SEO Tips Archives - Page 16 of 21 - Simplified SEO Consulting

Ranking for More Than One Location

Our search engine optimization (SEO) consulting business helps private practice therapists across the country (and even in other countries) get ranking on Google. And as we’ve worked with more and more therapists over the years, we’ve gained experience in helping all different types of practices. Many of our clients come to us as solo private practice owners. And they’re looking to get found on Google better and bring in new clients. On the other hand, some of our clients begin SEO work when their practice already has upwards of eight therapists and they want to expand even further.

SEO Strategy

While our mission at Simplified is the same for each client, the strategy we will use for each is unique. Our team of SEO Specialists takes pride in working with each practice individually to help them reach their business goals. One factor that comes into play when we discuss individualizing a long-term SEO strategy is location.

Location and SEO

Search engine optimization has a close relationship with geographic location. And it needs to be this way in order for Google to function properly. When SEO work is being done on a website, lots of energy gets put into connecting the website content with locations in order to be found by the right searchers.

With that said, if your practice has multiple locations, you may have some additional SEO work that needs to be done. And there are actually a few reasons you may decide to include multiple locations in your SEO strategy. But not all of them have to do with having two physical locations. In this blog post, I’ll share tips for optimizing your website when you are targeting more than one location.

Landing Pages for Each Location

Online Therapy

If you have been offering virtual services, as nearly all therapists have over the past year, you need an online therapy page. Let’s work with an example practice. We’ll say it’s located in Denver, Colorado, and has a few therapists also licensed in New Mexico and Utah. So the first step is to create an “online therapy in Colorado” page. This is pretty straightforward since the practice is located in Denver, CO.

The tricky part is that each location where you want to pull clients from needs its own online therapy page. So if we wanted to get clients from New Mexico and Utah to fill those therapists’ caseloads, we’ll need individual location pages for each. This would look like “online therapy in New Mexico” and “online therapy in Utah” pages. In our SEO work, we’ve found this to be the best practice in bringing in clients not residing in the practice’s physical location.

Opening a New Physical Office

Now let’s say this same practice decides to open a new physical office in Boulder, CO. Instead of just adding Boulder, CO to the website content, a new location page needs to be created. This communicates to Google and website viewers that this practice has multiple physical locations.

And we recommend including many references to locations on the new location page. This may look something like “Our counseling practice in Boulder, CO is right between the hot yoga studio (business name) and the doggy daycare (business name).”

This is great for helping your website viewers visualize where your office is. So it lessens the mental energy it takes to situate the location for them. And this strategy also helps Google understand exactly where you are located.

Location Indicators in the Footer

Usually, when therapists start working on their website, they overlooked the footer. And this is a prime place to include location indicators! Using the above example, a practice opening a second office in Boulder, CO would need to include both locations in the footer. This may look something like “Offices located in Denver, CO and Boulder, CO and serving the entire states of Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah with online therapy.” Having a clear explanation like this helps get location information on every page, which is extremely useful in terms of showing Google where your business is.

Blog Posts and Call to Action Sections

Another tool you can use to help Google understand you have multiple locations is writing blog posts for each location. This may look like “5 date night spots from a couples therapist in Boulder, CO” or “our therapists share 4 hikes they love in Boulder, CO.” Incorporating locations into blog posts helps Google situate your business’s location.

In addition to blog posts, you can include location indicators in your call-to-action sections. An example of this may look like “We want to make it as easy as possible for you to begin family therapy! Therefore, our family therapists offer in-person counseling at our offices in Denver and Boulder as well as online family counseling sessions for anyone in the state of Colorado, Utah, and New Mexico.” This helps website viewers understand if your services are geographically accessible to them and further shows Google where your site should rank.

Focus on Ranking in One Location at a Time

When private practice owners first start working with us, we typically want to rank in one area first. It takes time for Google to trust your website and get you ranking. So for example, maybe your practice located in Denver, CO already ranks well, and you want to start ranking in Boulder, CO at your new location. Our approach is usually to focus on ranking in Denver first, then once we feel confident about your rankings, move on to the Boulder location.

Prioritizing where to rank first can be really helpful for your SEO strategy clearer in the beginning stages. We focus all of our effort gaining Google’s trust in one area. Then, as we see your SEO rankings steadily increasing or remaining stable, we will move onto the next location. It’s easier to convince Google, “Hey since you already know we offer great information about therapy for depression in Denver, you can also now trust us to provide great information about depression to people in Boulder.”

Get Ranking and Expand Your Business

Our hope for our clients is that by getting ranking on Google, you can reach all of your business dreams. Want to move from solo practice to group practice? Or do you want to open a second or third office? Whatever your hope is, we want to help you along the way. If you are interested in learning more about our SEO consulting services or are ready to get started, follow the easy steps below.

Schedule a free 30-minute consult call.
Chat with one of our SEO Specialists to learn more about our services.
Start working on your site’s SEO and moving closer to reaching your dreams!

Services at Simplified SEO Consulting

For many therapists, SEO is a foreign concept. And when our founder, Jessica, started SEO work, she felt the same way! You’re not alone if you’re feeling like this marketing stuff is way over your head. And if you want to get started and take a more hands-off approach, check out our Done For You SEO Package. But if you’re more hands-on and want to learn the ins and outs, check out our DIY Online SEO Courses and Done With You Package.

About the Author

Olivia Bahr is an SEO Specialist and Content Writer here at Simplified. She received a Bachelor of Social Work from the University of Missouri in 2020 and plans to begin working toward a Master’s of Social Work in the Fall of 2021. Olivia’s experience is centered around trauma work and domestic violence. And she is passionate about women’s and LGBTQ+ issues.

July 13, 2021/0 Comments/by Olivia Ferguson

Business Tips, Content, SEO Tips

Tips on SEO for Trauma Therapists

We are thrilled to offer guidance and insights to our trauma therapists on SEO and service pages. Our team of SEO specialists has firsthand experience working with abuse, trauma, and survivors of DV. This gives us a unique perspective when it comes to marketing for individuals dealing with trauma. We hope that our holistic approach to SEO will provide you with the confidence needed to successfully reach out and speak to this clientele. Let us help you make an impact with your SEO and service pages!

What pages should you build out?

When building out your service pages, we typically recommend having a PTSD Treatment and Trauma Therapy page. This is because these are the most highly searched-for key terms. If you niche down with survivors of abuse, homicide, first responders, or DV survivors, then we would suggest making this the focus keyword, but still including PTSD treatment and trauma therapy on the page to draw in the people looking for this service. Additionally, as trauma therapists, we know that trauma doesn’t usually show up alone, in fact, many people dealing with trauma also deal with anxiety and depression. Therefore, creating service pages based on this focus will not only enhance your SEO because we can link back to these pages but your clients are not entirely sure if trauma is the issue. They can at least get a brief overview of how co-occurring disorders show up.

Use of Language on a PTSD and Trauma Page?

Sometimes when we are building out trauma pages for clients, we find that they struggle with using PTSD treatment on the page of the uncertainty that they will drive in a stream of more clinical diagnoses than they are ready to work with. However, in the SEO world, people are both searching for trauma therapy and PTSD treatment. If you’re worried about driving in the wrong clients, then realize that the keywords are what drive people to your website. The written content is what speaks to them as a person. If you don’t work with intense trauma clients, mention that in your copy. Or if your focus is on co-occurring disorders, say that too. Simply adding a subheading saying “ Who Do I Work Within Trauma Therapy” will help people to know whether or not you’re the right trauma therapist for them.

Additional Tips on Trauma Language and SEO for Trauma Therapists.

When it comes to trauma, it can be difficult to know what language is appropriate. However, it is essential to use natural language in your sessions and copy that resonates with the individual survivor’s experience. It may take many attempts before they are able to accept that the abuse or assault was not their fault – so reiterating this message demonstrates genuine empathy and understanding. Additionally, remember that each individual survivor is just that – an individual. Acknowledge the person first and foremost, not the problem or issue they are facing. Using a person’s preferred language can go a long way in providing comfort and assurance during difficult times. Doing so will help to foster trust and create a safe space for recovery.

