Websites Archives - Simplified SEO Consulting

Meta Descriptions for Therapist “About” Pages

Let us start with the basics of what a meta description is really for. The short answer is that it gives both Google and potential clients a snapshot of your page. The tricky part is that you have to summarize your 500+ word page within a certain amount of characters. All while making sure the meta description positively affects your SEO.

In order to fully utilize your meta descriptions it must fulfill its two main jobs. The first job of the meta description is to help improve search engine rankings. So that your page will appear in Google searches for your ideal clients. Its second job is to navigate people from their search and onto your page. Thus improving your “click through rate”.

Tips for Writing A Good Meta Description for Your About Page

For service pages, the meta descriptions highlight that specific therapy technique or service page that you offer. While on blog posts they display the topic of the post and your expertise on the subject. However, your meta description on your about page should specifically showcase your area of expertise and your specific niche. That being said you know what you are offering to your clients better than anyone. This means you basically have everything that you need to write the meta description for your about page. However, these guidelines can make crafting it a little easier.

Picking the Right Keywords

The best keywords for your about page are normally going to be general “counselor”, “therapist”, or “psychologist” type keywords. However, if you specialize in one specific area then you might have a more specific keyword. For example, if you are a counselor who focuses mainly on trauma, PTSD, CPTSD, and emotional abuse recovery then your main keyword might be “trauma therapist”. Another example is if one therapist in a group practice only offers couples or marriage counseling. The main keyword on their about page might be “marriage counselor” or couples therapist”.

Keep It Unique

If you are the only therapist at your practice then keeping your “About” page meta description unique will be fairly simple. It will already stand apart from your service pages because you are highlighting yourself as a counselor/therapist/psychologist. However, if you have a group practice you will want to make sure that you have unique metas for each of the therapists. Tailor the meta descriptions on their pages to their unique skills, strengths, and niches. One of the ways to do that is to highlight different keywords for each person’s page when appropriate.

Not Too Short & Not Too Long

Watch the length of your meta description carefully. To start you want to make sure that it is over 120 characters but do not want it to go over 155 characters. If you go over the 155 then you risk the text getting cut off. However, if you are under 120 characters then your meta description might not be picked up by Google at all and they will just pick a snippet from your page. In order to get full use of it I like to make meta descriptions as close to 150-155 characters as possible. Honestly, I rarely find it hard to meet the 120-character minimum. Instead, I sometimes struggle to keep it under 155. In these cases, I will reword sentences or change out phrases until I get a combination that meets all the guidelines listed above.

Other Things To Consider

If there is room at the end include a call to action. Such as:
- “Learn more now”
- “Call today to learn more”
- “Read on”
When you can include a location within the meta description

Examples of Meta Descriptions for Therapist “About” Pages

Mary Smith | Trauma Therapist | Winnipeg, Manitoba R3B 0X3

Mary Smith is an expert EMDR & trauma therapist in Winnipeg. She specializes in treating emotional abuse, CPTSD, & PTSD. Call to learn more!

Dr. Kent | Psychologist | Little Rock, Arkansas 72002

Learn more about Dr. Kent who is a Psychologist in Little Rock, AR. He provides counseling for general anxiety, agoraphobia, panic attacks & more. Read on!

Jane Foster | EMDR Therapist | Dublin, IE D07 V57C

Jane Foster is an understanding EMDR therapist at Example Therapy Services. She specializes in trauma recovery with children, teens, & adults.

Final Thoughts on Writing Meta Descriptions for Therapist “About” Pages

Search engine optimization is not always an exact science. It’s a dance of balancing what Google wants, maintaining your voice or vision, and appealing to your ideal clients. This means you might find yourself needing to rewrite your meta description and that’s alright. When optimizing your about page try starting with the meta description. Then after optimizing the page go back to the meta description and see if you want to make any changes to it. Another time you might end up rewriting the meta description is if you are not seeing the “click through rate” that you are wanting. For example, if Dr. Kent, from the meta description above, is ranking well for “psychologist in Little Rock, AR” but isn’t seeing a lot of clicks then it might be time to do a rewrite.

