SEO Tips Archives - Simplified SEO Consulting

Footer SEO for Mental Health

So much of our time is spent focusing on optimizing service pages and blogs but what about the other parts of SEO? For example, the footer can have an impact on SEO. While it is not the most important factor when working on SEO for your site it is still good to know about it and keep it in mind.

What is the purpose of the footer?

Before we get into the “how” of your footer SEO let’s talk about the “what”. More specifically what is the purpose of the footer? Overall the main purpose of the footer is to enhance navigation throughout your website. Increased ease of navigation leads to increased conversion from visitors that are on your website. This can be achieved by providing location information, contact information, and some links.

How to Set Up Footer SEO

Now let us look at the “how”. How do we optimize the footing of a website to help increase conversion? Here are some of the top things to keep in mind while setting up the footer.

Include Service Area & Contact Info

One of the most important things to include in your footer is your contact information. At a minimum, you should have a link or a button that directs visitors to your contact page. Additionally, it is beneficial to have your phone number and any other form of communication, such as an email address, listed on the footer. This allows visitors immediate access to contact information the moment they decide they want to begin services with you.

Another important detail to include in the footer is the areas where you provide service for. If you provide in-person services you will want to list the address of your office. If you provide online therapy services in addition to your in-person services it’s good to list that as well. List all of the states that you are targeting. For example:

“We can see clients anywhere in Missouri & Kansas with our online therapy services”

“Online Therapy available to all residents of Missouri & Kansas”

On the other hand, if you are an online-only practice it’s important to consider what areas you are trying to target the most. Which cities have a higher population of your ideal clients? Identify those areas and try to naturally include them. One example would be:

“Services available online in Kansas City, Lee’s Summit, or anywhere in Missouri”

Have Intentionally Organized Links

Here is where things get a little tricky. We want to include SOME links in our footer without overdoing it. Try to make sure you are selecting links that will be the most beneficial without overstuffing the section. For example, if you offer a lot of different services then listing every single service page might be a little overwhelming. Instead, it might be more helpful to link to your services landing page.

Make sure that you are organizing the links in your footer in a way that will make sense to the viewer. What are your ideal clients most likely to be looking for? Before placing the links in the footer try to really understand which links will be most beneficial in helping to convert someone into taking the step of contacting you.

Keep It Clean & Easy to Read

While keeping the footer clean and easy to read ties heavily into organizing your links it’s important enough to reiterate. Remember the goal of a footer is to enhance navigation throughout your website. This is why it is better to keep the footer short and to the point. It’s not a place to be including a paragraph or two about your services.

Instead, try making organized sections within the footer. For example, you can include 3 separate sections. The first section can include your logo and/or a contact button. The second section can include the name of your private practice and your location. The third section or column can include important links. This allows for your footer to remain clean, and easy to read. As well as providing quick uncomplicated access to information for potential new clients.

What Not to Do For Footer SEO

Now that we have taken a look at what to do in for footer SEO let’s take a deeper look at what not to do. There is such a thing as over-optimizing on a page. This can be prevented by not overstuffing links within the footer. In a previous post, it was discussed how links and anchor text can boost SEO. So why am I saying not to put too many links in the footer of your website? Links carry more weight when they are in the body of a page compared to in the footer. That is why at Simplified SEO Consulting we suggest having an “other services” section underneath your call to action.

Other Services Section Vs Footer SEO

Earlier I mentioned that the footer is not the place for a paragraph about your services. That is what the other services section is for. In this section, we urge you to list out and link to the other services that you offer. This allows you to boost whatever keywords that need support by using them as anchor text. Just remember not to link back to that current page. Whereas for footer SEO you are going to be more selective with what pages you link to.

Ready to Get Help With Footer SEO?

At Simplified SEO Consulting we know know that learning all the ins and out of search engine optimization for counselors can be difficult. Especially while also running your own private practice. That’s why we provide support ranging from SEO private training to done for you SEO. It can be a big step to invest in SEO but our mental health SEO specialists are here to help you at every step. Start by following these steps:

Schedule a consult with our knowledgeable Consultation Team
Learn more about our dedicated team of SEO Specialists for therapists
Start ranking higher on Google and filling your schedule with clients

Services Offered at Simplified SEO Consulting

Our Mental Health SEO specialists are here to help you get optimal search engine optimization for counselors. Simplified SEO Consulting has several options to help with your private practice website. Is the thought of trying to find more time in your schedule to optimize your website daunting? Then one of our Done for You SEO packages might be your best option. Looking to build your knowledge on SEO for 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 caring team of SEO Specialists at Simplified SEO Consulting. She enjoys learning and growing her knowledge in not only SEO but also mental health. 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.

June 14, 2022/0 Comments/by Winnie Youger-Rash

Content, SEO Tips

Using Mental Health SEO Keywords in Your Blog Writing: Tips for Therapists and Helping Professionals

If you’re reading this blog post, you’re probably already aware of the power of blogging for SEO. Blogs are a great way to pack keywords, location indicators, optimized photos, and of course great content into your website. We recommend that all of our clients use blogging as part of their SEO strategy. We’ve even had clients who use blogging as their primary blogging strategy because it works so well! As a copywriter, I really enjoy writing blogs for therapists and helping professionals because it allows them to deliver great advice to potential clients in a way that packs an SEO punch. If you’re considering using blogging as an SEO strategy, you may be struggling with where to start. Let me give you my advice as a Mental Health SEO Copywriter!

What are Keywords? Choosing the Right Keywords for Your Ideal Client

Photo of a person's hands using their computer next to a graphic of the word keywords in a search bar. This photo represents the way counselors can use mental health keywords and counseling keywords to improve their SEO through blogging. When I start copywriting for our clients the first thing I do is look at their keywords, specifically which keywords aren’t ranking too well. If you’re not aware, keywords are those words or phrases that users are searching for on Google and other search engines. You might be wondering, what are the best keywords for therapists? The keywords that you’re going to be incorporating into your website largely depend on your ideal client. For example, if you’re a trauma therapist specializing in sexual assault trauma, the keywords for a trauma therapy page might be “trauma therapist”, “sexual assault survivor”, or “ptsd counseling near me”. Whereas if you’re a counselor that specializes in eating disorders, the best keywords for you could be “counseling for body image”, “eating disorder treatment near me”, or “counseling for anorexia”.

Using Keywords in the Title of Your Blog Post

After you’ve identified the keywords that your ideal clients are searching for, you can start the process of building those counseling keywords into your website through service pages and blogs. If I’m working with a therapist that specializes in gender affirming therapy, I’m going to come up with topics that target keywords related to their niche. Let’s say I want to write a blog on the topic of gender affirming therapy for teenagers, I’m going to make sure that I pack keywords related to that into the title. Instead of something simple like “Gender Affirming Therapy for Teenagers” I would make the title “Supporting Your Transgender Teen Through Gender Affirming Therapy” or even “Supporting Your Transgender Teen Through Gender Affirming Therapy: Thoughts From an LGBTQ+ Counselor”.