Keywords for a Trauma Therapy Page

Here is a compilation of important keywords related to PTSD treatment and trauma therapy that people strive to rank for in SEO efforts:

PTSD treatment
Trauma Therapy
Intergeneration Trauma
EMDR Therapy
TF-CBT
Cognitive Processing Therapy
Brainspotting
Somatic Experiencing
Trauma-Informed Care
Supportive Trauma Counseling
Emotional Trauma Treatment
Complex Trauma
Trauma and Anxiety
Trauma and Depression
Feeling stuck
Trauma Therapist
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR)
PTSD therapy near me
Trauma therapy near me
Healing Childhood Trauma
Childhood Emotional Neglect
Attachment-Based Therapy
EMDR Therapist

These are just a few examples of keywords you could rank for, but the list goes on. That is why we have specialists who can help with SEO for trauma therapists, who are here to help you break down what makes sense to rank for and what doesn’t.

If you specialize in trauma and you have a certain modality you approach most often, it would be helpful for your rankings to create a modalities page, breaking down in client language what they can expect being in that setting with you. Additionally, creating blog posts where you answer commonly asked questions or give a resource guide will help to better connect with the client.

Resources to link to?

As many of you know, linking is a big piece of the puzzle to rank for SEO for trauma therapists. We add internal links, so for example, if you have a PTSD treatment page, then we may link to your anxiety, depression, or modality page to provide more movement in your site but also to show Google there is a connection between the topics. This also shows your clients that there is a connection. So if you connect to your anxiety page from a trauma page and have a subheading in each discussing the connection, your client and Google will begin to recognize the connection between the topics.

Additionally, we also suggest having at least one external link on your site. This is meant to help build up your trust flow with Google. When you connect to an already well-ranked site, this will build your site’s credibility.

Great SEO External Links for Trauma Therapists:

Make sure if you’re using these as external links, it is essential to bear in mind that while their great resources, copying content from other websites is not advisable. Google identifies duplicate content and will recognize the source, so it’s best to stick to the original ideas and rephrase them in your own language.

Blogging Helps SEO for Trauma Therapists Because You’re Able to Communicate Your Voice!

Blogging. The infamous and necessary next steps in your journey ranking for SEO for trauma therapists. Blogging is a powerful tool to connect to your ideal audience. Even if you’re a group practice that offers everything, blogging can help your particular mission and perspective be seen better.

What should therapists blog about?

We encourage you to write intentional and carefully crafted blog posts to answer common questions you hear in your practice.

For example, you could write an open letter to moms recovering from birth trauma. What do I say to my daughter who was raped?
Or simple things first responders can say to calm a person down in a crisis situation.
Resource guides and tips are useful for your client and it gives them a glimpse into the kind of care they can expect from you as a therapist.

Remember, blogging is your passion piece, so don’t be afraid to be real and talk about the tough issues.

Write blogs for their loved ones too.

Blogs are also a great resource for the family and loved ones of people dealing with trauma. They may struggle to know how to help their child, partner, friend, or family member. By giving them some helpful tips, you can help them to process what is going on in their loved ones’ lives. They may not fully understand, but when people don’t understand a loved one’s pain, they often want answers and guidance, but by providing blogs for the whole unit, they will feel better supported and even feel like they can help their loved ones better.

Get in Touch With Our Talented Team to Learn More About SEO for Trauma Therapists!

As trauma therapists and mental health professionals, we have the power to make a tremendous impact on how people live their lives. By utilizing SEO-driven person-centered service pages and blogs, we can create an online presence that helps those stuck in trauma find freedom and feel heard. Asking for help is a process, so be patient with clients who may visit your website multiple times before seeking help. Together, we can make a difference by providing the resources, support, and guidance they need to heal from their trauma.

If you could use some support, then reach out to us for help. Our skilled and passionate team of SEO specialists who are mental health nerds at Simplified SEO Consulting would be excited to help you on your SEO journey. To get started with our service follow these simple steps:

Apply to Work with us and schedule your consultation
Learn more about our talented team of SEO Specialists.
Begin putting your unique voice out there and continue making the impact you desire on those around 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 (about 3 months) of intensive SEO for those who want to learn with a guide. For those looking for a more specialized package, we also offer an SEO strategy package. To get started, schedule a consultation with our Client Success Specialist today!

About the Author:

Jasmine has a Master’s Degree from Northwestern University and is a trauma therapist who specializes in Cognitive Processing Therapy at Aspire Counseling in Columbia, MO. She is also our consult lead and our SEO Training Coordinator at Simplified. Jasmine has experience hosting SEO webinars, consults, training through strategy sessions, using data to inform strategy, and she regularly works to provide support for alumni. If you are looking to get expert SEO support, Jasmine is one of many individuals on our team with excellent insight. Jasmine specializes in supporting clients who are looking to rank nationally and internationally and works often with our eating disorder therapists and coaches.

July 1, 2021/2 Comments/by Jasmine Jaquess

SEO Tips

How Social Media & SEO Synergize

Our Connected World

These days, you can use social media for just about anything! You can reconnect with old friends, keep up with current events, and even buy and sell through online marketplaces. But, did you know that social media can influence the SEO of your site as well? Yep! As Google has changed, so have the many factors that influence how a site may rank. So, today we are going to cover some of the ways social media can help to boost your site’s SEO!

Social Media Can Help Build Reputation & Trust

Social media offers private practice owners a wonderful place to post news, updates, and other important notifications for people to see. This can go a long way in building familiarity with your brand, what you stand for, and what your practice offers. Having this connection can help show people that you aren’t just another cookie-cutter therapy practice. You are a caring individual that offers real support! Creating an audience over time will serve as an invaluable resource as your practice grows, and more people become familiar with it.

Creating a social media presence can also help your website gain more authority with Google as well. When people share your content, they accomplish more than just “getting the word out” But, we will discuss this a bit more later in the post. So, continue reading on!

Social Media & Marketing

Social media also allows you to make the most out of your blog posts! Developing a presence on different platforms will provide you with many opportunities to spread your content beyond your own site so that more people can see it.

Let’s take Facebook as an example

Say you write an awesome blog post on your site, but you wish more people could see it. One way to do this might be to link that post from your practice’s own Facebook page. By doing this, you’ve accessed a whole new group of viewers. A group that might not have seen the content if it was only living on your site. By nature of being on a social platform, this “audience” is already more likely to share the post with others. So, there is a lot of potential for posts to “blow up” or “go viral” if the right people see it and share it with others.

You can also tailor unique posts based on the platform itself. Does your practice specialize in therapy for teens? Well, creating a TikTok or Instagram post that speaks directly to that audience may be just the thing to help spark interest in the services that your practice offers. However, this can be a bit difficult to do. You will need to have a solid understanding of your ideal client, what content will be most engaging for them, and which social platforms they are likely to be on.

**Social Media May Help Keyword Rankings**

When people share your post, the keywords associated with the post can also be affected as well. As high-quality content is shared by people on social media, Google will start to recognize your site as an authority on the subject due to the increased number of people viewing it. As the authority of the site grows, the more likely your site will rank better for the keywords that the post is optimized for. Google loves putting trusted, engaging content on the front page. So, social media and SEO can help out when trying to rank for more competitive keywords.

Yet, it is worth noting that social media success will not guarantee ranking success. There are many factors that go into how Google decides the ranking of a site. This might include your location, local competition, and how relevant the content is compared to other posts. So, even though a post might go viral on a certain platform, this does not guarantee that the rankings will skyrocket for that keyword.

Build Links & Authority

We saved one of the most important aspects for last! By publishing high-quality content that people share, the likelihood of others linking to the same post increases. As a result, this means more backlinks for your site! In a way, social media success can result in a snowball effect of sorts. This can be a bit confusing, but I like to think of it like this.

Someone sees your post and shares it. As a result, more people see & share that post. As more see the post, the chance of a site or individual with a higher authority viewing the post increases. Once an authoritative source links back to your post, this creates a high-quality backlink and helps raise the authority of your site. The more authority the site has, the more likely the site is to be ranked higher in the search results, and seen by more people.

In Short, Success Breeds Success!

