I realize there’s a lot to learn when it comes to SEO. Even if you’re working with a professional to optimize your site, you may have questions. Today, I want to give you some resources to help you answer some common questions we’re frequently asked.

This blog will answer the following questions:

• • What is SEO
  • How do I get Google to notice my website?
  • Why should therapists invest in SEO?
  • How can SEO help you attract the right clients?
  • What is a keyword and how do I use them?
  • Is there anything I should do before optimizing my website?
  • What’s a meta description and how does it help?
  • What is readability and why should I worry about it?
  • What about photos? Are they really necessary and should I optimize them?
  • I know internal links are important, but where do I put them?
  • Do I have to blog?
  • What are backlinks and how do I get them?
  • Should I consider hiring an SEO specialist?
  • Does having a Google My Business help my SEO?
  • Does social media help my SEO?
  • How do I know if SEO is working?

What is SEO?

If you’re new around here, you may be wondering what is SEO? SEO stands for search engine optimization. The goal of SEO is to help you get to the top of the search results on Google or other search engines. Therefore, SEO refers to any changes you make on your website with the goal of getting it to show up higher organically (without paying for ads) in search engine results.That sounds pretty great, right? 

Want to learn more?

Check out my Common Questions About SEO

How do I get Google to notice my website?

Getting to the top of Google requires optimizing your website. Every company has a different strategy on how to do this. But it essentially boils down to three components: technical SEO, on-page SEO, and off-page SEO. 

• Technical SEO: This incorporates the aspects of your website’s infrastructure that impact user experience. Some examples include: how quickly your site loads, the structure of your site, having duplicate or plagiarized content, and submitting your sitemaps on Google Search Console.
• On-page SEO: On-page SEO is the fun part. This is when we work to make your page speak directly to your ideal client. This includes things like simplifying the readability, adding subheadings, a call to action, the other services section, and adding and optimizing photos.
• Off-page SEO: This includes things from external sources that boost your site’s credibility. This includes: adding external links, getting backlinks that point to your site, marketing efforts, and getting on therapist directories.

Want to Learn More? Check Out These Blogs:

Understanding the Three Main Components of SEO

The Importance of a Holistic SEO Approach

SEO Worksop: Website Speed and SEO

Setting Up Google Search Console

Why should therapists invest in SEO?

Simply put, getting to the top of Google helps you reach more clients and provide them with high-quality mental health services. 

Perhaps you’re building or scaling your private practice and need to increase your caseloads. But, you’re finding that’s tough when no one knows about the services you offer. Enter SEO. It is a powerful marketing tool that can help you build your know, like, and trust factor with clients before they even walk in your door. If Google ranks you well and you answer the queries of your ideal client then you are likely to build their trust and compel them to call you. 

Investing Time and/or Money

The truth is that if you were smart enough to finish grad school, get a professional license and open your own business you’re probably smart enough to learn at least the basics on SEO on your own.  But should you? Or is it time to outsource?  It’s really a time versus money situation.  You can invest a lot of time in learning to optimize your own website through online courses or training/coaching programs.  Or you can pay someone else to optimize your website, although even then there will be somewhat of a time investment as you provide them instruction, feedback, etc.  It’s really a matter of where you fall at this point in time on the time versus money to invest and what your personal preferences are.

Curious? Check out these SEO blogs:

Jessica’s SEO Journey

3 Reasons Helping Professionals Should Invest in Hiring an SEO Expert

SEO Services: Who We Help

Is SEO Important for Mental Health Professionals?

How can SEO help you attract the right clients?

Our goal when we optimize websites is to not only get you clicks on Google but help you attract your ideal client. We do this by thinking like your ideal client. We do our best to determine what words, phrases, and questions they may be typing into a Google search query. Then, we optimize your website for these words. This helps you not only fill your private practice with paying clients but fill it with the right clients. For example, I’m sure it’s preferable to get calls from clients who live in the states you’re licensed in, SEO can help you do just that and eliminate calls from individuals living in places where you’re not licensed. 

