If you’ve seen any of our Facebook posts, read any of our blogs, or talked to any of our SEO specialists, you know that blogging is a thing. A very important thing. In SEO land, blogging is one of the most crucial things you can do to improve your SEO. In case you’re new around here, we’ll go over a few reasons why blogging is vital for building SEO for therapists.

1st reason why blogging is important for therapists: it’s helps us to stay relevant to Google.

Google has always valued content that is fresh and relevant. What’s more, Google has confirmed in the core update recently that it values fresh and relevant content. In Google’s eyes, this means that you’re staying “hip” with the times and know what you’re clients want to see more of. On top of that, Google associated this with your site prioritizing the user’s experience. Again, another one of Google’s priorities.  A way to satisfy this criterion is to blog consistently and regularly.  This shows Google, and your ideal client, that you know what’s up. And, that you’re dedicated to staying relevant.

2nd reason why blogging is important for therapists: it promotes longevity of SEO results

When we optimize a site, we initially focus on building the services pages. Why? Because having solid and SEO-savvy service pages builds the foundation of your SEO. Having these service pages tells Google that you know a heck of a lot about depression, trauma therapy, EMDR, eating disorders, and CBT, for instance. Having at least 500 words on each page dedicated to that service tells Google that we’re an expert in that topic. Expertise= higher ranking on Google = more folks seeing your site! 

3rd reason why blogging is important for therapists: it establishes authority

This reason builds off the second reason. If our specialty is trauma treatment, we want to make it clear that we’re an expert in all things related to trauma treatment. So, we can write blogs about all of the topics related to the world of trauma. A few examples include a blog about:

• different symptoms/experiences following a traumatic event,
• different types of traumatic events,
• the pros and cons of treatment modalities
• navigating the anniversary of the trauma(s)
• how to handle triggering situations

As we can see, these blogs all cover topics related to trauma that our clients are experiencing. And, as a result, our clients are likely searching for things related to these topics. SO we want to make sure that we’re providing those resources so we show up in their searches!

That was a quick and fun review, right?

For those of you that know enough about SEO to be dangerous, that was likely a quick refresher for concepts that you were already familiar with. For those of you that are new around here, congratulations! You survived your first SEO crash course! And now, on to the purpose of the blog: blogging to improve your SEO. Moving forward, we’ll cover some important concepts to include when blogging to improve your SEO. This includes:

1. Picking topics.
2. Cornerstone blogs vs. normal blogs.
3. Formalities, including length, frequency, and SEO components.
4. Client conversion.

This blog is designed to cover the first few topics to implement when you begin to blog for SEO. I hope this is helpful, and I can’t wait to see how you implement this!

Topic 1 of blogging for SEO: Picking a topic.

Often, this is where our clients struggle. For many clinicians, it can be difficult to know what to blog about. There’s already so much information out there. Won’t I just be adding to the noise that exists on the internet already? Sure, but we want to be contributing helpful noise. Perspective is everything. Think about what your ideal clients are currently navigating. And, what they would find helpful in a blog post. Is your ideal client struggling to sleep at night because anxiety is keeping them up? Or, is your ideal client really struggling with seasonal depression even during the times of the year “they’re not supposed to be”?

Consider the pain points that they are coming to you with.

Whether that’s navigating relationships and setting boundaries, or working through a traumatic past. Refer to your intake documentation. What reason did your client provide for seeking services? Notice any patterns or overarching themes that exist. Then, create blogs that aim to provide helpful information for those experiences. In addition to the intake documentation, think about what they’re saying to you in session. Or, what they’re asking you in session. Then, remember Jessica’s golden rule: if at least two clients ask the same question in the same week, it’s time to write a blog post about it.

Or, you can just your clients want they want to read more about.

Seriously, just ask them! There’s no harm in asking them what they would like to read about. Or, what they think would be helpful. A unique way I’ve heard this question asked is, “if you had to send your best friend a blog, what would you want that blog to be about?” Or, “if you could go back in time and give yourself a blog post to help you navigate what you were dealing with at the time, what would that blog post be about?” Of course, operating under the assumption that this topic is related to mental health services. There are a million different ways you can ask this question. The semantics aren’t as important as getting a helpful response!

Topic 2 of blogging for SEO: Cornerstone blogs vs. regular blogs.

In SEO land, there are two types of blogs: cornerstone blogs and regular blogs. Regular blogs are blogs that you come across regularly. They’re typically between 200-1,500 words. Usually about one specific topic. If a site blogs regularly, they’ll likely have a lot of normal blogs. Think of these as the “standard” blog post. Cornerstone blogs are typically much longer usually around 2,000 words. Cornerstone blogs are blogs that cover the services that you want your practice to be known for. For example: a practice wants to be known for its approach to depression treatment. They create a cornerstone blog titled ‘A comprehensive guide to navigating depression.’ They write a 2,000-word blog including topics about common symptoms, triggers, the impact depression has on sleep, appetite, and energy levels, different treatment options, and coping skills, and common outcomes of depression treatment.