Keeping up with social media can feel like a chore at times. But understanding how to effectively use it can become a vital part of the synergy SEO marketing for therapists. Platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram can provide fun distractions and interesting ways to connect with others. But, they can also be powerful tools when used correctly.

Begin SEO Consulting Services with Simplified SEO Consulting

Our trained SEO specialists understand how to help your site rank higher on Google. We have experience working with therapists across the country and would be honored to help your practice thrive! To start SEO services, follow these simple steps:

Book a free consultation
Speak to one of our SEO specialists
Start climbing the rankings of Google!

Other Services Offered by Simplified SEO Consulting

Simplified SEO Consulting offers multiple SEO services to help meet the unique needs of your website. Our services include DIY Online SEO Courses, Done For You SEO services, and our Done With You 12-week SEO intensive program. For more helpful info, please visit our blog!

About The Author

Sterling Humburg-Cage is a member of the 2020 graduating class from the University of Missouri. He is intent on using his B.A. in Psychology to help provide the best results as an SEO specialist. Sterling prides himself on helping 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, often going the extra mile to do outside research and make sure alumni have everything they need to continue ranking well!

June 29, 2021/0 Comments/by Sterling Humburg-Cage

SEO Tips, Yoast SEO

SEO & URLS: 4 things to know for the best ROI

In SEO land, URLs have been a hot topic. There’s a lot of information that has been circulated around URLs. On top of that, URLs are more of a ‘techy’ component of SEO. URLs have a role in SEO. There are factors that contribute to having an ‘SEO-worthy‘ URL. Below are 4 things to keep in mind to achieve this.

1. URL Anatomy

To ensure that we’re all starting at the same point, let’s talk through the anatomy of a URL. To demonstrate this, the URL for one of Simplified’s blog is shown below.

https://– protocol

simplifiedseoconsulting– domain

.com- top-level domain

-signs-of-an-seo-scam- slug

As we can see, each component of the URL has a title. If we were missing any piece, we wouldn’t have a functioning URL. Instead, we would get our favorite thing: 404 error.

With that in mind, the slug is often considered to have a larger impact on SEO than the other components. This is because you have to select the slug each time you create a new page (or post, etc). So, take advantage of that! Next, we’ll cover how to do this.

2.Creating an SEO-worthy URL slug

When creating a URL slug, it’s important to keep SEO in mind by incorporating as many keywords and location indicators as possible. Keywords are vital in URLs for two reasons.

Keywords are the words that people are searching for. If they are included in our slug, our page is more likely to show up.
Google knows that users are searching for these terms. So, there’s a better chance that Google will boost your site higher than other sites that have ‘irrelevant’ words in the slug.

You’re probably wondering what this looks like in real life.

Let’s think about an online therapy page for a clinical practice in Texas. After doing some keyword research, here are the results that I found.

The results indicate that “online therapy” has the highest search volume (5,300 searches over the last 30 days). ‘Online counseling’ is the second highest (1,900 searches in the last 30 days).

Another option is ‘teletherapy.’ However, the keyword research shows that significantly fewer people are searching for ‘teletherapy.’ According to the tool we use for keyword research, approximately 900 people in all of Texas have searched for ‘teletherapy’ over the last 30 days.

So. . .

With all of this in mind, it would make the most sense for us to include ‘online therapy in Texas’ in the slug for our page. This is because it has the highest search volume compared to all of the other keywords we could have included. Again, keywords are vital to SEO as they are the words that are searched the most by our ideal clients.

3. Make sure to remove special characters and numbers

Special characters include backlashes, square brackets, space, exclamation, double quote, number sign, and other characters. The Internet Engineering Task Force refers to these characters as unsafe characters if they are in a URL. These characters are considered unsafe for a variety of reasons. These are considered unsafe because these characters have other “jobs” for coding. If they are used incorrectly, it can result in your URL not operating correctly. This can result in a critical error on your site. And, unfortunately, critical errors can have a significantly negative impact on SEO.

Overall, the big takeaway is that it’s best not to add anything besides letters (and maybe numbers- if it makes sense).

4. Changing existing URLs.

So, there’s a good chance that you’re reading this blog and panicking a little bit. You’re probably thinking about some of the URLs on your site that don’t follow the rules discussed in this blog. So, you might as well change them and fix the problem, right?

Eh, not exactly.

Changing URLs is tricky and it has to be done correctly. Unfortunately, changing a URL can so easily be done incorrectly. To change a URL correctly requires a few things so you avoid having a bunch of 404 errors on your website.

One of those things is 301-redirect. A 301 redirect permanent redirect that passes full ranking power to the redirected page. This way, users are still able to access all of the pages on your site. Think of this as moving to a different address. When you move, you should provide your new address to the post office so your mail is sent to you. Because if it isn’t, you could miss something really important.

An additional consideration to be mindful of is the impact that this can have on your SEO.

It is not uncommon for SEO to drop after this change happens. This is because Google will likely take a little while to ‘readjust’ to your URL for that page. Essentially, to give you the SEO credit for your page. It may take a little while for Google to associate and adjust to the new URL. So, we often advise our clients that their SEO may bounce around for a while. However, it doesn’t have to be all doom and gloom! Changing your URL properly can be beneficial in the end. Of course, if all the things are done the way they should be. If you’re considering this, we encourage you to seek out a professional who can point you in the right direction.

I hope you learned a thing or two about URLs!

At Simplified, our goal is to help you establish SEO in the manner that fits your goals the best. For some, that will be getting to know all things URLs! With that in mind, our SEO Specialists would love to help you dream and scheme of where your SEO journey is heading. Our SEO Specialists have a variety of different experiences and can bring this to the table! We offer a variety of different services, including Done For You and Done With You services. If you’d like to get the SEO party started, follow these steps:

Schedule a free 30-minute consultation with us.
Get to know our team of highly skilled and experienced SEO specialists.
Add the skill of URL optimization to your toolbelt!

Other Helpful SEO Blogs

404 Errors and 301/302 Redirects

3 signs of an SEO scam

Psychology and SEO

Who should optimize their own websites?

3 reasons to track data related to SEO

Why SEO is a great long-term business investment

How long does SEO take?

6 ways to maintain SEO for therapists when you already rank well

SEO for therapists: a comprehensive guide

Guide to blogging to improve SEO for therapists

Ethical SEO for mental health professionals

About the Author

Alyssa has been a member of the Simplified family for the past year. And, is now stepping into a role providing training and additional support for folks learning SEO. A recent MSW graduate, Alyssa loves the world of mental health and technology. In addition, Alyssa has a growing interest in using social media to grow a practice, the importance of live feed, and building backlinks. She wrote a two-part blog post series about the importance of blogging for SEO. This series addressed the importance of blogging and original content. In addition, she is co-hosting a blogging masterclass that will soon be available for purchase. Stick around for some more hands-on opportunities!

June 8, 2021/0 Comments/by Alyssa Kohne

SEO Tips

3 Signs of An SEO Scam

Let’s Face It, No One Likes Scams

I’m pretty certain we’ve all experienced cold calls, random emails, and scam artists that try to hurt your business or take your hard-earned money. In fact, something like this occurred recently with a client of mine! In this case, the email they received was a fairly obvious example of an SEO scammer. However, it caused me to think about the various methods scammers use, and what some of the warning signs might be that an SEO consulting service isn’t as reputable as they seem. So, I decided that it would be a good idea to blog about some of the most common signs to better understand what to look out for when researching SEO consulting services.

But, it should be known that this is not meant to accuse or call out any specific organization or group as scammers. The goal of this blog is to help anyone with a private practice website stay secure. Even if you aren’t currently a client of our SEO services, this info can help you and your practice stay safe in our online world.

Related: Read about a “professional photographers” phishing scam affecting therapists and private practice owners here.

Of course, some of these are more obvious than others! So let’s get started with a more obvious sign.

Sign 1: Guarantee First Place Rankings

Google has become so complex that the promise of being the first place is just not realistic. Algorithm changes have made it more difficult to keep up with the constantly changing nature of Google. As a result, beware of anyone who claims to have a surefire way to reach the top of Google. In truth, there isn’t any easy way to guarantee how you will rank in the search results. The quality of optimization that goes into the site is the best determining factor.