Building Mental Health SEO Keywords Into Your Content

Photo of a woman using a computer at her desk representing the way therapists and counselors can add keywords to a counseling website through blogging to boost their SEO Now that we have a title, let’s talk about content. I’m not going to go too far into writing since we already have some great blog posts that cover readability, how much to write, and other important factors to consider when writing blogs. However, I am going to discuss how you can build therapy keywords into your content. Naturally, if you’re writing a blog on gender affirming therapy you’re already going to be building that keyword into your writing. You’re also going to want to try to build related therapy keywords such as “transgender affirming therapist”, “counseling for transgender teens”, and “LGBTQ+ counselor” into your writing as well. It’s especially important for you to build keywords into the headings and subheadings of your blog as well, since these carry even more SEO weight.

Creating Headings and Subheadings Packed with Keywords

Headings and subheadings are a great way to break up the content in your blog so it’s easier to scan. Like I mentioned, it’s also important for SEO purposes. (To read a quick explanation of headings and how to properly use them, check out this blog post). For the purposes of this blog, we’re just going to be discussing how to use counseling keywords in your headings and subheadings. If you’re breaking your blog down into sections on 1)understanding gender identity, 2)what to do when your teen is questioning their gender identity, 3)how to support your teen, and 4)how therapy can help, you’ll want subheadings that reflect those different topics. Remember, we want to pack mental health SEO keywords into those subheadings too. Here are a few subheadings that would do just that.

What is gender identity and what does it mean if my teen is transgender?
My teen has told me that they’re transgender, what do I do now?
How to support your transgender teen or child as a parent
How gender affirming therapy can help you support your transgender teen
Begin transgender affirming therapy in (your town) with an LGBTQ+ affirming counselor!

The specific mental health keywords you should use will depend on your niche and where you’re located. In different areas the same mental health topics might be searched for by clients in a different way. That’s why keyword research is so important!

Piecing it All Together

Photo of a person writing an SEO strategy on a black chalkboard with chalk, finishing up the words keyword research with the chalk. This photo represents keyword research as an important part of SEO, and how you can use mental health SEO keywords in your content to boost your Google rankings. Now that we’ve put all the pieces together, hopefully blogging doesn’t seem as intimidating anymore. Remember, blogging shouldn’t feel like writing a grad school essay. It should be a fun way for you to give your clients advice, and tell potential clients more about your services and approach to therapy. If you have questions about what topics to write on, how often you should be blogging, or how blogs can help with client conversion check out this comprehensive guide on blogging to improve SEO specifically for therapists. If you’re still feeling stuck, you might want to read this blog on common mistakes we see people make when they first start blogging. Or, you can always reach out to us for help!

Don’t Have Time to Write Blogs? Our Mental Health SEO Specialists and Copywriters Can Help!

If you don’t have time to work on blogging or SEO yourself, don’t worry, our team can help! We offer a range of SEO services that we created specifically for therapists, private practice owners, and helping professionals. Our team of Mental Health SEO Specialists would love to help you get your website to the top of Google so you can reach more of your ideal 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 more about how our SEO services can help you and your business
Check SEO off of your to-do list so you can get back to the work you love!

We can’t wait to be a part of your SEO journey and help you reach more of your ideal clients!

Other SEO Services Offered by Simplified SEO Consulting

Our goal at Simplified SEO Consulting is to help therapists reach their ideal clients through SEO! If you’re interested in outsourcing SEO work so you can focus on your clients or practice, then our Done-For-You SEO services are probably what you’re looking for. If you want to learn how to optimize your own website with the help of our team members, then you’re probably going to want to check out our 12-Week SEO Intensive program or our Small Group SEO Intensives. You can also purchase our DIY Online SEO Courses to learn SEO on your own, at your own pace. Regardless of which option is best for you and your practice, we are so glad to be a part of your SEO journey!

About the Author

Kaite Ritchie is an Administrative Assistant, Alumni Specialist, and Mental Health SEO Copywriter at Simplified SEO Consulting. Before joining the Simplified SEO Consulting team, Kaite worked as an Intake Coordinator for our founder, Jessica Tappana, at her private practice helping to connect clients with the counselors on their team. Now Kaite enjoys using her previous experience to help the therapists and helping professionals we work with to get connected with their ideal clients through the power of SEO! She loves writing blogs for counselors on various mental health topics that deliver great advice to their potential clients and improve their SEO. You can schedule a free consultation with Kaite to learn more about our SEO services!

May 31, 2022/0 Comments/by Kaite Ritchie

Local SEO, SEO Tips, SEO Tools

Google My Business Strategy for Multiple Office Locations

Your practice is growing, and so are your responsibilities

An image of many pins in a board being connected by twine. Google My Business in counseling can feel difficult with multiple locations, but Simplified SEO Consulting can help. Learn more about improving SEO for therapists and more. Expanding the reach of your practice can be hard to accomplish, but very rewarding. Along the way, you may learn that managing more than one listing for your practice can be a difficult experience. Having more than one office location Google My Business listing can feel like a nightmare depending on the number of locations and listings you have. Managing multiple listings in an effective way often requires strategies for success that are different from managing a singular location.

Many of the same principles that apply to managing a single Google My Business listing still apply, but there are a number of other things that should be taken into account. Addressing and organizing your Google My Business listings can help you better manage each of your practice locations. So, today we are going over some of the most strategic decisions you can make to help make Google My Business easier to manage with multiple locations.

Verifying More than One Location

The verification process for a single location often involves Google sending a postcard via mail with a code to verify they have the right address. While this would technically work for multiple locations, it is by far the most convenient option. If you have more than 10 locations, you will need to use bulk verification to manage them. This will allow you to manage them in a more centralized, convenient way. In fact, these location groups even allow you to create bulk posts to go out to every Google My Business listing rather than having to post to each location one by one.

Google My Business also comes with the ability to use bulk edits as well. If info about your practice changes, you can use Google’s bulk edit tool to update all the listings in a location group at once instead of going through them one at a time. But, you must be careful when doing so. Since any changes you make go out to each location, any mistakes or inconsistencies will also spread to each and may harm your site’s creditability in the process.

This is why it’s important to keep your NAP information updated and consistent. Focusing on having the right information will help improve the credibility of your practice, and ensure people can get in contact with you if need be. In addition, you can also personalize each post with location indicators for the area the practice is located. By doing so, you can help improve your local SEO presence, helping you connect with those around you who may be more likely to benefit from your services.

Can you Schedule Posts in Advance?

It is also possible to schedule posts to your Google My Business listing to be uploaded at a given date. However, this isn’t an option that is native to Google My Business. This may involve outside support from a third party to do so. But, this extra support can help you save hours in preparing posts to go out on a regular basis.

Details, Details, Details

Even though some of the smaller details present on Google My Business can be easy to overlook, taking the time to fill them out can have big benefits in making your listing more competitive. Doing so will give Google more important information about your practice, and may include adding important labels, services, and photos to represent your practice. This is also why adding categories is such a vital part of your Google My Business profile. So, take the time to let Google know about these details by personalizing them for each of your office locations. This may include different services specific therapists offer at a given location, different hours of operation, or any other important information pertaining to your practice.

Should I Have More Than Google My Business Account?

For the purposes of managing multiple locations, you will likely only ever need one account to manage each of your locations in an effective way. Having more than one account may be beneficial if you manage more than one type of business. But, for therapists that only offer therapy services, one account is all you should ever need!