Check out this blog about content:

Adding Content for SEO and Your Clients

Is there anything I should do before optimizing my website?

Yes. There are definitely some things you should consider before investing the time or money in optimizing your website. 

1. Does your website look the way you want it to? Before you invest in SEO, you should do the bulk of the design work and make sure you love the way your website looks. 
2. Create three to five service pages.
3. Make sure each page has 500+ words
4. Add your location or physical address to every page of your website

Blogs about things you should do before investing in SEO:

Is Your Website Ready for SEO?

The First Three Things You Should Do For SEO

 3 Non-Techy things You can Do to Get Your Website Ranking

Not Sure Where to Start With Your New Therapy Website? 

The 4 Things Your Counseling Website Must Do

What is a keyword & how do I use keywords?

As SEO specialists it’s our job to figure out what people are searching for on Google. We first start by asking you what pain points your clients are writing down on their intake paperwork. What language are they using? What service are they asking you to provide? 

Next, we use this information and our knowledge of mental health to do keyword research. There are a variety of keyword research tools we use (see the blog listed below) and we determine what words or phrases we need to optimize for. 

Then, we use this information to do on-page work like adding subheadings, working on the readability, optimizing photos, and writing meta descriptions. 

Check out these blogs about keyword research:

Why Keyword Research is the Foundation of SEO

What to Say on Your Website? Counseling or Therapy or Psychotherapy?

Keyword Placement on Your Website

4 Common Keyword Research Mistakes

Keyword Research Tools for Therapists 

What is a meta description and how does it help?

A meta description is what shows up after the page title on a google search. A well-optimized meta description contains the keyword(s) you’re trying to rank for and a call to action that compels the user to click on your link. It’s basically your potential client’s sneak peek into who you are and the service you provide. 

Want to learn more check out these blogs:

How Can Meta Descriptions Help My SEO?

How to Write a Meta Description

What is readability and why should I worry about it?

Before I answer this question, I should probably warn you that my specialty is readability so I am very passionate about this topic. 

First of all, readability is the practice of making your page approachable and easy to understand. We usually explain it like this. Imagine, you’re at a backyard BBQ and your nephew with no mental health knowledge asks what it is you do? Would you summarize the latest research article you were published in? Share your dissertation or a master’s level thesis paper? Probably not. You would tell him simply, that you are a therapist and you specialize in helping people work on the issues that matter most to them.

Your clients do not want to read a bunch of technical jargon, especially when they’re in crisis. So it’s very important that you are direct and clear with your message. Save the technical words and clinical language for your professional colleagues and speak simply. 

Another aspect of readability is breaking down your text into manageable parts, just like I have done in this blog. Separate your thoughts into smaller sections and add subheadings. Some of your clients may hate reading or not have the time to read, so they just want to scan the text. Give them the opportunity to do this by adding clear well-optimized subheadings that convey the overall message of your page. 

Blogs about readability:

Let’s Talk About Readability

Readability 2.0: The Importance of Using Approachable Language

How Headings and Subheadings Can Help Your SEO

What about photos? Are they really necessary and do I actually need to optimize them? 

In terms of SEO, yes photos are necessary, and yes you need to optimize them. First of all, optimizing your photos is a great place to add keywords that will help get you ranking on Google. Their algorithm scans alt text and photo titles for keywords, so it’s important to add them. 

Secondly, adding a meta description to the photos on your website is important from an accessibility standpoint. Take a moment and think about your potential clients who are visually impaired and using screen readers or assistive technology. I would imagine they feel very frustrated when they know there’s a photo but they don’t know what the photo is of. If you add alt text that describes the photo, then their screen reader can read it to them and they will feel included. This helps build their confidence in your ability to be sensitive to their needs. 

Blogs about optimizing photos:

Alt Text as an Ethical SEO Strategy

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

I know internal links are important, but where do I put them?