Some other factors that may influence rankings:

Local competition
How long your site has been around
The difficulty of targeted keywords
Other marketing efforts (such as google ads)

Graphic of SEO data for Simplified SEO Consulting. We offer SEO consulting services for private practice owners across the country. Contact us today! Additionally, it is important to also remember that keywords are not the only thing that is going to help your site succeed. Hearing an offer to help your site rank for 100’s of keywords might sound like a no-brainer in terms of getting your site out there. But, if none of those terms are helping your ideal client find your site, you likely won’t be any closer to receiving the results you want.

Sign 2: Unsolicited Emails

Now there’s nothing wrong with being confident in life or in business. However, a professional SEO consulting company will not likely email you out of the blue. Oftentimes, these scam messages may begin or include issues with your site in order to warrant some kind of response.

Hypothetical examples of these issues may look like:

“I‘ve analyzed your website often and noticed your rankings were still a bit low. We can help you reach the top 10 search results guaranteed!”
“Google’s most recent update has been negatively affecting your site. Our company can help fix it!”
“We can sell you premium, high-quality backlinks to hundreds of sites to help you compete!”

While some scammers will tell you how they can help fix vague issues with your site, others may throw in confusing SEO jargon without explaining anything in hopes to confuse you. It is always best to delete these messages. Working relationships like these are generally initiated by you, the client!

Ironically….the better your SEO the more often you will get these unsolicited emails claiming your SEO isn’t any good.

Sign 3: Secrecy Surrounding Methods

In the world of SEO, there are many ways to gain rankings. Some of these are ethical, client-focused ways you can optimize a site known as “White Hat” SEO. On the other hand, it is also possible to rank well using tricks and tactics that are against Google’s guidelines. These can come in many forms, but they often result in your site being penalized. This is “Black Hat” SEO.

A telltale sign that an SEO consulting service might be engaging in less ethical SEO tactics is by keeping you in the dark about what exactly they are doing to help boost your site. When deciding to work with an SEO consulting service, it’s important to understand the how behind their methods. Do they promise to build you backlinks? Great! How are they going to get you those links, and what kind of links are they? Do you understand how their services work?

These are good questions to ask, but it is still worth mentioning that companies will not be able to disclose everything they do behind the scenes. Working with an SEO consulting service should involve clear transparent communication between the client and company to achieve the best results.

In Conclusion

As with any other important investment or decision, it is essential to conduct proper research. Not doing your due diligence could result in a less than reputable company working on your site, and potentially doing more harm than good in the long run.

Begin SEO Consulting Services with Simplified SEO Consulting

Our team of trained SEO specialists would be honored to support you in ethically ranking on Google! We have experience working with clients across the country and would love to work alongside you in optimizing your site. For support with improving the SEO of your site, follow these steps:

Book a free consultation
Speak to one of our SEO specialists
Start climbing the rankings of Google!

Other Services Offered by Simplified SEO Consulting

Simplified SEO Consulting offers multiple SEO services to help meet the needs of your private practice website. We offer a variety of services including DIY Online SEO Courses, Done For You SEO services, and our Done With You 12-week SEO intensive program. For more helpful info, feel free to read more from our blog!

About the Author

May 27, 2021/0 Comments/by Sterling Humburg-Cage

Content, SEO Tips

What I Learned My First Month of SEO That Graduate School Never Taught Me

The Beauty of Graduate School

When pursuing a graduate degree to provide mental health services, you learn a crazy amount of information. Often, so much information that retaining it initially seems like an impossible task. We learn how to diagnose mental disorders to DSM-5 diagnostic criteria. We cover and practice appropriate clinical interventions to provide clients, given their experiences and goals.

We’re taught what research design to implement depending on the purpose of the study and when to reject the null hypothesis. We’re encouraged to advocate for vulnerable populations at the local, state, and national levels. We push ourselves to critically assess the consequences of policy implementation on the people who are pushed to the margins of society. We internalize that our client, whoever they might be, is the expert of their story.

What we didn’t learn, however, is how to write for Google.

Perhaps I’m speaking from my own experience, but I have a strong feeling that I’m not alone. Actually, I know I’m not alone. My academic writing skills are not complimentary for SEO. In my academic writing, I feel the pressure to use big SAT words. Of course, that come along with an obnoxious number of syllables. When explaining a concept related to my profession or coursework, I use a definition that requires subsequent internet searches to decipher what I’m saying. The worst part? I beam at the content I have created feeling as proud as a parent feels after their kiddo wins their first t-ball game.

And guess what? Google does not share my level of satisfaction. Rather, Google feels as disappointed as that same parent after they find out that their child slipped the umpire $10 to make calls in their favor.

What does Google like?

Instead, Google likes when you create content that your clients will actually understand. In SEO land, we call this readability. At first, this concept was really difficult for me and was completely foreign. I’m paying for higher education; it should be clear in everything I create. Right?

Yes, AND….

I need to consider my role. I need to relate to the people for who I am trying to get help. SO, I have to put content on a page of a website for anxiety treatment in a way that someone who just had the worst anxiety attack to date can read and understand. The content I put on a depression counseling page should reassure someone that despite feeling isolated and unhappy, they’re not alone. My goal should be to make it clear that healing is not linear. Sometimes, life is really tough and we don’t always have the tools we need to get through it. After my reading what I put on a trauma page, someone should know there is no timeline of when they “shouldn’t” be affected by their previous trauma.

Optimizing a website for SEO, working on readability.…these things are in line with our values.

This is why we do what we do: to provide our services to someone who really needs it. Our clients want to feel understood by the person they’re sharing the most intimate details of their life with. At this time, they’re probably not worried about understanding the intricate ins and outs of your approach when treating eating disorders. They aren’t preoccupied with your uncanny ability to include every academic term you can pull out of your memory.

Because, in reality, do your clients care about how academic and convoluted your website sounds? Not really. Instead, they want to know that you know what you’re doing, you care, and that you’re here to help.

Bringing It All Together

To be clear, I think higher education is a wonderful investment and an absolute necessity to provide quality services to your clients. Without it, you likely wouldn’t be half the practitioner you are today. There is tremendous value in being an educated, well-informed service provider. AND, we don’t have to flex our intellectual bicep when the opportunity presents itself.

Moving Forward

This important lesson has shaped the way that I perceive my role in getting my SEO client’s website to the first page of Google. Additionally, this has uncovered a deeper level of empathy and validation I didn’t know that I could reach. I challenge you to consider this the next time you put something on your website with the hopes of getting new clients. Consider what could be going on in their life in that moment. Think about where they are, not where you would like them to be. Talk to them, not at them.

Our SEO Specialists would love to work with you!

At Simplified, our goal is to help you find your ideal clients and rank for everything you want to be found for. Our SEO Specialists have a variety of different experiences and can bring this to the table! We offer a variety of different services, including Done For You and Done With You services. If you’d like to get the SEO party started, follow these steps:

Schedule a free 30-minute consultation with us.
Get to know our team of highly skilled and experienced SEO specialists.
Brag to your other therapist friends that you can optimize your website optimization

Other Helpful SEO Blogs

Who should optimize their own websites?

3 reasons to track data related to SEO

Why SEO is a great long-term business investment

How long does SEO take?

6 ways to maintain SEO for therapists when you already rank well

SEO for therapists: a comprehensive guide

Guide to blogging to improve SEO for therapists

Ethical SEO for mental health professionals

About the Author

Alyssa has been a member of the Simplified family for the past year. And, is now stepping into a role providing training and additional support for folks learning SEO. As a current graduate student in the Advanced Placement MSW Program at Mizzou, Alyssa loves the world of mental health and technology. In addition, Alyssa has a growing interest in using social media to grow a practice, the importance of live feed, and building backlinks. She wrote a two-part blog post series about the importance of blogging for SEO. This series addressed the importance of blogging and original content. In addition, she is co-hosting a blogging masterclass that will soon be available for purchase. Stick around for some more hands-on opportunities!