Learn More About SEO for Therapists & Mental Health Professionals

If you are interested in learning more about SEO for Therapists, Psychiatrists, or Psychologists then Simplified SEO Consulting can help guide you. We offer services that range from completely do-it-yourself SEO courses to done-with-you SEO classes to done-for-you SEO. Whether you want to learn how to do search engine optimization yourself or if you are looking to work directly with a Mental Health SEO Specialist we can help you grow your business! Ready to find the best way to get your website in front of your ideal clients? Then book a free consult today!

About The Author

Winnie is a Mental Health SEO Specialist who enjoys helping private practice owners grow their websites and their businesses. Her primary focus is working with therapists, psychiatrists, psychologists, and functional medicine doctors who choose our done-for-you services. She has written meta descriptions for home pages, about pages, service pages, and blogs for mental health professionals across the United States and in Canada.

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

Content, SEO Basics, Websites

A Guide To Creating An SEO Friendly Private Practice Website

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

Mental Health SEO Keywords

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

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

References for Mental Health SEO Keywords

Content, Content, Content

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

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

References & Guides For Creating Content For A Private Practice Website

Pay Attention to Your Slugs

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

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

Examples of URL Slugs For Service Pages

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

Include At least 3 Photos

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

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

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

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

Services Offered at Simplified SEO Consulting

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

About the Author:

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

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

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

SEO Tools, Websites

Google Analytics Issues and How to Fix Them

Google provides a variety of resources to help you better understand how your site is performing on the web. Many of these resources such as Google Analytics (GA) can offer invaluable data. But, this tool isn’t without occasional errors that can throw a wrench in your efforts to improve your site. So today, we are diving into some of the more common issues you may experience while using Google Analytics. And, how you can go about solving them!

Getting Started with Google Analytics

It is first worth noting that the data Google Analytics offers isn’t native to your site. To start allowing Google to track data, you must first use your Google account to sign up for Google Analytics and set up your account. After doing so, you have to ensure the tracking code is installed on each page of your website. This may sound like a pain to do, but there are a few ways to simplify the process depending on the site builder you are using.

Installing the Google Analytics Tracking Code

Making sure the tracking code is on each page of your website has become a much easier process with the help of a few other tools often used alongside Google Analytics. The most straightforward method is still embedding the source code into the website. But, this process can be difficult and confusing depending on your familiarity with the technical aspects of your site. If done and cause issues if done incorrectly. As a result, we like to advise against this unless method unless you feel comfortable enough to do so, or if there are no other options.

Alternatives to Install Your Tracking Code

But, one of the best options is the Google Tag Manager. This system allows you to add measurement codes and tags to your website or app. You only need to add the Tag Manager code to your site, and you can use the services available with the Manager. Another useful tool is the google analytics plugin itself. This will differ based on the website builder you are using but can offer a simple way to integrate the tool with your site.

Using either of these can help you ensure the tracking code is ending up where it needs to be. However, based on the complex your site and practice are, there is a chance you may still run into other issues along the way.

Data Issues

In the process of reviewing your Google Analytics data, you may find what is reported is nowhere near what it should be. This may manifest in the form of a very low bounce rate, inflated page views, or a variety of other ways depending on the issue. When this data fails to reflect the accurate metrics of your site, it can lead to a great deal of confusion and frustration. But, using the Google Analytics troubleshooting tool can help you get to the root of the issue. In many cases, these issues will relate to:

Data missing from reports
Pages being reported more than once
Internal traffic appearing in reports
Bots/spam skewing reported data

An illustration of a screen showing website data. This could represent Google Analytics in counseling and the effects it can have. Learn more about how to rank on google for therapists by contacting simplified seo consulting. 65202 While these issues may be different, each involves becoming familiar with creating filters on Google Analytics. Creating filters will allow you to address each of these issues by changing what data you see in your reports. There are a variety of filters that can help your site in many ways. So, becoming familiar with them can go a long way in helping you curate the data you want to see on your site.

When Other Properties Affect Your Data

Depending on the size and scope of your practice, you may also experience issues related to the data of other websites appearing in the wrong report. This can occur if you have multiple Google Analytics properties on the same account and is often a result of the wrong tracking code being installed on the site. Using Google Analytics to track the data for multiple websites can be convenient. But, you must take extra care that it has been configured correctly. Otherwise, you run the risk of skewed results.