Internal links are an important part of on-page SEO work. We put them in several different places. On almost every page we optimize we add them to in a call to action section and the other services section. 

A call to action section is broken down into three easy-to-follow steps to show your ideal client how easy it is to begin services at your counseling clinic. Here’s an example: 

1. Contact our Los Angeles based counseling center (link to contact)
2. Meet with a trained trauma therapist for a free 15-minute consultation (link to therapy team page)
3. Begin trauma treatment and find relief from the symptoms of PTSD

The other services section is a place where we list the other counseling services you provide and link back to those pages. Not only does this help you get those coveted internal links, but it also gives your reader the opportunity to visit other pages on your website which has an added benefit and boosts your site’s credibility in the eyes of google. 

Curious about internal links? Read these blogs:

How to Use Links and Anchor Text to Boost Your SEO

Where to Fit Internal Links

Do I HAVE to blog?

First of all, you don’t HAVE to do anything. But, if you want to rank really well on Google, then I highly suggest you blog at least two times a month. Getting fresh content on your website shows Google that you’re still relevant. If you haven’t added content in quite a while, Google may question rather you’re still in business and operational. Without new content, they may give preference to other sites with fresh content. 

Furthermore, blogging is a great way to target specific keywords that maybe aren’t performing well from a service page alone. For example, say you’re trying to rank for online therapy in texas. Well, everyone is trying to rank for that right now, so it’s challenging to get much upward movement on that particular keyword. But, you could blog about it and talk about the benefits, how online therapy works, and ways to make the most of online therapy and mention your location. Then, Google will see that you’re serious about offering online therapy and will be likely to rank you higher. 

Lastly, blogging has so many benefits for your ideal client and your private practice. Blogging is a great way to answer commonly asked questions or address commonly discussed issues that are brought up during a counseling session. Perhaps, these are the issues that people are too embarrassed to bring up with a therapist they barely know. For example, how to address a lack of sex in a marriage or I am having scary thoughts, what do I do? These are questions people may google because it’s private and doesn’t require them to be vulnerable with another person. And while you can’t answer these questions in as much depth as you would when you meet with them for therapy, you can offer them temporary relief until they are able to visit your counseling clinic. 

Want to learn more about blogging? Check out our blogs on the subject:

Part 1 of the Blogging Webinar Series: Do I have to Blog for SEO?

Part 2 Of The Blogging Webinar Series: Why Does Content Have to be Original?

Are Blog Posts Just for SEO?

How to Write a Long Enough Blog Post

What are backlinks and how do I get them? 

You get a backlink when an external website links to your website. Typically this occurs when two websites share some common ground. A backlink is almost like citing your resources. It shows that the information you’re providing your client is coming from a reliable source. Backlinks also tell Google that you’re information is legitimate and trustworthy. Google’s terms of service state that they give priority to ranking sites that are trustworthy and relevant. 

There are lots of different ways to obtain backlinks. My colleague Alyssa wrote a comprehensive guide to earning backlinks. You should check it out to learn more information about places you can get backlinks. We also offer a backlinks course for people who want to learn more about getting and keeping up with backlinks. 

Learn more about backlinks in these blogs:

A Comprehensive Guide to Earning Backlinks

4 of My Most Surprising Backlinks

Getting High-Quality Backlinks: SEO Tips and Tricks

Not All Backlinks Are Created Equal

Should I consider investing in hiring an SEO specialist?

I think this question really boils down to one simple question. Do you want to do it yourself or have someone do it for you? Either option is okay. There’s certainly a wealth of information online on optimizing your website. However, the benefit of working with an SEO specialist is having another set of eyes on your site. We know how to get websites ranking well on Google and draw from our mental health knowledge to help you speak to the needs of your ideal clients. We also have access to tools to do in-depth keyword research and monitor your data.

Want to learn more about SEO and what SEO specialists do? Read this blog:

What Does an SEO Specialist Do?

Does Google My Business Help SEO?