Transfering Location Groups

With all the moving parts that go into Google My Business, it can be easy to make mistakes early on that can make things more difficult down the road. One such scenario is when Google My Business listings are created under the wrong account. You may have encountered this, and feel stressed about deleting an already established listing, but you don’t actually have to! Google My Business also provides the ability to transfer your listings from one account to another. Having only one account will make it easier to also keep track of vital info like your name, address, and phone number. Plus, other important practice info. And, you can also grant additional account managers access to the listing, making it even easier to collaborate and synchronize each of your office locations.

Expanding your Practice

Last but not least, it is also important to note that you can add new office locations to your existing location group. It helps to take a moment to review your NAP info when adding a new location as well. Google is always looking to have the most up-to-date and accurate data. So, suggestions for edits may be taken into account through third-party data. This means that there is a chance your business information has changed without you knowing, and may take a double or triple check to ensure everything is correct.

Improve Local SEO for Therapists with Simplified SEO Consulting

The team of SEO specialists at Simplified SEO Consulting has the training and experience to provide support with a variety of services. We would be honored to help improve your SEO and grow your online presence. To start your SEO journey, please follow these simple steps:

Book a free 30-minute consultation call.
Meet with an SEO specialist.
Start better managing multiple practices

Other Services Offered with Simplified SEO Consulting

Simplified SEO Consulting offers a variety of services to help improve your Google search rankings. Our team can offer support in optimizing your site with our Done For You SEO Services. We also offer 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 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!

May 17, 2022/0 Comments/by Sterling Humburg-Cage

Business Tips, SEO Basics, SEO Tips

When is the Right Time to Invest in SEO?

Are you on a good platform to invest in SEO?

When considering SEO with us, we want you to think about the branding, design, and platform of your site. One of the biggest issues we try to help clients avoid is beginning the SEO investment on a platform they do not love or one that will not give them the return on investment that they need. Often we recommend people try Squarespace or WordPress. Sometimes we will work with a Wix or Weebly site, but often if you have a consult with our specialists, you will find that we will encourage a platform switch. If you’re absolutely in love with your platform and it happens to be on Wix, Squarespace, and WordPress, we are happy to work with you for our Done for You Services, but if you plan to stay on a different platform, on rare occasions we will do Weebly if a specialist is familiar and has capacity. Otherwise, our training options are the best option if you want to stay on your platform.

Does it make financial sense to invest in SEO?

The goal of Simplified is to help you get the clients that you are best able to support. We never want finances to be a barrier to you scaling your practice. While we will usually recommend our DFY options, if you are able and willing to do the work, our training options can give you a lot of value for your needs. We have self-paced courses, group intensives, and individual training options. Additionally, if you’re unsure where to begin, you can get a beginner course with our strategy package and then meet with a specialist who can give you the support you need to figure out the next steps. With the done for you options, often people will want to do the cheapest option, but if you’re hoping to be closer to the first page within six months in a busy area on a 1 or 2 point package, you’re not going to reach this goal with the timeframe you anticipate. SEO is getting competitive and especially in areas like New York, Florida, California, and some parts of Colorado, the best way to get to the top quickly is to optimize your service pages and blogs.

Essentially, what we have found is that for Google to really begin recognizing you, you need 12-18 pages live and optimized on your site.

With SEO getting more competitive that number may begin to increase. So we need to hit the ground running. If this doesn’t sound doable for you, then you can still invest with our other options, but it may mean we need to wait till you’re more comfortable with the investment mentally. We as mental health professionals are not oblivious to the costs and investment of SEO. We know that for a practice SEO is often the biggest expense you may have, and we know that with the strategy we employ that is unique, intentional, and flexible, we can help you reach your goals if you are able to trust in our process.

Do You Know Your Niche?

Knowing your niche matters to your success. Do you have to be one hundred percent sure of it? No. You can adapt as you understand what your community needs. If you’re in love with one niche during one season and then the next it switches, and you want to focus on couples over individuals or high functioning anxiety over trauma, you can do this. However, if you’re entering private or group practice without a semblance of who you’re trying to help. Do some soul searching before doing SEO. Why? We have found as mental health specialists that content matters for keywords. If you don’t know your clients with anxiety, you may get anxiety clients, but they may not be the ideal client you were hoping for. Additionally, you could get a lot of hits on your site indicated by Google Analytics and Google Search Console. However, if you’re getting clicks but not converts into clients, something is not connecting on your site. In order to convert, you need to know your people. Consider creating an avatar of who your ideal client is before beginning SEO with us.

Are You Expanding Your Practice?

Are you planning to expand your practice soon? Perhaps you’re worried about filling up your new clinicians which may tempt you to invest in Google ads over SEO. Pause and breathe. You have time. If you have a clinician onboarding in a few months, SEO is a great place to start. Here is why, if you have a desire to bring in consistent referrals for your practice, and you don’t want to have to constantly reinvest the money to get the clients into the door, SEO helps you to maintain a steady stream of people, especially when you consistently blog ( 2-3 times a month). If you’re worried about filling up your people you’re ready for SEO. We can help you strategy-wise to connect with your ideal people.

Would You Rather Invest in SEO by Outsourcing?

This is a big one we encounter with consults. People know that they need to do SEO for the consistency of their practice and growth. They have been told it is really important and easy to learn. Here is the problem you’re an owner of a practice, a parent, have another job, are pregnant…And to be honest, you just don’t have the passion to learn, the clinical side and the business side are more your jam. That is where our done for you program will work best for you. Whether that means we are doing the work, or you are having an intern learn how to optimize through one of our training programs. You’re ready to outsource and begin SEO.

Do You have Content and Copy You Love?

Maybe you have considered SEO before, but you just didn’t love your website and copy yet. And now, you have hired a fantastic copywriter and the website represents your values and who you hope to attract. Great! You’re ready for SEO. Well-written content equals connection.

What if I want to invest in SEO, but I do know how or love writing?

That’s ok. We offer copywriting services and we have great referrals who would be happy to hear your voice and create content that connects and aligns with your voice. If writing isn’t your thing, our team is happy to help and collaborate with you.

Are you Ready to Blog?

Blogging is such a huge component of SEO. If you hate blog writing and refuse to write blogs, then maybe now isn’t the time for SEO. Here is the thing. Google loves content. Google has about 200+ factors you can rank your site for. If blogging isn’t for you. There are other SEO companies that can help you with off-page SEO. However, what we have found with counseling clients, having well build out service pages and blogs that talk about the heart of your practice, often gets you better results with clients and conversions. We will encourage you to blog and if that doesn’t sound like a good plan then now is not the time to invest.

Are you planning to rebrand soon?

If you’re planning to rebrand or move to a new platform soon, now is not the time to do SEO. Here is why. Google has associated backlinks and other information with the domain you currently have. It has been live and active on Google for some time now. If you decide to take down the domain to move it to another platform, Google will look at this and not know what to do with your site. And, if you do rebrand or move your domain, change your domain, or move to another platform, Google has to reestablish trust. If you try to do SEO immediately afterward Google will not know what to do with your site. So it’s best to make the changes, publish it on the search engine, and then let it sit for 2 weeks to a month. Then begin SEO. You’ll have much better success integrating SEO.

Do clients need to decide what their NAP information is in order to invest in SEO?