As we can see with this cornerstone blog post, many topics are covered. It’s designed to give the reader as much information about all things depression.

There’s also SEO benefit, too.

Is every person going to read the 2,000 words? No. But Google will. The more words on a page, the more Google thinks you’re an expert about a topic. On top of that, you can take this opportunity to cover other topics that are related to this topic and get ‘SEO credit’ for it. Let’s consider the previous example. If someone is experiencing depression and looking for a therapist, they could be searching a variety of topics. This includes the symptoms of depression, depression treatments, and ‘why am I tired all the time.’ Including these topics in our cornerstone blog post make it more likely that we show up for them as it pertains to depression.

Topic 3 of blogging for SEO: Formalities.

Length

Google wants to see at least 500 words of content on pages. However, that is the minimum. It’s a good practice to include more than 500 words on a blog post. As an SEO specialist, I aim for at least 750 words on any page that I’m optimizing. Again, because the more words the better. It’s great to have variety in length. For some blogs, it might make sense for them to be shorter or longer based on the topic. However, 500 is the minimum. I know it sounds like a lot. But, I’m sure some emails that we send are about that long. Challenge yourself. Try to get creative. You can do this!

Frequency

A great place to start is to blog twice a month. Preferably having the blogs post on the same days of the week (the second and fourth Wednesday of the month, for example). However, this isn’t a one-size-fits-all recommendation. There are many different factors that go into how frequently you should blog. One factor to consider is the competitiveness of your area and specialty. The more competitive your area or specialty, the more frequently you should blog. Another factor to consider is your goals for your practice. Are you brand new and trying to get your name out there? Are you a practice that’s trying to expand or fill a new clinician? Or, are you a practice that’s established but in “maintenance” mode? Depending on your goal determines if you should be blogging more or less than our typical recommendation.

We know that this can be confusing to determine, so our SEO specialists are happy to help you determine this. 

SEO Components

Yes, we’re writing blogs for our ideal clients. And, we’re writing blogs for Google. Like DBT tells us, two things can be true at the same time. It’s important to incorporate SEO components in our blog. This includes headings, internal and external links, alt text, and meta descriptions.

Headings

Headings are important for ADA compliance because they help the user to navigate the screen- this includes folks using or not using a screen reader. Google sees the words in headings as “more important” than the other words on your page. So, take advantage of it! Throw in some keywords and location indicators to show Google that these words are more important.

Internal and external links

Internal links help the user to navigate your site by taking them to other pages on your site. This promotes the likelihood that they will stay on your site longer and visit more pages (these are two things that Google LOVES). It’s also important to consider the words you use in the link, known as anchor text. External links are links that take the users away from your site. Typically, we provide external links to other credible sources. This shows Google that we can recognize reputable sites. As backward as it sounds, external links are important to SEO.

Alt text

Like headings, alt text is an ADA accommodation. Alt text is essentially an invisible caption that describes a photo. This is important for a screen reader, as it provides a description of the picture to the person using the screen reader. When using alt text, you can include keywords you want to rank for. Of course, it’s important to find a balance between describing the photo without keyword stuffing the alt text (this is a big no-no for Google).

Meta Description

A meta description can be very helpful for client conversion. This is the short paragraph that pops up on Google when someone searches your blog. A meta description provides a brief summary of that page. It’s important to use keywords and location indicators to get some SEO credit. And, to make it interesting so that you’re ideal client clicks on the page!

Topic 4 of blogging for SEO: Client conversion

Yes, blogging can help with client conversion. Your ideal clients have the opportunity get to know you as a helping professional by seeing the words that you put out there. This gives them a chance to get to know a little bit about your style, sense of humor, personality, framework, and mindset. And, hopefully, it’s a great match!

Aside from the content of the blog, we recommend that you add a Call to Action (CTA) section towards the bottom of the page.

We recommend prompting the client to start a service that’s relevant to the topic of the blog post. Take a blog about conflict resolution in a relationship, for example. The heading of our CTA section would be “Begin Marriage Counseling in (City, State).” We then would have a brief paragraph underneath with a summary of what was covered in the blog. And, prompting them to begin working with you.  We recommend having a numbered list of steps. Here’s what that would look like:

1. Set a consultation with us to see if we’re a good fit (link to your appointment request page)
2. Get to know our team of marriage counselors (link to team page)
3. Start to navigate the conflicts that arise in your relationship with more intention.

This list can follow whatever your practice’s process looks like. However, all of these components are vital for client conversion.

I hope this was helpful!