Yes. Having a well-optimized Google My Business Account boosts your SEO because it tells Google where you’re located. Furthermore, it offers your ideal clients another way to find your websites. Lastly, a Google My Business account offers you the opportunity to embed a Google map on your website which tells Google where you’re located. 

Please note that if you don’t have a physical address, you can’t have a Google My Business Listing. So, online practices are out of luck. But there are other ways you can tell Google where you’re located. Check out my blog on the subject listed below. 

Check out these blogs to learn about Google My Business and SEO:

Google My Business: Optimizing Your Profile

Google My Business for Online-Only Counseling Practices

The Importance of Letting Google Know Where You’re Located

Can social media boost SEO?

Active social media can positively impact your SEO if you are interacting with your followers and sharing relevant content with direct links to your website. But here’s the catch: Google wants to see that they not only visit your site but interact with it and visit multiple pages. Basically, while social media alone cannot boost your SEO, it can help.

Learn more about SEO and Social Media here: 

How Important is Social Media for SEO?

Social Media Series: Live Feeds

How do I know if SEO is working?

If you’re investing in SEO, rather it’s time or money, you likely want to ensure you’re getting a good return on your investment. To do this, you need to track your data. Not only does tracking your data tell you if your efforts are working, but it also helps you track where your clients are coming from. For example, data can tell you if your clients are coming from an organic search (SEO), direct searches (when they type in your URL), or social media. Lastly, data can also tell you what the visitors are doing on your website. It can answer questions of how long they are staying on your site and how many pages they’re visiting while they’re on there.  

Learn more about interpreting SEO data and getting a good return on your investment:

How Do I Know If My SEO Efforts Are Working?

Quality Content and SEO Return

3 Reasons Why You Should Track Your SEO Data

Google Analytics: How to Use the Data

I am ready to begin prioritizing SEO, what should I do?

If you’re ready to begin making SEO a priority, Simplified SEO Consulting would love to help.  We offer a variety of options to support you at different points in your private practice journey.  However, we always start with a free consultation to look at your website, ask what your needs are right now, answer your questions and see which of our services would be the best fit. To get started, follow these steps:

1. Make an appointment for a free 30-minute consultation with a member of the Simplified SEO Consulting team
2. Learn more about our packages and training opportunities
3. Start optimizing your webpage and watch your site rank better on Google!

About the Author:

Cory Moss is a Simplified SEO specialist based in Kansas City. She specializes in working on readability for therapist websites. She really enjoys helping her clients get to the top of Google and attract their ideal clients.

Here at Simplified SEO Consulting, we want to provide you with truly valuable information.  Recently, our team was brainstorming questions people might have about SEO and discussing the questions we hear from new clients most often. Today, we’re going to start answering these questions and, when relevant, we’ll link you to blog posts we’ve already written. So, let’s get started!

Is SEO Important for Therapists?

In a word, yes! SEO is important for any business owner that wants to appear in online searches for search engines like Google. While specific SEO strategies may differ based on the industry, understanding the basics of SEO is vital to stay competitive in today’s digital landscape.

Common Questions About SEO

What does SEO stand for?

SEO stands for “Search Engine Optimization.” Search Engine Optimization means creating a website and making changes to it with the hopes it will help your website show up frequently in search engine results.  A well-optimized website with great SEO shows up on the first page of Google when your ideal client/customer searches for your services.

Is SEO worth it?

Absolutely. SEO is a long-term marketing strategy that holds its value. In the 21st century, people are looking for services online. Getting your website to show up organically on Google puts you in front of the exact clients who need the services you are offering.

We highly recommend most service-based businesses consider using SEO as part of their marketing strategy.

A great example of the power of SEO comes directly from the experience our founder, Jessica, has had to build two businesses using SEO as a marketing tool. When Jessica was expanding her private practice Aspire Counseling in Mid-Missouri, she wanted to find new ways to get her clinicians in front of their ideal clients to fill their caseload. So, she spent hours researching, learning, and implementing the SEO practices we use at Simplified SEO. She had so much success getting potential clients to call and convert from her SEO investment, that she created Simplified SEO to help other helping professionals do the same.