Lastly, do you know what a NAP score is? Check out this blog about local SEO and NAP. This is essentially your Name, Address, and Phone. This is necessary for consistency on the search engines and for Google my business/Local SEO. If you don’t know what you want your main name, address, and phone to be, then pause, figure it out, and then make sure you have that on your website, directories, Google My Business, and Yelp.

Begin Working with Our Team!

If you’re ready to invest in SEO, we are here to help. We can get you set up with our services and begin optimizing your website in a way that showcases your skills to potential clients soon. Our wonderful team of SEO specialists at Simplified SEO Consulting would be excited to help you on your SEO journey. To get started with our service follow these simple steps:

Schedule a consult with our Client Success Specialist
Learn more about our talented team of SEO Specialists
Start investing in what matters to help your clients reach you!

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:

Jasmine is an SEO Specialist, and Client Success Specialist at Simplified SEO Consulting. You may be wondering where to start with your SEO journey. You’ve come to the right place. Learn how cornerstone content can help.

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. She really enjoys hearing the clients’ goals for their businesses and helping them achieve them.

May 3, 2022/0 Comments/by Jasmine Jaquess

SEO Basics, SEO Tips

Online Therapy & SEO

During the pandemic throughout these past few years, online therapy has become extremely popular within the mental health field. This makes perfect sense given how accessible online therapy can be, especially during a time when meeting in person became very rare. I believe that after the pandemic, therapists have realized how important it is to offer this service and have often shifted more towards a hybrid style, offering both in-person and online services. More importantly, what does this mean for SEO? What are some advantages and disadvantages of offering this service? And what are some ways we can capitalize on this growing part of the mental health field?

The SEO part of Online Therapy

Like many services, online therapy is a fantastic way of not only adding a new service to provide but also boosting SEO. With online therapy, depending on what state(s) you are licensed in, we are able to make an effort to rank in the entire state(s). This helps to cast a wide net keeping in mind your specialties but also having the advantage of being able to schedule online appointments from any area of the state. Although sometimes more competitive than ranking for a specific city, it is another one of the many ways we are able to get your name and practice out there and continue to improve your rankings.

What does this mean for SEO?

Having more services pages in general for various specialties you offer is always a good thing. Not only does this communicate with the viewer on the specifics of what services you provide, but it also adds more content we are then able to nail down keywords for and optimize. This is especially present for online therapy when we are able to pull specific zip codes from major cities in the state and try and rank all of them in different ways.

The SEO Advantages

There are a few things to consider when making an attempt to rank for online therapy services. As always, we want to include those keyword-rich headings/subheadings in the copy as well as backend SEO, but we believe it is equally important to do so in a way that accurately represents you as a therapist and accurately depicts what you can offer. It is very important to rank well, but also important to accurately represent your process and lens through your voice. Furthermore, anytime we are able to add another service page or specialty, this allows us to track more keywords and implement them in an attempt to rank higher. Here are some advantages to online therapy and SEO:

Advantages:

Able to rank for the entire state
Including another service page for each state you’re licensed in
The convenience of online therapy
Opportunity for more internal links
Expanding the services you provide
Viable options for those in remote locations
Casting a wider net, obtaining clients from the entire state

You could be asking yourself, this is a good start but what about building or improving an online therapy service page? We have a blog that includes 4 Tips for Improving SEO for Online Therapy Services that has really good information about the specific of improving those pages to get an optimal ROI and the best possible “SEO juice” for rankings. One thing that was an important takeaway for me, was having separate online therapy pages for each state you are licensed in, helping to cast an even broader net with all the more opportunities to rank for more keywords and optimization.

Online Therapy and SEO Overview

Although sometimes hard to rank for considering the entire state, online therapy can be such a great way to help boost SEO and improve rankings. At Simplified, we want you to get great ROI while also representing your voice and practice in the way you see fit. Having the ability to not only offer online services in a time when they are so popular but also being able o rank for the entire state(s) you are licensed in is such a great advantage to SEO. We are always really excited to see new service pages added, as it can only help get you the clients you want in the door and improve SEO.

In need of SEO help with ranking for Online Therapy?

Here at Simplified, we are always happy to help you improve your rankings and get the clients you want. Our team is ready to help you see the improvement you need,

See if Simplified is right for you by reading more about our packages, and follow these quick steps:

Book a free 30-minute consultation call
Get connected with an SEO specialist
Start that journey towards better rankings and an improved clientele

SEO Services at Simplified SEO Consulting

At Simplified we have a few different package options available for you and your practice. This includes the Done For You (DFY) packages, Done with You (DWY) packages, or the DIY online courses. Read more and see which package is right for you. Book a consultation today and start your journey with Simplified.

About the Author

Justin Bohannan is an SEO specialist at Simplified. He works with clients across the nation to reach their goals and boost their SEO. Justin works with the team writing content, on-page optimization, and more! Justin graduated from the University of Missouri with his BA in Psychology.

April 26, 2022/0 Comments/by Justin Bohannan

Backlinks, SEO Tips

SEO Backlinks for Therapists. . . With Ease!

Image of multiple hands fist bumping representing the teamwork needed to boost your backlinks for therapists on your website. Learn more about backlinks for therapists at Simplified SEO Consulting today! You know you need to get backlinks to improve your SEO, however. . . you simply don’t have time for all that! It sounds overwhelming. There are so many different tactics and methods and a quick Google search leaves your head spinning. You’re a busy private practice owner, and managing a website and blogging is more than enough. Getting other sites to link to you as well. Ugh. It’s all just too much.

I totally get it. Being busy building a private practice therapy office is difficult enough. Add in trying to optimize for SEO and blog and wow, it’s simply overwhelming. You didn’t get into psychology to write and strategize, you got into therapy to help people! Now you feel like all your time is being eaten up by trying to find clients instead of helping the clients you have! Now you have to try and get backlinks for therapists? Oh goodness. Luckily for you, I have a few tips up my sleeve to help you improve your backlink game, with minimal effort on your part. At Simplified SEO Consulting, we get that you’re a busy private practice owner. We want to take SEO for psychologists off your plate!

To begin, we’re going to talk a little about what backlinks are in the first place! Then we’ll talk about why they are important and finally we’ll rock out some tips on how to get backlinks with minimal effort!

What are backlinks for therapists?

To put it super simply, backlinks for therapists are links on other websites which go to your site. Therefore, if you are mentioned in a blog post or a web article, a link is often included back to your website, which not only helps drive traffic, it also improves your SEO because Google knows that your page is more legit. There are different levels of quality of backlinks which adds another layer to building a solid backlink game. You want to get more backlinks, yes. However, quality backlinks for therapists from established news sites and .edu websites carry more weight with Google than another early stage website.

How to get good backlinks for therapists, (relatively) easily:

Backlinks are important because they are a vote in your favor in Google’s eyes. They see you as more reputable if you are linked to by an already established website. Here are my 5 favorite ways to get backlinks with minimal effort!

Guest post

happy man is writing a guest post to get backlinks for therapists to improve SEO for psychologists. Learn more about SEO from a SEO specialist at Simplified SEO Consulting. The most common way to get backlinks as a therapist is to do some outreach and guest post on others sites. Yes, you do have to spend some time writing and potentially even come up with a pitch. But the research and time spent has a great return. Writing a quality guest post for another website is good for your SEO and gets your name out into the world! I recommend coming up with a few ideas for blog posts and researching websites in your field who might benefit from your voice. Then it’s just a simple email and you’re (hopefully) on your way to getting a solid backlink!