Thanks for checking out this blog! At Simplified, we’re here to help with all of your SEO needs! We offer many different services to help you reach your SEO goals. We offer Done For You Services where do the optimization for your site. If you’re the hands-on type, we can teach you how to do the optimization in our 12-Week Intensive Program.  When you’re ready to begin services with us, follow these steps:

1. Schedule a free 30-minute consultation with us. 
2. Get to know our team of highly skilled SEO specialists.
3. Blog, blog, blog!

About the Author

Alyssa has been a member of the Simplified family for the past few months. 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!

I want you to think about your favorite artist. Maybe this is an actor, a comedian, or someone you follow on a social media platform. Essentially, think of someone whose media you consume. Today, these artists are often referred to as “influencers.” We naturally gravitate toward media content we personally connect with. This connection can be founded on a shared lifestyle, a common struggle, or simply humor. Further, peoples’ connection to media and the “influencers” who produce it can become a part of their daily lives.

You probably are asking yourself what all this has to do with blogging. So, I want you to take a second to think of yourself, a mental health professional, as an influencer. While you may not naturally identify with this term, the truth is, you are an expert in your field! You have extensive education and training. That means you have a ton of amazing thoughts and ideas to share with the world. And, how do we connect with the world today? The internet.

What’s the point of blogging?

Simple answer: connection.

Blogging allows you connect with your clients outside of counseling sessions. Furthermore, you can connect with people from all over the globe! You have the opportunity to share your education, your experience, and your ideas with people who are searching. All you’ve got to do is put pen to paper! (Well, more like fingers to keypad… but you get it.)

With all this being said, it’s important to know how to effectively use blogging to connect with your website viewers. At Simplified, we see private practice owners make a lot of the same mistakes when it comes to blogging. Today, I’ll walk you through what those mistakes are and how to ensure you don’t make them.

Not Blogging

Now, imagine that your favorite content creator never put out new media. No new movies, no new comedy specials on Netflix, and no more cute dog photos. What?! Most likely, you’d feel disconnected from your favorite influencer and a little disappointed. On the other hand, imagine that they put out new content twice a month. Or, even more frequently than that. Whoa! I assume you’d check their website or social media platforms pretty regularly. And, most importantly, you’d feel pretty connected to that creator.

Similarly, when you do not blog, your clients miss out on additional connection with you. As mental health professionals, we understand the importance of connection. Maybe they’re having a hard day and don’t have a session scheduled for awhile. They could be comforted by reading something from their therapist in the meantime. When you don’t blog, your clients don’t even have the opportunity to learn from you. Yes, clients should not be relying on blogs for mental health support instead of their scheduled sessions. But, wouldn’t it be something if your words connected with them on a day when they really needed it?

Blogging for SEO

On a different note, blogging is an essential part of a quality long-term SEO strategy. Creating and publishing fresh, original content tells Google that you are active on your website. Being active on your site makes Google happy! It wants to show searchers the most relevant information out there. Further, when you publish blogs on a particular topic, Google takes that as a sign that you are an expert on it. (Which we know that you are!) Consistently blogging helps you interact with Google in positive ways, thus improving your SEO. Furthermore, regularly blogging helps you connect with your current clients. And, it shows potential clients that you care about creating connection.

There are many reasons to blog. Here at Simplified SEO Consulting, we believe it to be an essential part of private practice owners’ SEO strategy. Now that we’ve covered the importance of blogging, let’s dive into blog content and mistakes to avoid.

Overthinking Blog Posts

Keep blog content helpful, relatable, and relevant.

Let’s go back to the “therapist as an influencer” idea. Typically, the media we choose to consume is helpful, relatable, and relevant. So, why shouldn’t blogs be this way, too? Whether someone is specifically searching for your blog, or they stumble upon it, they don’t want to read a graduate school essay. Even though your master’s program instructors programmed high quality, technical writing into your DNA during grad school, your clients don’t want it. And, neither does Google. In fact, Google likes simple writing, around the level of a fifth grader’s.

I commonly hear from private practice owners “what am I supposed to write about?” My answer to that is: anything! Obviously, it is important that your content is relevant to mental health, counseling, etc. Bottom line, your clients want to connect with you.

So, since Google wants simple writing and you want to connect with your clients, make it easy on yourself by writing for fun. Did she just say, “writing for fun”?! Yes, yes, I did. I encourage private practice owners to think of blogging as a time for reflection.

Blogging Content Ideas

What is going on in the world right now that connects to the population you serve? Listen to the common themes your clients are sharing. How are current events impacting their mental health right now? Or, how could something happening in the world impact their mental health in the short-term or long-term?

Did you read a new book that could be helpful to your clients? Here’s an idea: write a review of the book and call it a “blog.”