One of the best ways to go about solving this involves logging into your Google account. From here, you can go to the property in question and see if it matches the tracking code installed on your site. Another important thing you may want to enable is cross-domain tracking. This will allow you to track data across multiple sites from the same Google Analytics account. But, you will not have the same access to the data you have with a single site. Instead, you will be able to access data including:

Pageviews
Unique visitors
Average session duration
Traffic between pages

Taking this into account can help you better understand how best to track the data on your site, and help avoid errors in what is being reported.

Closing Thoughts

Google Analytics can provide invaluable insights about your site. But, the data isn’t always as accurate as one may believe. So, understanding how these issues can arise can help improve the reliability of your data and the overall health of your site. It can feel like a lot to take into account. But, remember that there is always support available should you need it!

Begin Working with Simplified SEO Consulting

Our team of SEO specialists can help you improve your SEO and other technical aspects of your site. We have supported many private practice owners in creating healthier websites, and we would love to support you as well! To start your SEO journey, please follow these simple steps:

Book a free 30-minute consultation call.
Meet with an SEO specialist.
Start improving Google’s rankings and meet your practice’s goals!

Other Services Offered with Simplified SEO Consulting

Our team at Simplified SEO Consulting is happy to offer support in a number of ways. We can offer support in improving local SEO for therapists as well as DIY Online SEO Courses. In addition, we also offer Done For You SEO services, and a Done With You 12-week Intensive SEO program. Feel free to visit our blog to learn more today!

About the Author

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

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

Business Tips, SEO Tips, SEO Tools, Websites

All About Wix and SEO

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

Why Would Someone Work with a Wix Website?

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

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

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

Work on the basics for Wix and SEO

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

Nuances with Wix to Know

Photos:

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

Important Point About Photos

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

Meta Descriptions:

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

Font Size and Subheadings

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

Reasons We Do Not Recommend Wix for SEO

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

What Wix Does Offer

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

More Features Wix and SEO Include:

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

How to Get The Most out of Wix?

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

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

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

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

Other Services offered by Simplified SEO Consulting

Simplified SEO consulting offers a wide range of services that can help you begin working with your people. We offer. Done for You SEO Service packages, online courses, and SEO training opportunities. Our most popular course includes our “Top of Google” Online course, and we have 12 weeks (about 3 months) of intensive SEO for therapists who want to learn with a guide. Additionally, we are offering a limited-time SEO Mastermind group if you want a great training opportunity for a steal, this is for you. For those looking for a more specialized package, we also offer an SEO strategy package. To get started, schedule a consultation with our Client Success Specialist today!

About the Author:

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

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

April 5, 2022/0 Comments/by Jasmine Jaquess

Business Tips, SEO Tips, Websites

Importance of Diversity in Therapy and on Your Website

In honor of American Indian Heritage Month, the topic of diversity with websites is something that is becoming more necessary in the SEO world and branding for therapists. As many of you know, cultural competency, or better yet cultural humility is something that is drilled into us in graduate school. However, when you are in school, the discussion of how to incorporate that into your practice and your branding is not discussed, especially if you do not identify as a POC, a person with a disability (visible or invisible), someone in the LGBTQIA+ community, or practice spirituality or religion. Diversity in therapy is necessary for people to feel welcome.

To connect with your ideal clients and encourage more individuals to take the leap into a mental health journey. We must brand our therapy practice and more importantly our websites to reflect that all people are welcome in your space, whether in-person or online. Learn some helpful tips for diversity in therapy today!

Tips for Adding Diversity in Therapy Websites:

We come in all shapes and sizes

Make sure your website represents people of all orientations, colors, ethnicities, and religions, and genders. Whether that means hiring different clinicians or adding photos to your website to recognize we all need mental health support. Additionally, people come in various shapes. In an effort to reduce fatphobia and ignore the fact standards of Instagram, it is necessary to show real people in all stages of life. Additionally, that means adding people of all kinds of ages. Ageism is just as rampant as fatphobia. We all need support. Therapy is not just for the young, couples, thin individuals. It is for everyone. If your website only represents rich upper-class white people, we are doing something wrong.