May 11, 2021/0 Comments/by Alyssa Kohne

Content, SEO Tips

Video and SEO

For some people, writing blogs is the last thing they want to do. You have already graduated from a master’s or Ph.D. program and you’re doing additional training to specialize. Blogging couldn’t be further from your mind as you build out your website. However, it is a significant next step in our process to get you ranking well with Google. Blogging gives voice to your therapy approach, your ideal clients, and how you can help.

Sometimes people wonder whether video blogging has the same effect on SEO as writing blogs. At times, it can be more helpful to speak what you mean to say than write. So, let’s explore where video blogging can be helpful and how to go about doing it if you want to add it as an additional SEO strategy.

What is a Video Blog?

Video blogging is essentially the same as writing a blog on Google. You’re trying to convey information and get a point across. Rather than writing the blog in 750-2000 words, you’re speaking for an allotted amount of time on a topic.

What Do Video and SEO Look Like?

With Google’s search engine and blogging, we optimize for meta descriptions, alt text, readability, internal and external links, keywords, and subheadings. Google is the number one search engine, with YouTube being the second biggest search engine. YouTube and Google are connected. Therefore, if you want to optimize videos, you’re going to have better luck with video SEO using YouTube than you would with Vimeo or another hosting site.

Components for YouTube SEO that the Youtube Search Engine is Looking for.

YouTube SEO Clicks

YouTube cares to know that people are clicking on your video. It is not enough to post relevant information; Google wants to know that people care about what is enough to click.

People are Engaging with Your Content.

YouTube takes note that people are not only clicking and watching your content, but it cares to know that people are commenting, asking questions, liking, subscribing, and sharing your content. Additionally, this means that not only are people engaged, but you continue to put out content that provides continuous value. For example, if you’re doing a self-care series, you may allude to catching parts two and three for more information. This strategy further draws people to your site and increases video and SEO.

You’re Embedding You Videos into Your Website

This is where choosing a YouTube platform over Vimeo is better for your video SEO. Being able to provide another platform to host your video, affects your rankings. This is another stream of people coming to your website and, you can then index your video on your website, and show up more often for those looking for similar content on the Google search engine side.

Watch Time for Videos Increases

YouTube checks to see how much time people spend watching your content. Therefore, if you don’t go into your videos with a clear plan and outline for your message, it is likely to reduce your watch time. Therefore, you may want to mix up how you do videos because static videos are not interesting to viewers.

Using keywords in Your Video

For you to show up in the right searches, YouTube, will take note of video tags, focus keywords, video descriptions, and titles. Therefore, just with blog posts and service pages, keyword research is a must.

Here is how you can get ranking for Video and SEO today!

Do appropriate Keyword research.

Always do keyword research first and make sure to rank for some harder tags and easier tags. If you’re ranking only with the most popular video tags, you’re less likely to show up because your views and clicks will be much lower. You can use Tube Buddy to figure out what tags and keywords make sense to rank your video for. Also, use your YouTube studio to look up tags and keywords that people are finding you for. You may show up for a keyword you are not aware of. By optimizing for it, you can gain more traffic. This will guide your planning and help your message to be clearer. Additionally, focusing on your niche helps Google see you as an expert, more likely to show up for keywords.

Place keywords appropriately

Make sure you have keywords in your tags, titles, video descriptions, and throughout your video. We recommend saying some of the keywords in your video. Just like Google reads every part of your website, it too watches and listens to every part of your video. Optimize your video description (make a description at least 100 words, include the target keyword in the first 2 to 3 sentences, promote the video on social media).

Use appropriate video tags.

Rank in suggested videos ( in order to rank focus on recent video you watch and current video). Plus make sure to use a few tags in popular videos.

Upload consistently

The more often you upload to YouTube, the more often you will rank on YouTube SEO. However, if you’re looking to develop consistency make sure you’re specific in your focus. If you plan to focus on depression, anxiety, mental health, trauma, or something like this, don’t then add videos also on food or lifestyle content. You will essentially be watering down your tags making it difficult for Youtube to know what to do.

Engagement is huge for staying relevant.

This is like how we focus on your service pages for website optimization and then encourage you to write up cornerstones on your focus niches.

YouTube SEO FAQ’s

Are there are downsides for SEO and Video?

Simplifies SEO Consulting Advice on how to use blogs and vlogs for SEO.

Video Blogging Pros and Cons

Pros

User friendly for beginners
YouTube picks up content faster than Google.

Cons

Takes longer to monetize.
Set up is more expensive.
Requires more time and maintenance.

What if I’d Rather Vlog than Blog for SEO?

If you take nothing else from this blog, take this, while video blogging is a great visual aspect to add to your site and can enhance your SEO strategy, it Is not a substitute for writing high-quality blogs and having them optimized. With the way, Google’s search engine is built, writing quality content continues to be a higher priority for Google than video blogging. Videos can add a better visual component to your site and better accessibility for sound and closed captioning, but from the standpoint of how we optimize your site, it is not a complete substitute for blogging. So, if you have considered writing and video blogging together, this could be a great approach to boost your SEO even more. People are more likely to link to you and as mentioned above there are several ways we can add in keywords and optimize for your focus. Don’t let this deter you from using a high-quality video with your blog, but at the end of the day, Google prefers written content over videos. So we would recommend a hybrid of the two.

Here’s our example of including video for SEO in your blog post:

Ready to Begin Your SEO Journey?

What other questions come up for you when you consider whether blogging makes sense for your SEO strategy? Reach out to the Simplified Team if you have further questions on how we can help you. Blogging is a big component of our strategy, but to those who want to add a video strategy, we are happy to guide you with more information. If you’re looking for someone to guide you in that process, get in touch with Simplified SEO Consulting. You will work with skilled mental health SEO specialists who are passionate about the field. To get started follow these simple steps:

Schedule a consultation with our Client Success Specialist
Learn about the Simplified Team!
Start creating an awesome blog and video content for your views and readers.

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, an SEO Specialist, and Client Success Specialists 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, 2021/0 Comments/by Jasmine Jaquess

Business Tips, SEO Tips

SEO Tips for Psychiatrists in Private Practice

There are many, many benefits to being in private practice as a psychiatrist. Certainly, a huge benefit is that you’ll likely make more money. And, in private practice, you have the ability to take the time to get to know your patients. Additionally, there will be fewer patients who really don’t want to be there. In private practice, there is time and space for continuing education, collaboration, and, well, everything.

But you’re also a business owner now. Therefore, you have new responsibilities you haven’t had to worry about before. Among the many new tasks you’ll have as a business owner, you have to think about marketing. Because you can’t help patients if they can’t find you.

A Website is a Powerful Marketing Tool for Private Practice Psychiatrists

It’s important to meet patients where they are. And in today’s day in age, that’s often online. Because most of your patients are probably looking for help online, you need to have a presence there.

But the truth is that as a private pay psychiatrist, your website needs to do more than just show up. It needs to have the right design to attract your clients’ attention. And then, it needs the right content to help them understand the value you offer.

SEO Helps You Reach The Patients Who Need You

In private practice, you have more choice in who you take on as patients and who you refer elsewhere. You know your skillset better than anyone else. And you know the populations you not only work best with but also find joy in serving. You got into this field to help people and to make an impact on the world of mental health. And your ability to practice most effectively is impacted by the fulfillment you find in your work.

So no, it is not unethical to target populations you’d like to work with. In fact, it is most ethical to cater to a population you feel skilled to serve. Search engine optimization (SEO) allows you to target your ideal clients online, which is why SEO should be an essential part of your marketing strategy.

SEO Tips for Psychiatrists

Do Keyword Research

Keyword research is the foundation of good SEO for most websites. But psychiatrists face a unique challenge. Most likely, you have two audiences: referral sources and potential patients. Both may be searching for different keywords. Therefore, it’s important to consider each audience when doing keyword research.

A good first step is to ask referral sources what they would search on Google when looking for a referral for a patient. Another good resource for keyword research is your existing patients. Take a look at your intake paperwork. Why are your clients coming to you for services? What are the trends among your patients’ concerns? This information can give great insight as to how your patients see themselves and their needs. In turn, indicating which keywords they would most likely search for online when looking for a psychiatrist, much like your potential clients you’ll be targeting on your website. The final keyword research opportunity is to use a keyword research tool. These can be extremely helpful, as they can help you find additional keywords you may not have even thought to track, but are frequently searched for in your area.