Click here to read about Jessica’s SEO journey.

What SEO Tools Are the Best?

Tools you may use to optimize your website include:

• SEMRush (many uses)
• KWFinder (for keyword research)
• Google Adwords Planner (for keyword research)
• Neil Patel’s Ubersuggests & related Tools
• Moz.com (many uses)
• Linkody (for backlink research)
• Answer The Public (for content ideas)

For keyword research, our SEO team most commonly uses KWFinder and SEMRush which are both paid tools. However, all of the keywords on this list can be excellent sources for your keyword research!  We do have a blog post with more information on some of these keyword research tools available here.

We also included in this list our favorite tool for blog post ideas (Answer the Public), checking on the quality of backlinks to your site (Linkody), and two general tools that have LOTS of functions if you’re really getting serious about SEO (Moz & SEMRush).

Where should I use keywords on my website?

Great question, you should aim to incorporate keywords throughout your website. But, here’s a list of the main places you should use keywords:

• Your home page
• Meta descriptions
• Page and blog post titles
• In the text and in subtitles
• Call to action section
• Other services section
• Alt text and titles on photos

To learn more about where to include keywords on your counseling website check out Jessica’s article: Where to Include Keywords on My Private Practice Webpage

What businesses should use SEO?

SEO is useful for any business where potential clients would look for their services online. This is especially true for businesses where there might be some stigma around asking your friends for recommendations. For example, many people don’t want their friends and family to know they’re going to counseling, so they search for therapists and their services online.

SEO is great for helping professionals of all kinds. This includes, but is in no way limited to, therapists, psychiatrists, private practice physicians, physical therapists, chiropractors, lawyers, life coaches, child care facilities, education services, and more!

Who shouldn’t use SEO?

Someone just starting a brand new business in an industry where few people look online should wait to invest in SEO. For instance, if you are opening a bakery in a really busy part of town and are confident you will have a lot of word of mouth referrals, you might not need to worry about how you rank on Google.

Even in the mental health world, there may be times where you don’t need/want to invest in getting your website to the first page of Google. The times when this applies are if you have too many clients, or if your business is based around referrals from other providers. Also, some people in less competitive areas are able to easily rank just by writing some great content.

Will SEO Exist in 10 years?

Interesting question. I believe the answer is yes, but it will evolve. Optimizing for Google might not be the priority anymore. It might be optimizing for Youtube, which is similar, but different. SEO is all about getting in front of your ideal clients, so this means optimizing your content on the places they search for services. Likewise, it may mean tweaking how we optimize now and learning new techniques to appease Google’s ever-changing algorithms.

Now, if you’re asking if you’ll still rank as well in ten years as you do now, that’s a different question. Ranking well on Google requires maintenance work. You never know when one of your competitors will work on their SEO causing you to fall a bit in rankings. If you’re curious about ways to maintain your already excellent rankings, check out our alumni packages.

Is SEO just about getting a website ranking well on Google?

Ultimately, SEO is about increasing your business revenue. However, it’s also about filling your practice with the clients you will ENJOY working with. Therefore, it starts by getting you in front of the RIGHT clients. This is why keyword research is so important, that you have meta descriptions people will click on and that your website speaks to your ideal client.

What SEO techniques should I use on my site?

There are many different SEO techniques. However, there are few techniques that are very useful in getting you ranking better on search engines.

Popular SEO techniques include:

• Building backlinks
• Keyword research and usage
• Content creation- often in the form of blogging and or copywriting
• Addressing technical issues on a site
• On-page optimization
• Adding alt text to your photos that is rich in keywords

How do I know where to start on my SEO Strategy?