Find Keywords that Different Populations Are Seeking Out

Add keywords that relate to various populations or add in statements throughout your website (not as a tag-on) that you serve people from all walks of life. Find keywords such as a black therapist, therapy for people of color, LGBTQIA+ therapy, Faith-Based Counseling for Muslim Individuals, and so on.

Stereotyping is not going to draw in clients

When adding photos, do not add stereotypical photos such as just a one-race family on a family therapy page, or a person in a wheelchair on a trauma page. Recognize that people show up in many ways. Though your intentions put into the photos may seem like it will not pay off, but someone will see your intentionality and recognize that you see their experience.

Mind Your Language!

Be intentional with your language. Make sure if you are trying to offer services for people, you are writing language that connects to them. If there are updates in the LGBTQIA communities’ language, make sure you are aware. If you are unsure whether something is now considered offensive, do your research. And make sure you are not beginning to work with various diverse populations before you are ready. Competency matters! Make sure as you consider adding services that you have the proper training or hire someone who does.

Add Alt Text and Subheadings

People who use screen readers can have a similar experience to anyone on the website. Screen readers are great tools that provide space for clients who are seeking therapy to meet their needs. Often, we forget about making our space and our website accessible for clients with disabilities, but we must make space for everyone and think outside our normal means of awareness when it comes to the experiences of those we are seeking to help.

Highlighting Therapists With Various Specialties

Although we want to show diversity and inclusion on our websites, sometimes there are better people to support our clients’ needs. That is why if you have Spanish-speaking clinicians, Christian counselors, counselors of color, counselors who identify openly in the LGBTQIA community, letting clients know that this specific support is available in your practice is key!

Write Timely Blog Posts

It is so important to make sure that we are up to date with issues that affect our clientele. As you have probably noticed, many social justice issues have shown up in the past two years. Writing blogs that show awareness, perspective, and support is necessary for your current and future clients. Even if you don’t understand everything, taking time to write a blog in solidarity with them will help you connect and let them know that you see them.

Get Started with Your SEO Journey and Learn More About Diversity in Therapy!

Are you wondering how you can create more diversity in therapy and inclusion on your website? Our skilled and passionate team of SEO specialists is here to make sure your SEO journey is tailored to your brand and identity. Simplified SEO Consulting would be excited to help you on your SEO journey. To get started with our service follow these simple steps:

Schedule a consult with our Client Success Specialist or Consult Team
Learn more about our wonderful team of SEO Specialists.
Start creating a more inclusive site and brand for your ideal clients!

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. Additionally, we are offering a limited-time SEO Mastermind group if you want a great training opportunity for a steal, this is for you. For those looking for a more specialized package, we also offer an SEO strategy package. To get started, schedule a consultation with our Client Success Specialist today!

About the Author:

Jasmine Jaquess is currently working towards her Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Northwestern University. Currently, she is seeing clients in practice as part of her practicum. She serves as the Client Success Specialist in new client consultations with Simplified SEO Consulting. Plus she is one of our Mental Health SEO Specialists. She specializes in platforms such as Squarespace and Wix. If you’re ready to see how Simplified can serve you, schedule your next consultation. As our Client Success Specialist, see how Jasmine can support your business needs!

December 1, 2021/0 Comments/by Jasmine Jaquess

Content, SEO Tips, Websites

Simplifying Copywriting to Improve SEO for Counselors

When I bring up the subject of blogging with my SEO clients, I get a variety of different responses, but the most common responses are: overwhelm, anxiety, and annoyance. As a writer, I struggled to understand why my clients responded negatively to the idea of blogging. After all, blogging is a super important part of a well-rounded SEO strategy. It is a great way to serve your ideal client and get to the top of search engines like Google.

So, to satisfy my curiosity, I polled our clients.

Here was my question: What holds you back from blogging?

I want to… I just honestly don’t have the time
I’d much rather use my time to do literally anything else (I want it done for me)
I don’t know what information to include
I’m used to the world of academia… so writing in a less clinical way is challenging
I don’t know how to add content to my website

And… the results are in. The overwhelming majority of our clients said they just don’t have the time.