Popular Keywords for Psychiatrists

As a starting place, I’ll share some general keyword trends in the United States. However, know that it’s important to do your own keyword research for your specific area. As of April 1st, 2021, one of our keyword research tools, KWFinder, says the following keywords are searched for this number of times each month in the United States:

Psychiatrist – 439,000
Psychiatry Services – 2,200
Psychiatric Medication – 2,500
Medication for Depression – 8,5000
Medication for Anxiety – 165,000

Once you’ve done your research, start to use keywords throughout your website.

Build Backlinks

Building backlinks is an essential part of a healthy SEO strategy. Backlinks refer to when someone sends a website user off of their website and onto yours using a link. When you work with other professionals in your community like therapists, primary care doctors, community nonprofits, or schools, you become a known and trusted name. Brainstorm entities and organizations that work with your ideal clients. These would be great relationships to form if they do not already exist.

Many large organizations have resource pages or directories on their websites. Here, you will find lists of businesses or professionals that a credible community organization supports. Typically, you can request to be put on a resource page or directory by emailing the organization or filling out a form. When your business gets listed on one of these pages, it shows both Google and website viewers that you are a quality resource to be trusted. However, there are many ways to build backlinks.

Create Individual Service Pages

Consider writing a service page for the specific types of psychiatry you really enjoy doing. Do you have specialized training in eating disorders? Then make sure you have a page on “Psychiatry for Eating Disorders.” Enjoy treating postpartum depression, anxiety, or OCD? It would make sense to have a service page on “Psychiatry for Moms.” Are many of your patients depressed? If so, create a “Medication for Depression” service page. We recommend that each of these pages have at least 500 words (2,000 is better if you’re up for writing that much!) of original content. Make great use of subheadings, include a direct call to action (Speak to a Psychiatrist About Your Depression in ______) and make sure to link to other pages of your site!

Blogging as a Psychiatrist

Blogging is an important part of a good SEO strategy. And there are many reasons to blog! Yes, search engine optimization is a key reason to blog because Google notices and likes consistently published fresh content. However, blogging also gives potential patients a sense of who you are, how you help people, and what being your patient would be like.

You may be thinking… “what do I write about?” Our SEO specialists recommend writing blog posts that answer typical questions your patients ask. You may also want to write blog posts talking about typical diagnoses you treat, but make it clear that a blog post can’t diagnose. Blogs can provide a wealth of information to patients about if you will be the best fit for their care.

Consider a Specific Page for Local Therapists & Primary Care Doctors

As a psychiatrist, the truth is that you have two audiences: potential referral sources and potential clients. Local therapists and primary care doctors who think their patients could benefit from your specialized knowledge about psychiatric medications will be looking for your services online. However, they are a very different audience than potential patients. These potential referral partners can handle a bit more technical jargon and will be asking specific questions. Therefore, we recommend you have a page on your site dedicated to these referral sources.

On the other hand, most of your content on your website needs to be targeted at your larger audience: potential patients. When these folks are finding your site, it’s probably not while they are at peak brain performance. Rather, it is most likely when they just had a panic attack, a breakdown, or at their wit’s end with their symptoms. They are probably scrambling to find help when they don’t know where else to turn. Likely, they’re looking for a psychiatrist during a quick lunch break or late at night when they can’t deal with insomnia any longer.

With that being said, as a psychiatrist, it’s essential that you have a page speaking directly to your hopeful professional referral sources. This page can be technical and you can speak as a professional. In regards to the rest of your website content, take into account what a “3 AM trauma brain” would be able to digest. Write for that state of mind. Your patients will appreciate it and likely find you very relatable.

Answer Common New Patient Questions

At Simplified SEO Consulting, we’ve found that FAQ pages are great for both your website viewers AND your SEO. Make a list of the questions new patients are likely to ask. If you have someone who answers new patient inquiries for you, check in with them about those questions. Then, add a few more you get during that first session. Now, write a 1-2 paragraph response to each of those questions.

I encourage you not to base the questions you use off what questions someone else answered on their page or some stock FAQ page. Instead, think about what pages your ideal clients are asking. Remember, we care about SEO, but we also want your website to help your clients. We want them to see that you would be a great resource for them. That you get them, relate to them. These are the things that will bring them through your doors.

Are you a Private Pay Psychiatrist?

We strongly recommend private pay psychiatrists have content on their website directly addressing their status as private pay. Maybe write a series of blog posts on the top advantages of working with a psychiatrist who is private pay. It’s ok to get slightly personal about how much you value face-to-face time with clients. Or about how you want to work for clients instead of insurance companies.

It’s also important to have a fees page on your website. Now, it’s up to you if you publish your specific fees. We’ve seen many private pay psychiatrists who do. However, this page is also a great place to address your reasons for being private pay. And, you can do so in a way that highlights the benefits for clients.

Ready to get Serious About Your Website SEO?

At Simplified SEO Consulting, we specialize in helping private practice therapists get their websites ranking on Google. Not only that, we help them stay at the top of Google too. Our SEO Specialists are passionate about getting your site in front of the clients you enjoy working with because we know that a solid therapeutic relationship makes all the difference in the world of mental health. To learn more about Simplified SEO Consulting and how we can help you get ranking, follow the steps below.

Schedule a free 30-minute consultation call with us.
Meet with one of our SEO Specialists to learn more about our packages and process.
Get your website in front of your ideal patients!

SEO Services at Simplified

We offer a variety of services to help you along on your SEO journey. One of our most popular services is the Done For You SEO package. With this, you get to take a backseat while a skilled SEO Specialist takes point on your website’s SEO. On the other hand, we have DIY Online SEO Courses and a Done With You package if you’d like to become an SEO wizard yourself!

About the Author

Simplified’s founder, Jessica, and one of Simplified’s Mental Health SEO Specialists, Olivia, wrote this blog together. Both team members enjoy educating our clients about search engine optimization and how it can help private practices bring in clients that professionals are excited to work with!

April 30, 2021/0 Comments/by Olivia Ferguson

Content, SEO Basics, SEO Tips

A Comprehensive Guide to Cornerstone Content

Here is what you can look forward to with this blog:

Table of Contents:
What cornerstone content is not?
What is a Cornerstone Blog?
Why should I write cornerstone content?
What goes into writing cornerstone content?
What topics should I write about?
Will the client read a 2000 word blog post?
What If I Can’t Write 2000 Word Blog Posts?
Brief tips for long term maintenance

SOOO…You’ve probably had a planning call or are about to where your specialist has said, “Well since we are done with service pages, it’s time to move onto blogs”. Which may be exciting or evoke a feeling of dread. We know you’re busy people taking care of your business and your clients. The thought of writing three two thousand word cornerstone blogs can be stressful. Ok, pause, take a deep breath. I know this seems like a lot, and many of you may be wondering, how do I write it, what should I write it on, how can I write two thousand words, will clients read this, what is the point? And so on. All the questions surface. I am here to help you make sense of this and to guide you in what cornerstone content can look like. So, let’s dive in.

First things first, at Simplified we have specific plans for you. We know that writing blogs are very helpful in supporting SEO. We wouldn’t ask you to spend your time writing if it wasn’t going to help. This isn’t grad school, it’s your business. We value your time and efforts. So, know that we expect the freak out when we tell you to write this much, and we are happy to provide guidance.

What Cornerstone Content is Not?

First things first. You have written beautiful service pages that speak to your brand, business, and your services. These are meant to be around 500 words minimum. A cornerstone is not space for you to rewrite a longer version of your service page. Now you can do this, but a blog is more of a passion piece to write why you love therapy, how you’re specializing, common issues people encounter, helpful coping strategies, and so much more. It’s a taste of what people can get in therapy and a resource for potential and current clients.

What is a Cornerstone Blog?