Google considers over 200 factors when deciding rankings. So, there are a lot of different things you can do that would be considered “working on SEO.” Different SEO companies focus on different components. Which optimization techniques you focus your energy on is likely influenced by the type of service or product you offer, your own goals, and your competition. This is why we generally recommend you choose an SEO company familiar with your specific field.

At Simplified SEO, we were founded by a therapist who owns her own private counseling practice. So, our specialty is helping therapists and those in closely related fields get to the top of search engines.  We’ve also worked well with people in other service-based industries, particularly in the healthcare field.

What do SEO Specialists do?

SEO specialists help you get your website ranking well on search engines. There can be a wide variation in the actual services performed. For example, a professional may do an SEO audit and some advice about what you can work on. Or, they may create content that will help your site rank better.  Alternatively, they could provide in-depth on-page optimization.  Some provide long-term, ongoing SEO services.

It’s important to know that you may interview different SEO companies who all do different things to improve your rankings.  All of them may have a solid understanding of what factors search engines are considering. However, they’re choosing to focus on different facts.  What all of these services have in common is that the professional’s goal is to help your website show up better in search engines and attract your ideal client.

Which SEO Plugin is Best for WordPress?

There are several good SEO plugins for WordPress, however, we recommend and use the Yoast plugin. We love how user-friendly it is. Plus, it gives us important information regarding optimizing your website and readability.

What are the most important things I can do for SEO?

Because Google takes into account so many factors when deciding how to rank your website, it’s difficult to know where to start!  Some of the places I recommend you focus on your energy include:

• Start with a great website design that is really easy to navigate
• Building backlinks to your site
• Do proper keyword research
• Adding relevant content that speaks to your ideal client/customer
• Make sure your website has a security certificate
• Use lots of internal links
• Write clear meta descriptions on each page
• Make sure the main content on your site is easy to read

Does readability matter for SEO?

Yes. It does. Simply put, having a page that’s easy to read improves the reader’s experience. Therefore, Google will give you a better ranking if your page is easy to understand. We recommend writing your page as if explaining a concept to a middle schooler.

A lot of the business owners we work with are professionals who worry about “dumbing down” their page. They work with really educated, private pay clients who hold advanced degrees. The truth is, on a good day your ideal client probably does understand most of what you are saying. However, your ideal client may not be in a frame of mind to read very technical information. They may be distressed and need answers quickly. It’s often at a client’s lowest, most distressed moment when they are in “freeze, fight or flight” that they’re searching the Internet for a therapist.  Therefore, while we focus on readability for SEO, we also believe it serves your potential clients well.

Some of the easiest things you can do to improve readability are:

• Shorten sentences
• Keep paragraphs under 300 words
• Add higher level subheadings (H2s & H3s to divide sections)
• Use simple and clear language.

Check out one of my earlier blogs on readability.

What are backlinks and are they actually important?

Great question! Backlinks are when another site links to your website. Backlinks increase your trust flow which will increase your ranking on search engines. Google’s goal is to give its users accurate and relevant information, so they value backlinks as a sign of your website’s trustworthiness and value.

Where do I get backlinks?

There are many different techniques for building backlinks to your website. You can be featured on a podcast, list your website on a directory, act as a source for media or many other options!  Getting backlinks from a variety of sources will give your website “staying power” on search engines!

Throughout our time working on webpages, and based on Jessica’s success in her own practice, we’ve narrowed down a list of the best places therapists specifically can look into to get backlinks. So, check out our list and think about the people or places who would be willing to give you backlinks. Then, check out Alyssa’s comprehensive blog about backlinksfor more information. Or, check out our new backlinks course!

Some of our most popular backlink sources are:

• Online directories
• Resource lists
• Acting as a source for media and news outlets
  • Help A Reporter Out or HARO is a great place to look
• Be a guest blogger
  • Learn more about guest blogging from Jessica
• Job postings
• Public speaking
  • Ask the event’s host to give you a backlink on their invitation or website
• Sponsor an event or donate to a charity
• Be a guest on a podcast

What is the difference between an internal link versus an external link?