I get it. Blogging takes some time and as a busy clinician, that’s something that’s hard to come by. But, I want to make blogging feel easy and accessible, especially for those of you who have little free time to devote to it. So today, I want to simplify the blogging process. My hope is that this will make it seem less intimidating.

Write about Things You Enjoy

First things first, in order to make blogging pleasurable and easy to do, it’s critical that you choose a topic that you enjoy writing about. Nothing is more draining than pouring your resources into producing a blog that doesn’t interest you. When you’re not writing about something you’re passionate about, you’re far more likely to get distracted or spend hours researching this topic just to get some ideas. Furthermore, your lack of passion for the subject will come across in your writing and your readers may be able to pick up on it.

A therapist in Franklin, TN shared this antidote with me: “I kinda like copywriting. But I like it more than blogging for sure. I have to decide that “this is the time” and be in the mood to write and be creative. And, I was given a sort of structure outline when I updated my SEO with you all, which was super helpful.

I like writing copy where I can just be myself and realizing that’s the best way to get the best-fit clients. Also, I really hate blogging. Titling, meta descriptions, snippets. And then writing blogs so that the SEO words are in there – that makes it feel sterile in so many ways. So website copywriting is preferable.”

Perhaps, you can relate to his sentiments. Maybe, you’re wondering, how do I target specific keywords and channel my clinical passions? Here’s my answer, first write down a list of topics you’re passionate about, or a list of things you’ve frequently found yourself discussing with your clients. Then take this list, and a list of the keywords you want to target and see how you can tie them together.

Here’s an example:

You’ve been talking to your clients about the importance of sleep hygiene a lot. You’ve helped them understand how getting good sleep impacts their mental health and you’ve provided them with tips on how to solve their sleep-related issues. Great. Write this down.

Now, check out your keyword list. What keywords could you boost? Anxiety, anxiety therapist, anxiety treatment, depression, depression treatment, trauma..? The list goes on and on. Choose or two and think of a way to tie them into this subject. You could write a blog on how proper sleep hygiene lessens depression symptoms, or a Missouri therapist explains why sleep hygiene is important.

When you write about what you enjoy, the words will come and it will take less time.

My hope is that when you sit down to write a blog using this approach, you will find it easy to write about the things you’ve talked about with your clients time and time again. You will know how to explain the subject in a less clinical way and have tips to offer your reader because you’ve shared them with your clients already. When you know what you’re writing about, it’s easier and quicker to produce a high-quality blog.

Write About Timely Topics That Interest You

Another thing you can consider is writing about current events or timely topics. Recently, we discussed Simone Biles’ decision to withdraw from certain Olympic events. My colleague was able to quickly write this blog because she was interested in the topic and had a lot to say because it was fresh on her mind. I encourage you to look for opportunities to do the same.

Perhaps, you read a recent article or news brief that you think your clients would be interested in. Talk about it in a blog post. The key here is to do it when you feel inspired, and that’s usually soon after you hear about a current event. If you don’t have time to sit down and write 500 words on the subject, make a list of talking points on a piece of post-it or on your phone. Then, come back to it later.

Finding the time to do some copywriting is doable, but knowing what to write is another story…

If time isn’t your issue and thinking about what to include and the structure of a blog post overwhelms you, I can help you with that too.

My suggestion is, write as you would talk to a client.

Address their pain points
Emphasize
Provide education on the subject
Give them actionable tips
Offer them hope (and tie it into your services)

If this isn’t your counseling style, that’s okay. You can still write like you would talk to a client. Then, follow the advice I gave earlier in this blog and look for keywords to target after you’ve written something that interests you. Don’t get too in your head about the structure or what to include, remember you talk to people for a living and you have the skills to communicate your message to your ideal clients.

Finding High-Quality Copywriting Services

Lastly, I have to acknowledge that some people truly do not have any extra time to write a blog. And, that is absolutely okay. If this is the case, I encourage you to consider outsourcing the work if possible. There are lots of copywriting options available at our company and elsewhere to help you blog and get in front of your ideal client. Consider the following:

Ask your clinicians if you have a group practice
Ask others to guest blog
Reach out to grad students or interns
Talk to a copywriter

A mental health consultant in Denver, CO said: “Copywriting for me feels like a luxury in my life these days. I generally enjoy it but only when I’ve had good sleep and exercise, my other work is caught up, and add that I have childcare…these stars don’t align often. I wish all my blogs could be in my voice or at least highlight more unique perspectives our practice works from. It seems I have to choose between not having it done or it being more generic.”