A corner is a glimpse into who you’re in your practice. You will write pieces that are meant to resonate with the core of your client’s struggles. It is not mean to be reiterating service pages. Neither are you trying to write a very technical piece about your services. No, you are speaking as who you’re as a clinician, or about what your practice represents. Remember those bits of wisdom that your clients give you. We can all learn from them. Perhaps, you can write an open letter to people dealing with anxiety. Empathize with their experience and give them hope. May even write a less technical explanation on how EMDR can help. There is a world of possibilities. Find your passion, a common thread, or write something new. Just listen and go deep.

Why Should I Write Cornerstone Content?

First, writing a cornerstone blog helps you build traffic and awareness of who you are as a clinician. You can only write so much on a service page, but you can expand when it comes to a blog. If there is a certain clientele you work with such as individuals dealing with trauma that shows up as anxiety, write a blog. There is no way you can truly encapsulate that you work with this population on a service page.

You become the expert

Another reason is that it establishes you as an expert. Google knows that you’re an authority when you write a service page with 500 words of content. However, when you write a blog post and link it to the page, Google begins to set you up as an expert because you have even more content.

Drives in traffic

It’s a great way to drive in traffic. What a well-written blog will do is help clients see a bit more into your therapeutic approach, your experience, and common issues people are dealing with that you can help with. By having 3 cornerstones front and center on the site, you’ll bring in more leads, which is the goal. Plus, by linking blogs to each other and service pages, you’re making your content more accessible. This reduces bounce rate and ensures that potentials are getting all the information that they need upfront before deciding to continue further or bounce off. Service pages are great, but they only provide a small picture of what you can do.

Helps generate more blog ideas

Lastly, when struggling to write your posts, once you get started you may realize you have a lot more to say than you think. You could get to 2000 words and think I still have so much more to say, so this further allows you to generate ideas for shorter blogs, or it could be the beginning of a blog series.

What Goes into Writing Cornerstone Content?

First, you will want to identify keywords you want to boost. Now you can do this on your own by looking at your data dashboard with Simplified or from any free tool like Google trends. Perhaps, you can even do a basic Google search on keywords you want to rank for and see where you land on the Google search engine. Then look at what people are searching for. Talk to friends, family, listen to what new clients are saying, and create a list. Per blog, you’ll have the main keyword like EMDR therapy. Then you may have tapping EMDR, anxiety, EMDR, and dealing with trauma. These can be subheadings, placed into alt text, or put throughout the copy. This can either be done by you or our specialists. The goal is to understand what your topic is and to make sure that the keywords make sense. Based on this choose the topic and begin writing. Break it down into subheadings, answer common questions, and so on. Here is an example of what cornerstone content can look like. After you’ve written the content it’s important to make sure it is well optimized and kept up to date, which I will get into.

What Topics Should I Write About When Blogging for SEO?

Here is the thing, I can’t answer that definitively unless I’ve personally worked on your site. However, I can tell you some great examples. It’s always a good idea to write one on online therapy because you can boost harder to rank keywords such as therapy, therapist, online counseling, and so on. Plus, it helps with local SEO. You can write how-to guides, open letters, comprehensive guides to therapy, tips on how to cope with various issues, a client-friendly understanding of therapy approaches. You can write about timely pieces, or even make it more personal if it’s in line with your code of ethics. There is a world of possibilities, so don’t box yourself in.

Honestly, Will Client’s Read a 2000 Word Blog Post?

No and Yes. Honestly, most clients will not spend 10 minutes reading a 2000-word blog post, but that is where SEO comes in. Some of you may not like subheadings, but they are so useful. Clients will scan your page and look for a section that speaks to them before deciding what to do next or bouncing off. Subheadings help from an accessibility standpoint to organize your message and help clients find what they need faster. Now there may be special clients who will take the time to read your blogs, but most will scan.

If not, why write long cornerstone content?

That is where the SEO continues to be useful. Google reads everything because it is trying to understand your writing and looking for key phrases. When Google understands your message, it can help to align you with the correct traffic that may be looking for your page. So, Google will look for keywords, readability, internal and external links, alt text, and so on. That is what Google is for, to pair the reader with the right experience. So having these long in-depth blogs that have been well optimized helps Google bring you’re the right traffic, more accurately, and more consistently. Words "you've got this" written on a side walk. Your time is valuable, we get this. However, blogging for SEO is such a powerful component to SEO. Learn about why cornerstone content is so crucial today!

What If I Can’t Write 2000 Word Blog Posts?

The two thousand words are ideal and a suggestion. Ultimately, you have the autonomy to do what you choose, but it will help. We recommend it, but for those really struggling consider writing a shorter 2- or 3-part blog series on the same topic. To be honest, sometimes when you just give it a chance, you’ll find you have more to say than you think. Plus, once you’ve written them, that’s one big task out of the way. Take a breath and see what you’ve accomplished. Additionally, while it’s easier said than done if you have a group practice, have your clinician’s written blogs, especially if they specialize in a particular service. Or look at old blog posts you can revamp.

How does blogging support SEO for my website?

Well-written content that has been well optimized, helps Google draw in the right people. Cornerstones are often another first impression for the client to understand who you are. Remember that part of the client experience is first impressions. According to a study done by the Missouri University of Science and Technology, when viewing a website, it takes users less than two-tenths of a second for someone to formulate a first impression. So, we must be mindful of how quickly some can be interested versus disinterested in how we can help. So, by being clear in our message, taking time to show you understand what the client is dealing with and can help, having additional resources and a clear way to get started matters. Check out our blog on how holistic SEO is a great way to engage clients.

Tips for maintaining SEO With Cornerstone Content.

Lastly, I want to make mention that it’s not enough to just write cornerstone content, but you need to make sure it stays relevant. So, if you write content and something changes in the therapy world, make sure you’re going back to this content and updating it occasionally. We want to ensure not only Google but clients that we are staying on top of new advances and we intend to assist clients in the best way possible.

Ready to Begin Your SEO Journey to Writing Quality Cornerstone Content?

What other questions come up for you when you consider cornerstone content? Reach out to the Simplified Team if you have further questions on how we can help you. If you’re working on cornerstone content, you’re probably our ideal client, because we love optimizing these blog posts for SEO! In summary, cornerstones are the next step in our process to make sure your SEO maintains, and you continue to draw in your people. How you put yourself out on the internet professionally impacts your direct traffic. Write meaningful and useful blogs that provoke action, thought, and give resources to your current and potential clients. If you’re looking for someone to guide you in that process, get in touch with Simplified SEO Consulting. You will work with skilled mental health SEO specialists who are passionate about the field. To get started follow these simple steps:

Schedule a consultation with our Client Success Specialist
Learn about the Simplified Team!
Start working with the clients that you serve best.

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:

April 6, 2021/0 Comments/by Jasmine Jaquess

SEO Tips

How Long Does SEO Take?

So, you’ve discovered the magical place of SEO land. Perhaps you’ve been investigating this whole SEO thing for a while now and you’ve found Simplified. However, it makes sense that you have questions about the time, money, and energy investment that SEO requires. Today, we’ll discuss the time investment that you should prepare for in order to get your best return on investment.

First things first…

First of all, we want you to know that search engine optimization is an online marketing strategy. Now, this strategy in particular will take time.

SEO Takes Time

The simple truth is that SEO takes time. It takes time for you to figure out exactly what Google is looking for. It takes time to work on the multitude of factors Google is considering when ranking your site. Then, it takes time for Google to recognize those changes you’ve made. And the list goes on. The bottom line? No matter how much money you invest, SEO will take time.

Pro Tip: Some people choose to pay for Google Adwords when initially working on SEO. Now, from our side of things that makes it a bit muddier to see how well your SEO is working. BUT if you need to rank high overnight paying for Google Adwords may be the way to go.

We can’t predict exactly how long SEO will take

The specific amount of time varies from practice to practice, based on a few different factors. Therefore, beware of anyone who promises to get your website to the first page of Google in a month.

As a general rule of thumb, when clients begin working with us, we typically encourage them to have the mindset that it will take six months of intensive SEO work to get the best return on investment. Now, dependent on each individual practice, some websites need less time and some need more time. A few key factors we have noticed impact how long it takes us to get a website ranking well are how established the website is, the practice location, and specialty.