Our founder, Jessica Tappana, always brings up “if you had a conversation about the same issue with three different clients in the same week, it’s time to blog about it!” Sometimes, as mental health professionals, we notice trends among our clients’ experiences. If you’re picking up on a trend, it’s worth blogging about and connecting with your clients. And, once you’ve written an excellent blog, you can send it to your future clients who are struggling with the same issues you are writing about today.

Your clients want to hear from you. So does Google. Consistently blogging can help you positively impact your long-term SEO by proving to Google’s bots that you care about regularly providing your site visitors with high-quality content.

Prioritize Quality over Quantity

In terms of blogging strategy, it must be emphasized that best practice is quality over quantity. Unfortunately, we see many private practice owners do the opposite, and prioritize quantity over quality.

Think about if you went to another private practice owner’s site. You scroll to the blog tab. Once you get there, you see twenty blogs posted over the past six months. You see one you’re interested in, but when you click on it, there are only two paragraphs of text. Hmm… as a site visitor, you probably lose trust in the website. And, maybe even the practice owner who posted the blog. This content wasn’t helpful, relatable, or relevant. Maybe it was actually frustrating to view. You got excited to read something interesting, and felt let down when there wasn’t much information there. (Gen Z refers to this as “click bait.” Try using that term with your teen clients and see what they think!) It’s pretty clear that the blog was posted for SEO purposes only.

Let’s not give your website visitors the same experience. Give them content that is impactful and applicable to their lives. Likewise, blogging for quantity of blogs versus quality negatively impacts Google’s view of your site, too. Google’s bots are pretty dang smart. They know that blogging is intended for creating robust, informative material, not bits and pieces to feign expertise. It’s important to build that trust and connection not only with your clients, but also with Google.

Content Promotion

The next mistake we often see is practice owners not promoting their blog content. Wouldn’t you want to know if Netflix put out a show with your favorite comedian? Of course! So, your clients should know when there is fresh content on your site. There are a few ways to promote your blogs:

• Create an email list so all of your clients are notified when a blog has been published
• Post a link on your practice’s Facebook for each new blog
• Share your blog on your personal Facebook account so friends and family can read and share

There are so many people out there who want to read your content. You just have to give them the chance! And, promoting your blogs can get more hits to your site. This helps new visitors view your blog, then maybe they’ll move over to your services tab. At this point, blogging, in a sense, is a form of marketing.

Keywords in the Titles

If you’ve been with Simplified for a while now, or even if you just started with us, you know that we are all about the keywords. Tracking keywords for your website is one of the most important pieces of SEO strategy. Especially important is ensuring you implement those keywords throughout your website to increase SEO rankings.

Keep in mind that when blogging, the priority is to create helpful, relatable, and relevant content. However, it is important that you use keywords in the headings and copy of your blogs. Google places more weight on words in the headings and subheadings of copy. So, make sure you strategically place keywords in the headings. Not only will this help you get more SEO juice for the blog post, but it will help your readers.

Remember, we are writing content that is easy to read and informative. A huge piece of easy reading is skimming. Yes, some people will read your blog in its entirety. But, most likely readers will skim using the headings and subheadings. This helps them identify the parts of the copy that are applicable to them and worth reading.

The reward for using keywords in headings is twofold. Your site gets an SEO boost by ranking well on Google, and your readers have a more pleasant experience. In an earlier blog, Jessica discusses more about keywords and their strategic placement.

Videos in Blogs

We have seen many private practice owners use videos as a part of their blogs. This is great SEO strategy! A great thing about using videos as part of blogging is the increased accessibility for site visitors. On the other hand, when using videos as part of blogging, it is imperative that there be a video transcript or closed captioning available. Likewise, if you are including video in your blog, you must include a body of text. Your blog needs to have copy supporting the information in the video. Google loves videos, specifically YouTube videos. But, a video does not have the functionality of indicating keywords or phrases your site should be ranking for. So, you must pair videos on blogs with text.

Are You Ready to Get Your Site Ranking?

If you are looking to increase calls at your private practice, then it’s time to consider working with an SEO Specialist. Yes, we geek out over blogging. But, you haven’t even heard the rest of the geeky stuff we love! Follow the steps below to connect with an SEO Specialist at Simplified SEO Consulting and start ranking on Google:

1. Schedule a 15-minute consultation call with to discuss your practice’s goals.
2. Meet with an SEO Specialist and discuss package options.
3. Begin optimizing your website and meeting with the clients you want!

Other Services at Simplified SEO Consulting

At Simplified, we are passionate about meeting your business’s needs in whatever way fits you best. If you’re looking to outsource SEO work while you run your practice, our Done For You services may be a nice fit. If you want to become an SEO master yourself, we suggest you check out our DIY Online SEO Courses. Or, the 12 Week SEO Intensive program, called the Done With You package, may fit you best. However you decide to take on Search Engine Optimization, our team of SEO Specialists is looking forward to geeking out with you.