An internal link occurs when we link from one page or post on your website to another page or post on your website. An external link occurs when you link from your website to another website. Both have a place in optimizing a website, but internal links will generally help your rankings more.

When our staff optimize websites, we focus heavily on adding internal links because they boost your overall search engine rankings and increase the amount of time your potential client is spending on your website. Which will hopefully compel them to contact you and convert. But, an external link is very useful because it adds credibility and shows that you know what other resources might be useful for your viewers.

To learn more about internal and external links check out a blog I wrote: How to Use Links and Anchor Text to Boost Your SEO.

What pages should I have on my website to rank well for Google?

Having the right pages is a key component of website strategy. If you are a service based business (therapist, psychiatrist, SLP, OT, etc), the basic pages I would recommend include:

• A well-designed home page
• 4-6 service pages describing your specialties to your clients
  • These pages need to be 500 words or more
• Contact page
• About page or a meet the team page
• A blog

How often should I post blogs to improve my SEO?

Blogging is an essential part of getting you ranking better. This is why we remind all our clients or blog readers to blog regularly. The frequency of blogging depends on how competitive your area is. But, even if it’s not competitive we recommend a minimum of two blogs a month. Furthermore, we recommend you write blogs resting to the keywords you’re wanting to rank well for. Remember, blogging isn’t just good for your rankings, It can also help your private practice in many ways, and you can learn about those ways by reading Jessica’s article: Are blog posts just for SEO? 

What is the difference between SEM and SEO?

SEM stands for Search Engine Marketing and typically refers to paid strategies that help your website appear more often in search results.  One common SEM strategy is Google Adwords.  SEO, on the other hand, refers to Search Engine Optimization which is where you rank organically in search results.

Should I use Google Adwords or SEO?

In general, SEM strategies are better for short-term visibility, and SEO is better for long-term visibility. Many of our clients choose to use both strategies. If you have to choose one, consider your goals and timeline. Adwords is better for short-term results and getting in front of people quickly. SEO is a long-term strategy but you don’t have to pay for every person who clicks on your site.

You can read more about it in this blog post from Alyssa about Google Adwords.

Should I hire out for Search Engine Optimization?

This is a very personal question. So, my answer depends on this question: How much time and effort are you willing to put into optimizing your own website? If you are a data nerd like our Simplified SEO staff, you may want to learn all about how to increase your rankings and interpret data. But, if you don’t have time for that, then you should absolutely consider hiring out for search engine optimization.

Simplified SEO has a variety of comprehensive SEO services, a la carte SEO services, and training opportunities. So, rather you’re a DIYer or a delegator, we’ve got you covered.

What questions should I ask an SEO specialist before hiring them to optimize my site?

First, you want to make sure your SEO specialist is a good fit for helping you achieve your SEO and business goals. Then, you want to understand what strategies they are going to use, how you’ll communicate with them, and what overall plan they have for your website.

Some questions you can ask your SEO specialist include:

• What’s your experience working with similar businesses?
• What results will you get?
• What are your plans or packages?
• How long do people usually need your services?
• How do you measure success?
• Am I paying for backlinks with your package?
• What specific on-page SEO techniques do you use?
• How will you communicate with me?

Begin SEO Services at Simplified SEO Consulting

Thank you so much for following along and reading through this blog. I hope you found the answers to your questions, but if not, please contact us. Our talented team of SEO experts would be thrilled to answer your question and talk about what services might be a great fit for your business. Follow these three steps to begin ranking better on Google.

1. Schedule a consult with our Client Success Specialist or Consult Team.
2. Learn more about our awesome team of SEO Specialists.
3. Begin optimizing your site and seeing the results on Google!

Other Services offered by Simplified SEO Consulting

Simplified SEO Consulting is passionate about providing SEO services for helping 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.

Contact Simplified SEO to learn more, or book a free SEO Consultation to decide which option is best for your business. We hope to hear from you soon!