Age of Site

If all other factors are equal, an older website is likely to rank better on Google. This is for a few reasons. First of all, a URL that has been around for a while has already shown Google that it’s steady. It’s reliable. That URL isn’t going to change owners every other week. So, Google will naturally trust an older URL a little more. Additionally, an older URL is more likely to naturally have some backlinks already built up which are a HUGE help for SEO. Lastly, if you have done previous SEO work on your site, it’s likely that you’ll get results more quickly than otherwise.

Location

Getting the SEO rankings that you’re hoping for will be more difficult and time-intensive if your business is located in a highly-populated area or an area where people, in general, are prioritizing digital marketing. I’m looking at you, business owners in New York City, Los Angeles, and Miami! So, you may not see your site ranking on the first or second page until about months three or four with us. But, for private practice owners in smaller areas, you may see your site getting first page results within months one or two.

If you’re in a smaller geographic area, there are fewer options for Google to rank to choose over your site. Likewise, if you’re in a major city, there are plenty of options for Google to rank above your website. Therefore, a private practice in rural Illinois may be able to get to the top of Google much faster than a private practice in London or the San Francisco Bay area even if everything else about their website is pretty similar. Regardless, keep in mind that you’re investing intensive resources temporarily into your site to get the results you want. Then, you can back off from SEO and monitor your data to ensure you’re still staying relevant on Google.

Specialty

Again, Google has to trust that you have expertise and authority on a topic. Now, if your private practice specializes in something very niche, it’s likely that you’ll naturally rank higher than other businesses. This is because when people search “therapy in Minneapolis,” they’ll get a ton of search results. But, if they search “eating disorder therapy in Minneapolis” only those sites that Google sees as experts will rank. And, if those are specialist sites you’ll likely have multiple pages on your site (this is where blogging comes in) that really communicate to Google that YOU are an authority on this topic. This allows niche sites to rank higher. So, Google leaves out the same sites that may rank for a shorter keyword like “therapy in Minneapolis.”

When our SEO Specialists first start working with you, we want to know what makes your practice unique. We ask this, of course, to get to know you and the heart behind your business. Secondly, we want to make sure we use every opportunity available to show Google that your site and business have something unique to offer. In turn, getting you the results you want.

SEO Long Game

Image of a business person moving their finger along an upward moving line. This image depicts the goals of SEO in terms of what SEO timeline to prepare for.

Even though search engine optimization is a time-intensive marketing strategy, know that it doesn’t take forever! You will definitely be spending resources during the first few months of SEO work. But, the time, money, and energy you spend at the beginning of your SEO-intensive period will pay off for years to come.

Over the past few years of working on private practices’s websites, we have consistently found that six months is the sweet spot. However, some sites are able to get ranking a little faster and occasionally we need a few extra months of that intense work. But this period of intensive work doesn’t last forever. After enough groundwork has been laid and you’ve earned Google’s trust, you’ll be able to relax a bit.

Building Your EAT Score

Remember how I said, “Google essentially has a mind of its own?” Well, in order for Google’s “mind” to rank your site well, you need to build your expertise, authority, and trust factors. Likewise, just as if Google were a person, it takes time for it to make gains in these areas. So, by doing just two or three months of SEO work on your site, there is a high chance that Google will notice the work and rank you well for that time. However, there is a chance that Google will then discredit you if you stop. The reasoning for this is that Google wants to see your site-building credibility over time, not just stopping once it gives you the results you want.

So, while you may get that instant gratification of ranking in the first one to three months of working with us, it’s unlikely that you’ll stay at the top of Google without completing six months of optimization. Google wants to be able to crawl your site and find everything it needs to know that you are an expert that it can trust to rank well. You can read more about EAT scores in our blog post about Google’s algorithm update in December 2020.

Service Pages and Blog Posts

A concern we often hear from smaller private practice owners is that they don’t provide enough services to complete our full timeline. For example, if you are a private practice owner who has just recently added clinicians to your team, you may only have three to five specialty pages. But, where you can continue to get a huge return for SEO when you don’t have many service pages is blogging. Yes, the ever-feared writing portion of your site.

Your SEO Specialist will recommend that once you have optimized each of your service pages, you begin optimizing blog posts. Our team recommends you have at least one cornerstone blog post for each of your service pages. Now… what’s a cornerstone blog post? You can read more about blog post length here, but for now, just know that they are hefty blog posts with roughly 2,000 words each. These long blogs show Google that yes, you have a service page, but you also really care about providing quality information, too. This helps website viewers and Google really understand that you’re an expert. Essentially, it shows Google that it can trust to show your site to searchers.

How do I know when it’s time to switch to an Alumni Package?

After we have worked through service pages and have optimized blog posts accordingly, we want to know if you are getting results. The whole goal of SEO is yes, to get you ranking well on Google. But, it is more so about getting clients in your doors and continually coming to appointments. And, not just any clients, but the right clients. The clients that you and your team are excited to work with. So, how do you know if it’s time to switch to one of our alumni packages instead of doing consistent SEO-intensive work?

Ask yourself…

Do you feel confident that the number of phone calls you’re getting will help you fill and grow your practice?
Are you getting the right calls? More specifically, calls the convert to the clients that your clinicians are excited to work with?
Is your website ranking well on Google? Meaning, are there a variety of keywords that your site is showing up for on the first or second page of Google?
Have you had all of your key service pages and a handful of cornerstone blog posts optimized?

If the answer to all of these questions is yes, then it may be time to switch from consistently optimizing to an alumni package. You can find more information about our alumni services in this blog post written by our Alumni Services Coordinator.

Alumni Tools

The vast majority of our clients “graduate” from comprehensive SEO services after about 6 months and enroll in our smallest alumni package, the Alumni Tools package. The truth is that while you don’t have to actively work on your SEO forever, there are things you need to do to maintain your SEO.

Our Alumni Tools allows you to continue monitoring your SEO & continue to access our staff for support. While there will not be changes made to your site, it’s important to be able to monitor its metrics to ensure correct functioning. We want to see that the rankings maintain and potentially even grow a bit as an alum. Earlier, I referenced Google’s EAT score. Once you have done consistent SEO work on your site for six months and move to our alumni tools package, we anticipate that you will gradually gain rankings. This is because Google has gained trust with your site, and as it continues to recognize you as an expert on the subject, it will continue to build trust.

We don’t want you to invest your time, money, and energy in SEO forever. Our team believes that search engine optimization is a time-intensive project for about six months. But, after you’ve weathered that storm, you will reap the benefits of the work for years to come.

Begin Your SEO Journey with Simplified SEO Consulting

We understand that beginning SEO work on your website can be incredibly intimidating. So, we want to be transparent with you that yes, this will take time, money, and energy. However, the results you can see for years to come will be so worth it. Follow the steps below to start getting your site ranking on Google.

Make an appointment for a free 30-minute consultation with our Client Success Specialist.
Learn more about our process and our SEO Specialists.
Get ranking and get the calls you’ve been waiting for!

Other Services at Simplified

Here at Simplified, we are passionate about helping therapists get connected with the clients they can make a difference with. We make that happen by working on private practice websites and helping Google see how awesome they really are! There are a variety of ways that you can begin working on your site’s SEO. If you’re the DIY type, you can teach yourself with the help of our DIY Online SEO Courses or Done With You services. Likewise, if this whole thing feels like too much, our SEO Specialists would be happy to take the lead using our Done For You services. We hope that you’ve found our blogs to be helpful. In addition, we hope that you reach out if you have any further questions about search engine optimization.

About the Author

Olivia Bahr is one of Simplified’s Mental Health SEO Specialists. Olivia’s mental health education and experience are extensive. She graduated with a Bachelor of Social Work from the University of Missouri in Spring 2020. And, she has experience working as a case manager with survivors of intimate partner violence. Further, Olivia will be working toward her Master of Social Work degree later this year. She enjoys helping private practice owners optimize their websites throughout each of Simplified’s stages. And, she especially likes writing blogs and writing about blogging.

March 30, 2021/0 Comments/by Olivia Ferguson