HARO

Have I mentioned I love HARO? I LOVE HARO! HARO stands for “Help a Reporter Out” and is a site which allows you to be considered as a source for major publications. It’s as easy as reading an email once to three times a day and replying with a pitch, or your take on what they are asking about. I personally check HARO for my business and see requests for mental health professionals almost daily. Take 10-30 minutes a day and reply to appropriate requests and you just might find yourself being linked to in a high flying publication!

Request to be on a College’s Resource list

If you are in a university town, consider reaching out to the schools LGBTQ Center or Women’s Center (or appropriate center for your niche) and ask to be included on a resource page. This not only gives you a high quality backlink, but can add clients through the college having you listed as a resource!

Podcast guest

My last and personal favorite way to get backlinks for therapists is to guest on podcasts. This can be as easy as asking around in your network who has a podcast and asking to be on it. On a more complicated level, consider which podcasts you enjoy listening to in your niche and make the ask! Pitching can be scary, but the payoff can be tremendous! Podcast guesting is great! Because once you land the gig, it is literally at most an hour and a half of your time. It also gets you great promo and publicity by the owner of the podcast.

Consider Done for You SEO with Simplified SEO Consulting

If you still find yourself overwhelmed with the prospect of doing ALL the things for SEO, consider hiring us to do your on page SEO for you! Our team of highly skilled mental health SEO specialists are here to help you navigate the wild world of the internet as you build your private practice therapy office.

How to begin improving your SEO in 3 easy steps:

You might be thinking “oh em gee. . . how am I supposed to do ALL the things for SEO?!” Well, the honest answer is that SEO is a lot. It takes know how and time. The good news is that here at Simplified SEO Consulting we have a team of rockstar SEO specialists who are here to help you rank at the top of Google as a therapist!

To begin working with Simplified, follow these three simple steps:

Book a Consult Call with our Consult Specialist
Learn about SEO Consulting for therapists
Step back and relax, knowing your SEO is handled!

Other Services at Simplified SEO Consulting

If Done for You SEO isn’t striking your fancy at this time, consider signing up for a DIY SEO Course or joining an SEO training! There are many ways Simplified can help support you as you go on the journey of improving your SEO.

About the Author

Photo of Mason, SEO Content Writer for Simplified SEO Consulting, holding a butterfly on his arm. Mason Aid (They/He) is a Mental Health SEO Copywriter at Simplified SEO Consulting. They love solving the puzzle of fitting the right keywords into your copy so you attract your dream clients. They have their Bachelors Degree in Sociology and a continued interest in advocating for marginalized people and mental health.

April 7, 2022/0 Comments/by Mason Aid

Business Tips, SEO Tips, SEO Tools, Websites

All About Wix and SEO

You may have heard it time and time again. Wix doesn’t always produce the best SEO results, especially in highly competitive areas. However, we have as mental health SEO specialists have seen some good rankings in areas like Wisconsin, Florida, Oregon, California, and such. Usually, we recommend Squarespace or WordPress. However, to those who love their WIX website, we are here to support you. There are ways to boost your website to get the most out of SEO.

Why Would Someone Work with a Wix Website?

There are many reasons practice owners find themselves on a Wix website. Usually, individuals are here because they are trying SEO for themselves. Therapists know that SEO is great for private practices and referrals, however, SEO can be expensive. So individuals build a site and do some baseline SEO to get on the map. Others have already invested in SEO and have been on Wix for a while. Honestly, if you know how to maneuver around Wix, it can be a great platform to use.

Here are some of the benefits of working with a Wix website.

It’s free
You can customize your site
Honestly, it’s easy to use
Has a clear and easy to understand website walkthrough
Wix does offer support on the platform.

Work on the basics for Wix and SEO

Remember that SEO takes time on any platform. We recommend in-depth SEO for about 6 months. We need to begin with high-quality content and good keyword research. These are the building blocks of the site. Make sure you have at least 500 words of content broken down into subheadings ( heading 1-3 only). Then make sure you are doing basic readability, this can make or break communicating your message to your clients. Additionally, add photos, internal and external links.

Nuances with Wix to Know

Photos:

Wix can be interesting to optimize and it is important for SEO, that we have the opportunity to add in Alt text. On other sites like Squarespace and WordPress, you can add an alt description and title. On Wix, you can only add an alt title. So make sure you are placing the focus keywords here with train tracks | separating the content. Add in 3-5 zip codes as well. Place 3 or more photos to get the best results on WIX. There is an option to add a tooltip to your site which works as a caption or alt description. The only issue with this is that it will show up on the page or blog itself rather than being an invisible description for a screen reader. On blogs for Wix, it is ever so slightly different. There is an option to add a caption and a title. However, just like the tooltip, the caption option will show up on the blog. If you are ok with this, then by all means add it on there to enhance your SEO, otherwise just focus on the alt title.

Important Point About Photos

Another issue we often see on Wix websites is that individuals will use backgrounds in place of photos. You may be wondering, “how is that not a photo?” The thing is we want to ensure that we are adding photos in for the purpose of optimization ( locations, zip codes, focus keywords). If we are not able to add in these elements, then although it may be appealing design-wise, it doesn’t enhance or offer value to your SEO. If you absolutely want these background photos or headings on your pages, make sure you still include 3 independent photos, that have the opportunity to be optimized.

Meta Descriptions:

On Wix just as on any site, you have a certain length that your meta title and description should be. Wix actually has a shorter requirement and it will display on your preview of the meta when you type it in. Therefore, Make sure that you can see all of the text you intentionally want to be viewed by potential clients. Anything over this limit will show up as dots and can be off-putting from a user experience standpoint. Place the focus keyword, locations, and a zip code for your meta title. Then add in an attention-grabbing meta description incorporating keywords and locations.

Font Size and Subheadings

There have been many sites I have seen where it looks like individuals have places Heading 1-Heading 3 as we would want on a site. Formatting can be unusual on Wix if you are not familiar with it. The good thing about Wix is that it offers more options to change font size, type, and colors. Make sure you have only one heading 1. It can be easy to assume that on Wix the headings are not interchangeable, however, you can easily modify it. If you like the font and size of an h1 for other headings, great news, you can mimic it on Wix and change it to an H2. Be careful that you’re not adding in Heading 4- 6 because Google doesn’t register this as a valid heading to read to someone using a screen reader.

Reasons We Do Not Recommend Wix for SEO

Individuals report having low rankings. Wix did fix this error back in 2016, but even so, Wix is a closed-circuit site, so adding additional plug in’s is not possible like on wordpress.
While you do not need a ton of tools to rank well for SEO, Wix doesn’t have as many options like Squarespace and WordPress
Does not offer advanced SEO options. Since Wix is a beginner-friendly SEO site, it does not have the in-depth options for SEO like other platforms do. With this in mind, that is why we say that we often see plateaus in SEO on a Wix site because you can only take it so far.
Is not always mobile-friendly. It is important to have a mobile-friendly website. Most people are searching for therapy services via their phones. If your site does not look flattering or appealing on a phone, individuals will bounce right off.