About the Author:

Cory Moss is a Simplified SEO specialist based in Kansas City. She specializes in working on readability. She really enjoys helping her clients get to the top of Google and attract their ideal clients.

*Updated April 29th, 2023*

Once you have a website that you love, it’s targeting the clients you most enjoy working with and it’s free from technical errors, it’s time to get started on Search Engine Optimization.  I talk about a lot of different things and ways you can approach your website. So, you can do to improve your search engine ranking. Along with driving more traffic to your site, but most of it falls into three categories. The Three Prongs for Improving SEO Prong 1: On-Page SEO Approach starting with your service pages This is probably what you hear me talk about the most.  A lot of things fall into this category including headings, and subheadings. Including the right content on the page, internal links, potentially some external links, optimizing photos and so much more!  I see optimizing your service pages in particular as “laying the foundation” for good SEO.  If your SEO is built on the foundation of well-optimized service pages, it will be so much easier to get it ranking well. This is why we always start with optimizing the on-service pages. Then move to on-page optimization for other key pages on a website. This is the prong we work on for our clients who purchase our “Done for You”packages. Prong 2: Building Backlinks In general, I think that building backlinks are one approach and one of the best strategies to give you long-ranking SEO power.  Google assumes that if a lot of other websites are pointing to your website, it must have some pretty awesome, helpful content!  In some fields, you need thousands and thousands of backlinks to get to the top for the keyword you target. In the field of mental health, we often need fewer because not as many therapists work on building backlinks.  If you can get a couple of hundred backlinks you’ll be way ahead of many of your competitors…especially if you’re also working on Prong 1 & Prong 2. This is the prong that is the hardest to outsource because Google has a policy that you shouldn’t pay for backlinks for the purpose of improving your ranking.  There are a LOT of different ways you can get more backlinks to your website. Including everything from getting listed on resource lists to guest blogging or even posting open positions on strategic sites. I’m actually offering an upcoming Building Backlinks training that will be a 2 part live Masterclass. This is where we’ll go over a lot of different strategies and approaches for ethically and effectively building backlinks to your site! Prong 3: Informative, Relevant Blog Posts Well-written blog posts that provide a lot of useful information and are written about the topics your ideal clients have questions about are SEO gold.  In fact, as time moves on this should become a major focus on your SEO strategy.  Especially because Google likes to see that regular content is uploaded to your page, but blog posts do so much more than just put regular content up there!  If you’ve got the right blogging strategy, it’s communicating to potential clients who you are, bringing regular traffic to your site, and can even be used to enhance treatment with your current clients! Which of these main three SEO strategies do I focus on? Ultimately, I believe all three of these are really important for SEO on a therapist’s website. In a perfect world, you’d be working on all three prongs at the same time.  What we often see clients do is hire us for our Done for You services.  We get to work on Prong 1 right away by optimizing their service pages. Then other key pages on the site. Meanwhile, from our very first month, we’re sending them blog post ideas. This is so they can start creating blog posts that will really catapult them to the top of Google!  Then, around month 3 our staff are starting to talk more about backlinks so they can begin building backlinks in an organic, really effective way. Our goal is that 6 months into working on SEO, a therapist’s website has fully optimized key pages on their site, produced a variety of blog posts written strategically to enhance their SEO, had some of those blog posts fully optimized AND built some amazing organic blog posts! Upcoming Training: Building Backlinks Building Backlinks: Learn to ethically and effectively build backlinks to your psychotherapy website. Backlinks are one of the most powerful tools you can use to improve your Search Engine Optimization. Even if you outsource your on-page optimization, you should still have a plan to work on organically increasing the number of In this TWO part Masterclass, you’ll learn: 1. The importance of building your own backlinks 2. What types of backlinks are most valuable 3. A variety of techniques for building backlinks 4. What to do if a low-quality site happens to link to yours *Webinar will take place on Thursday 7/2 and 7/9 from 1-2:15 Central Time and will cost only $59.

Register for our Building Backlinks 2 Part Webinar