fit in another keyword. An example would be:

Anxiety Treatment | Kansas City, MO 64113 | Anxiety Therapist | Practice Name

Links

There are two different things you will want to look at in regards to links during a tune-up. First, make sure that your existing links have strong anchor words. Additionally, make sure they are linking to where you want them to. Second, see where you can add more links. On the page see if there are any other places you can link to the home page, about page, service pages, or blog posts. Then try and find places on other service pages and blog posts where you can link back to the page you are doing a tune-up on.

Subheadings

Headings and subheadings are important to SEO which is why you should include them as part of your tune-up. There are a couple of things to look

Check to see if there are any other places you should include a subheading. This is especially important if you are adding more copy to your page.
Make sure your subheadings are rich with the keywords you are trying to rank for on that page.
Look to see where you can include locations within the subheadings

Get Help With & Learn More About SEO Tune-Ups

Have you done previous search engine optimization but think it’s time for an SEO tune-up? Then our SEO specialists for therapists are here to help you make that happen. Simplified SEO Consulting has several options to help with your private practice website. If you want quality SEO but don’t have a lot of time to spend then our Done for You SEO package. might be your best option. Looking to build your knowledge on SEO for psychiatrists yourself? Then take an online course or SEO training. No matter which package you choose to go with we will ensure that your website is optimized in an ethical way. Get started with your free 30-minute consultation with one of our client success specialists today!

About the Author:

Winnie is part of the dedicated team at Simplified SEO Consulting. She enjoys learning and growing as a Mental Health SEO specialist. Her specialty is working with our clients who have picked our Done for You package.

She has a lot of passion for providing SEO help for psychiatrists and therapists. If you’re ready to see how Simplified can serve you, schedule your next consultation. Speak with our Client Success Specialist to discuss how Winnie can support you on your SEO journey.

May 10, 2022/0 Comments/by Winnie Youger-Rash