What Wix Does Offer

Since Wix is meant to be beginner-friendly, you will be able to use their SEO tools and be guided through some baseline SEO for your site. Such as setting up your home meta description, connecting your site map, and seeing your site analytics.
Doesn’t require coding. One of the biggest reasons individuals find themselves on Wix is because while wordpress is the gold standard of websites, it does require some familiarity with coding, and knowing how to build out certain features. It can be challenging to use if you do not have a web designer or enough experience.

More Features Wix and SEO Include:

Default and custom title tags, meta descriptions, H tags (H1, H2, etc.)
SEO patterns to automatically update sitewide default settings
Custom URLs for every page
Alt image tags to optimize photos on the page
Already optimized mobile-friendly templates
Google Analytics & Search Console integration
Canonical tags
HTTP
XML sitemap
Schema markup
Structured data
Social share settings
Instant indexing

How to Get The Most out of Wix?

Do keyword research, but get specific. You will rank better for long-tail keywords with locations before short-tail. Example: PTSD treatment and trauma therapy in Columbia, MO before trauma therapy near me
Submit site maps, and indexes anytime you make any changes to your site.
Use the SEO Wiz tool. This is kind of a requirement to be able to do any type of SEO on your Wix site
Create quality content on your service pages and blogs
Optimize for Locations in paragraphs, subheadings, and alt text
Write quality meta titles and descriptions. This makes you clickable.
First things first create a quality domain name. Add keywords, brand-specific names, and locations.
Add quality slugs to your pages. Slugs are in the URL and add rankings to your overall SEO. Example www. aspirecounseling.com/depression-counseling-mid-mo
Check to see if your site is mobile-friendly. Wix has options to view on the desktop and on mobile options. Additionally, if you index your pages and you find there are errors. Google search console can tell you what needs to be fixed.
Periodically check in on your data and see where you are maintaining and where you can improve.

Begin SEO for Your Wix Website or Learn About The Best Strategy for Your Practice!

Want to know more about how to get the most out of your Wix Website. Try our Done for you Program. Keep your eyes out for a Wix and SEO Webinar by our Training Director Danica Wolf in the near future. If you need support, we are here to help. Our skilled and passionate team of SEO specialists is here to make sure your SEO journey is tailored to your brand and identity. Simplified SEO Consulting would be excited to help you on your SEO journey. To get started with our service follow these simple steps:

Schedule a consult with our Client Success Specialist or Consult Team
Learn more about our wonderful team of SEO Specialists.
Start getting the best return on your SEO investment from a skilled team!

Other Services offered by Simplified SEO Consulting

Simplified SEO consulting offers a wide range of services that can help you begin working with your people. We offer. Done for You SEO Service packages, online courses, and SEO training opportunities. Our most popular course includes our “Top of Google” Online course, and we have 12 weeks (about 3 months) of intensive SEO for therapists who want to learn with a guide. Additionally, we are offering a limited-time SEO Mastermind group if you want a great training opportunity for a steal, this is for you. 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:

As an SEO specialist at Simplified, Jasmine is an SEO services consultant and helps new clients become oriented to our services. If you are ready to begin SEO services, then get in touch and schedule your free consultation today!

Jasmine Jaquess is currently working towards her Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Northwestern University. Currently, she is seeing clients in practice as part of her internship. Her interests include working with athletes, high functioning anxiety, mild eating disorders, and more. Currently, she serves as the Client Success Specialist in new client consultations with Simplified SEO Consulting. Plus she is one of our Mental Health SEO Specialists. She specializes in platforms such as Squarespace and Wix. If you’re ready to see how Simplified can serve you, schedule your next consultation. If you are ready for a no-nonsense effective SEO strategy, we can help!

April 5, 2022/0 Comments/by Jasmine Jaquess

SEO Basics, SEO Tips

Ideal Clients: How does this affect SEO?

“Who is your ideal client?” an SEO specialist asks you. “What does that mean for me and my SEO?” you might ask yourself. Ideal clients are a sure way to get very good and credible SEO for your practice. This also has a heavy influence on your rankings shown in the dashboard. There are many ways ideal clients influence SEO, and more so good reasoning behind always making sure we ask that question during initial meetings.

What do you mean by “ideal client”?

By ideal, we are generally referring to the client that you want to see the most. The ones that excite you and that you know you do your best work with. Although some therapists want to remain open to almost any clients and issues that might come up, knowing exactly who you want to bring through the door can make developing an effective SEO strategy easier. And let’s be honest, most mental health professionals have some populations or issues that they just do a better job working with either because they’re more passionate about those concerns, have got specialized training in those areas or have more experience working with those types of clients.

So, when you’re starting to work on your SEO, ask yourself, “Who do you want to come in the door? If I could choose the type of clients that I was to take on, what type of clients would I want to be the next 10 phone calls?” For example some therapists will be able to relate much more to college students having recently graduated. Or young business professional counselors can relate to other young business professionals, and would prefer catering their practice towards that demographic. Some therapists have specialized training related to maternal mental health. For others, couples work and relationship therapy is their jam.

Our founder, Jessica, often says that therapists do their best work when they have a steady stream of the type of clients that give them the most energy. So, this concept of optimizing your website for a specific niche or population is a common conversation at Simplified SEO Consulting. In fact, we’ve written before about the power of having a niche when working on SEO.

How exactly does this influence SEO & search engine rankings?

Throughout our keyword research process, knowing the specifics is all the better for SEO. Being able to see the immediate data for who is searching for what in their mental health journey is not only important for SEO, but also your practice. If couples counseling is something your practice can offer, but aren’t necessarily pushing for, keywords related to couples work might not be the first thing we focus on getting you ranking for. We’d rather optimizing for keywords that your ideal clients would be looking for.

For example, let’s say you work with a wide range of clients, but you really get excited to work with couples on the brink of divorce. In this case, someone searching for “counseling near me” may or may not be that ideal clients. But someone searching for “marriage counseling near me” or “affair recovery help” or “Is it possible to heal after an affair?” Anybody searching for those sorts of terms is simply more likely to be one of those couples you really, really get excited to work with. So, those are the terms we’ll build your SEO strategy around.

How do I know who MY ideal clients are?

I think it is important to not only assess personal strengths and weaknesses of your practice, but also to capitalize on your specialties. For example, there are some practices that have services such as equestrian therapy, or massage therapy. Although the market in your given area for these treatments might not be what makes or breaks your SEO, it is important to recognize that these are services you can rank for. Having every bit of “SEO juice” is exactly what we need in order to get you your optimal return.

Here are some examples of potential ideal clients:

College Students
Younger Generation
Older Generation
Business Professionals
Women
Teens
Children
Those struggling with Anxiety
Christians
Life Transitions
Those struggling with Depression

How important are location indicators?

One way we narrow this down, is by asking “Where do your ideal clients work, play, and live?” This is mostly because if we have your ideal clients nailed down, we now need to hone in on a specific location. If we are ranking for your demographic in an area that might not be realistic for your practice, we won’t expect to rank very well. Of course there are exceptions such as online therapy. With online therapy we can rank for the entire state that you have your license in, but in terms of in person therapy the location indicators are very important for accurate SEO. This is also generally very helpful for communication with Google. This let’s the algorithm know that your location is important to you and your practice, which ultimately helps to improve rankings.

Ideal Clients Overview

Although it may be difficult to narrow down who you want to see, it is really important for SEO, as well as your practice. This can be the difference between ranking in your area successfully, or ranking in a more vague sense with less return. Here at Simplified we not only want to see you get great results, but we also want you to be bringing in people you want and have the tools to work with. It is such an honor to be able to help in this way, and it is all the more satisfying when your demographic meets great rankings. Ideal clients are a sure way to get good and credible SEO for your practice, and to bring in the people you want to see and have the tools to provide for.

Private Practices: Are you in need of SEO help?

Here at Simplified we are always happy to help you improve your rankings and site. Our SEO specialists are ready to help you get that breakthrough you need, while also bringing in the clients you want to work with. Learn more about our packages, and see if Simplified is right for you:

Book a free 30-minute consultation call
Get connected with an SEO specialist
Start that journey towards better rankings and an improved clientele

SEO Services at Simplified SEO Consulting

At Simplified we have a few different package options available for you and your practice. This includes the Done For You (DFY) packages, Done with You (DWY) packages, or the DIY online courses. Book a consult today and see which of our options best fits your needs.

About the Author

Justin Bohannan is an SEO specialist at Simplified. He works with clients across the nation to reach the goals and boost their SEO. Justin works with the team writing content, on page optimization, and more! Justin graduated from the University of Missouri with his BA in Psychology

March 22, 2022/0 Comments/by Justin Bohannan

Content, SEO Tips

How Current Social Movements Can Help SEO

SEO Improvements and Current Social Movements

As a social worker, I take a lot of pride in being involved in current social movements. It’s a huge value for me. That’s the main reason I decided to pursue social work compared to being a clinical psychologist or licensed counselor. Psychotherapy alone can do enough about mental health when people are battling oppression. Consider a scenario where your client walks into your office and they want help with their depression. But the reason they’re feeling depressed is because they are unable to pay their rent after having been discriminated against. The inability to pay rent is directly related to their depression. There is only so many mindfulness techniques a therapist can do before realizing this is a systematic thing.

A recent US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health which says that “Poverty in childhood and among adults can cause poor mental health through social stresses, stigma and trauma. Equally, mental health problems can lead to impoverishment through loss of employment or underemployment, or fragmentation of social relationships.”

Social Justice as an Ethical Principle

Pride flags. This image could depict a social movement for mental health professionals to write about. 65201

Not only is this a personal value of mine, it’s also a requirement of the National Association of Social Workers for our social work professionals. This is mentioned in the Code of Ethics under Ethical Principles. “Social workers pursue social change, particularly with and on behalf of vulnerable and oppressed individuals and groups of people. Social workers’ social change efforts are focused primarily on issues of poverty, unemployment, discrimination, and other forms of social injustice. These activities seek to promote sensitivity to and knowledge about oppression and cultural and ethnic diversity. Social workers strive to ensure access to needed information, services, and resources; equality of opportunity; and meaningful participation in decision making for all people.”

Even if you’re not a social worker, as a mental health professional, it’s important to be competent in current social movements. Let me state here that, yes, being competent and writing about social movements is good for SEO. But it’s also good to be competent just as a general functioning member in society.

Additionally, using your professional privilege to talk about social movements is important. Mental health professionals usually have some sort of platform with their practice. With this platform, promoting social movements could convince others who are on the fence about taking action.

Okay, so how does this relate to SEO?

Social Movements can help with Inspiration for Blogs

Firstly, content is king. Having blogs, updated ones, is really important to SEO. When the amount of content on your site increases, so does Google’s trust in your site. Google is a smart cookie, they only give props to a site if they’re competent enough to deserve it. Not only this, but if a social movement is causing stress to one of your patients, you can relate a blog back to a service you provide. This is done many times in relation to an anxiety and stress page.

Having those hyperlinks adds lots of SEO and tells Google, again, that you know your stuff! If you’re feeling passionate about a certain topic, such as a social movement, write about it! Like I’ve said, writing is good, yes. What is more specific in helping SEO is when you’re writing about current events. This shows Google that your site is updated and competent, and you know your stuff! Using current events for inspiration for blog-writing is one great way to boost SEO.

Talking about Social Movements Helps Humanize Yourself to your Clients

Secondly, taking a stance on a certain topic can help you humanize yourself to your clients. Many of our therapists worry that their clients see them as having their lives all figured out. Let me assure you, mental health professionals still have their own battles, even when they’re guiding you with yours. It is good to let your potential clients know that you are a regular person and you keep up with movements that are happening in the world. Let them know that you, too, go home and watch the news, and you’re not actually all that different from the clients you meet with. It’ll most likely allow your clients to feel more comfortable opening up to you, if that rapport hasn’t yet been established.

Writing about Current Social Movements Can Help You Attract Your Ideal Client

Lastly, writing about a current social movement can help attract your ideal client. When you write about things that are important to you, you’re getting calls from people who also find them important. More than likely, your ideal client is feeling some way about a social movement, too. So, talk about it! These are things that affect their mental health exponentially, just like it does yours. Scheduling with clients that are similar in values with you can lead to a really productive therapeutic relationship.

Let’s Bring it all Together

Current social movements can help SEO in many ways. First, social movements can help you find inspiration to write blogs. Next, taking a stance on social movements can humanize you to your clients. Lastly, writing about current social movements helps attract your ideal client and benefits the therapeutic relationship! BOOM. Write about social movements for your next blog, you won’t regret it.

Begin Improving your SEO at Simplified SEO Consulting

If you’re ready to start improving your SEO, our mental health SEO specialists can help. We would love to help you start climbing the rankings on Google. Once this happens, you can start getting you calls from your ideal clients. This is the ultimate goal we have for you! Let’s get started:

Schedule a free consultation.
Get connected with a member of our SEO Specialist Team!
Begin climbing Google rankings and meeting your ideal clients!

Other Services at Simplified SEO Consulting

If writing content isn’t your thing, Simplified has multiple other services to provide! We offer Done For You SEO Services for professionals who are willing to let our SEO specialists take care of their SEO. We offer SEO training for professionals who are wanting to take care of their own SEO with a little help, and many DIY online courses.

About The Author

Jewel is currently part of our team as a Mental Health Specialist at Simplified SEO Consulting. She helps private practice owners find their ideal client by optimizing their websites and providing direct support to clients. Jewel loves the gratification when she sees a therapist’s data increasing and their phones buzzing. As a person who puts a lot of value into mental health , she loves knowing that Simplified’s services help therapists and patients find each other to improve mental health in the world. Jewel is currently in her Master’s in Social Work program at the University of Kansas School of Social Welfare. She also interns every week at a Kansas City psychiatric hospital. When she has the time, she loves to read, volunteer, spend time with friends, and travel.

March 17, 2022/0 Comments/by Jewel Fivecoat

SEO Basics, SEO Tips

The Hidden SEO Power of Photos

In a previous post, it has been described how to use Alt text as an SEO strategy. I want to dive deeper into the secret power of using photos for SEO. The secret power of the alt text and photo titles is that it is mostly hidden. Headings, links, CTA/OS sections, and meta descriptions are all SEO strategies that are going to be seen by most, if not all, people that google and look at your website. While the alt text will be used for a screen reader it is not something that every person is going to read through. However, it will have some weight when trying to get a boost from SEO.

What information is beneficial when optimizing photos?

So how can you use the hidden tool to further your SEO? With therapy keywords and locations! If you have read any of our blogs then you have most likely read about the importance of keywords and locations in all areas of SEO optimization. Using them in photo optimization is a little different though.

Therapy Keywords

First, let’s look at the starting point for SEO: keywords. You will most likely come across some keywords that you are not a fan of or do not fit the voice on your site. However, they might be keywords that your ideal clients utilize. Furthermore, these unfavorable keywords might help your SEO due to easy ranking power or high search volume. Take the keyword “counselor” for example. Maybe you have a strong preference for the term “therapist”. However, “counselor” might be easier to rank for or has a higher search volume in your area.

There is a way to help stay true to your voice without losing out on the SEO benefit of using “counselor”. It would still be important to utilize ‘counselor’ within the text of the page and in other SEO strategies whenever possible. However, the alt text and photo title will allow you to utilize it a lot more and thus leading to a higher ranking in google.

Locations For Potential Clients

Secondly, let’s look at locations that you want to target. It is common practice as an SEO specialist for therapists that I try to pinpoint specific locations by utilizing zip codes. At Simplified SEO Consulting during our Done-For-You program, our clients are asked to choose 6 to 9 zip codes they want to target. On a single page or blog post, you are not going to be able to include all of these zip codes in the text. Additionally, there will most likely be locations that you might want to include but do not want to focus on. In general, these types of locations include:

Specific communities within your city
Specific neighborhoods that have a local well known name such as talking about Ballard in Seattle
Metro area (such as Houston area or Portland area)
A general location within your state ( such as Mid Missouri or Northeast Kansas)

For the most part, using the above locations in headings and meta descriptions doesn’t work as well as using your specific city. That does not mean you have to lose out on targeting those key locations.

What areas should you utilize when optimizing photos?

When optimizing photos for SEO there are three areas that you should focus on. Compressing photos is the first step for photo optimization. Once a photo is uploaded the alt text and the photo title (alt title) are the focus areas for google. Thus, making them the hidden tools for SEO.

Choosing and Compressing Photos for Private Practice SEO

When it comes to photos optimization starts before you even upload them. The photos you put on your website need to be in sync with the style throughout your pages. Beyond that, the images need to send the right message to your clients. As well as complementing the topic of that page or post. In a previous blog post, it is thoroughly detailed why selecting the right photos is important.

There is a step between selecting photos and uploading them to a page that is beneficial for SEO. Compressing photos is an important step for SEO which is commonly missed. Uncompressed photos affect the loading speed of your website. Having just one uncompressed photo on your site might not show a noticeable change in speed. However, as you add more photos throughout your pages potential clients and google will notice the effects. Wondering why page speed is important for SEO? Read more about how page speed affects private practice SEO.

Step by Step Guide to Compressing

Compressing a photo isn’t as difficult as it can sound if you are unfamiliar with the process. One tool that we use and suggest is TinyPNG. It is a simple to use and effective image compressor website. Altogether compressing photos is a fairly simple two-step process.

If given the option while downloading an image choose a medium size (px | 1600 x 1066).
Download that image into a photo compressor online. Then redownload it.

After that the first part of optimizing your photos is complete! The additional areas for photo optimization begin after the image as been uploaded to a page.

Alt Text for Photos

At Simplified SEO Consulting we format alt text and photo titles differently. When optimizing the alt text it is important to start with a sentence describing the image. A fellow SEO specialist has previously detailed the importance of describing images in the alt text more in-depth. Following the description, the rest of the alt text can be sentences packed with keywords. Try to use two to three keywords in the alt text. Having at least one of those keywords as a long-tail keyword with a location. Using a combination of the top keywords you are trying to target on that page and the ones that fit the topic but are not utilized a lot throughout the text. Even if it will not fit with a keyword, include at least one location name. Whenever possible try to insert a zip code in as well along with the location name.

Examples of Alt Text Optimized for a Website for a Counselor, Psychologist or Psychiatrist

Photo of a person taking a pill representing someone who has come to our Midtown Manhattan psychiatry office for depression and anxiety. Our psychiatrists provide medication management for mental health concerns including PTSD, bipolar disorder, lasting depression, panic attacks, and more for people living in New York City.
Photo of a happy young black woman representing someone who has attended counseling for depression and is feeling excited about life after reducing her symptoms of depression. Our counselors provide help for depression at our office in Austin or to anyone throughout Texas through online counseling.
A person talking in an office representing talking to a therapist or other mental health professional Maddison, WI.
The word “ADHD” in colorful letters represents how the testing psychologists at our Jamestown, Rhode Island practice provide various types of psychological testing including testing for learning disabilities.

Photo Title

The photo title differs in that it doesn’t need to be in complete sentences. When working on search engine optimization for counselors I try to include the following items in the photo title:

2 to 3 words summarizing the image
1 long-tail keyword
2 to 3 short tail keywords
2 to 3 zip codes

I separate each of these components with a vertical bar ( | ) to help distinguish each keyword and zip code.

Examples of Photo File Names for Psychiatry & Counseling Websites

Here are a few examples:

Happy Couple | Marriage Counseling After Affair | Denali, AK 99755
Smiling Teen | Teen Counseling | Adolescent Therapy | Kapalua, HI 96761
Diverse Group | Group Therapy for Addiction | Addiction Counseling | 85054 | 85357
Prescription Bottles | Psychiatric Medication Management | Psychiatrist | 94809 | 95013

Final thoughts in regards to SEO for counselors

Using specific keywords and locations for photo optimization doesn’t mean you should not use them throughout the pages altogether. Photos do not replace the benefit of using keywords and locations in headings, links, meta descriptions, etc. However, they do give an added benefit especially when you don’t want those specific keywords and locations heavily used on your pages. Put the photos on your website to good use by adding alt text and photo titles.

Want help making the most out of your photos?

Are you a therapist who loves the idea of letting the photos on your website work for you? If you are unsure of where to start or do not feel like you have the time you have options! We provide SEO help for therapists. Our team of dedicated and skilled SEO specialists who are ready to help you reach your SEO goals. At Simplified SEO Consulting it is our passion to help get your website ranking in Google through SEO. Start follow these steps :

Make an appointment with our Consult Team
Take a look at our motivated team of SEO Specialists.
Start learning how to build SEO for therapists.

Simplified SEO Consulting’s Other Services

There are several options for search engine optimization guidance at Simplified SEO Consulting. For those who want the most assistance and guidance, we offer Done for You SEO Service packages. If you are wanting to be more involved and learn how to do SEO for counselors yourself then one of our online courses or SEO training opportunities might be right for you. With limited time and positions look into our SEO Mastermind group which is a great training opportunity at a discount. Maybe you are looking for a more specialized package? We also offer a SEO strategy package for that. To get started, make an appointment with our Client Success Specialist today!

About the Author:

Winnie is part of the dedicated team at Simplified SEO Consulting. She works hard as one of our Mental Health SEO Specialists. Specializing in working with our clients who have picked our Done for You package.

She has a lot of passion for providing SEO help for 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.

March 8, 2022/0 Comments/by Winnie Youger-Rash