If you choose to hire a copywriter, it is best to find someone who is willing to work with you to learn about your practice, your ideal client, your brand, and most importantly your specific voice. Our team of SEO specialists would be happy to help you blog with the goal of attracting your ideal clients. We also have a resource list that includes other copywriters we know and trust.

Final Thoughts on SEO and Copywriting

I realize that as a private practice owner, you’re pulled in lots of different directions. So, the time commitment and mental energy that is needed to write copy and blog for your website may be one of the last things you want to do. I hope that approaching blogging in this way will help lessen your stress. It takes some time to get used to blogging and writing copy, but once you do, it will be easier and less time-consuming.

A therapist in North Carolina and Maryland says it best: “Copywriting is so different and it took me a bit to get the swing of things. Using your own voice, connecting with your client, and market yourself is not always easy but totally doable and worth it once you can find your flow!”

Want to know more about blogging, SEO, or copywriting, please reach out to us!

If you’re looking for SEO support, we would love to help you and be a part of your journey to get to the top of Google and reach your ideal client. We offer a variety of SEO options designed to meet the needs of private practice therapists. When you’re ready to begin optimizing your therapy website, please follow these steps:

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

About the Author:

Cory Moss is a Simplified SEO specialist & our Content Specialist based in the Kansas City metro area. She specializes in working on readability for therapist websites. She really enjoys helping her clients get to the top of Google and attract their ideal clients. Cory is great at speaking to clients about their dream practice and figuring out exactly what content on their website will help them reach those goals. She enjoys helping people learn about SEO and watching how people can improve their optimizing over time!

August 10, 2021/0 Comments/by Cory Moss

Websites, WordPress

Which Website Platform Is Best for SEO?

What website platform is best for Your Private Practice Website SEO?

When building your private practice website, you have a LOT of options to choose from. As the digital world has expanded, so have the choices for creating your own website. Today, we are going over which website platform is best for SEO. When comparing different platforms, it’s important to understand if they have the tools you need, how customizable it is, and if it speaks to your unique brand.

Available Toolset For Your Private Practice Website

It’s important to understand the limits of the platform and the tools you have at your disposal. What does the platform allow you to do with your site? Does it give you access to the different SEO elements that help you rank well? These could include access to different elements of on-page SEO, such as headings, alt text, titles, slugs, and meta descriptions. If you can’t access these things, you can’t control the focus of what you are optimizing. You may need to find a workaround to optimize a certain element. Or contact the platform itself for additional support in the best ways to improve your site’s SEO.

Does it Work Well with Google?

When searching for the right tools, it is also important to know if the site will play nice with Google. An inability to link to Google Analytics, search engine crawlers and slower loading speeds could negatively affect your SEO. These reasons and others have led the way for competitors to learn from the past and make it easier than ever to edit your site for SEO. It should also be mentioned that Wix has also improved a great deal over the past few years. Rivals like WordPress, Wix, and Squarespace all now offer many of these SEO tools. But some still offer more options than others.

Make Your Private Practice Website A Custom Creation

Having the control to make your site in our own way is another important thing to keep in mind when asking if a platform is good for SEO. It’s great that users have access to basic SEO tools on most platforms. But in a competitive market, how can you stand out from others? The answer to this comes through customizing your site with additional integrations or plugins. Having access to these additional tools allows you to focus on improving more specific aspects of SEO that competitors may not have access to. As a result, you can help your site rank higher in Google by optimizing these elements. When it comes to options for affecting your site’s SEO, more is better.

Your Platform and You

Last but certainly not least, it is important to understand how the platform gels with you and your unique brand. Making your site on a platform that feels clunky or unintuitive can make finding the right elements difficult at times, among other issues.

When exploring a website platform, ask yourself:

Does the platform truly speak to who you are, and your practice?
Are there enough design options to express the brand you want for your practice?
Does your site/design speak to your ideal client?
Does the platform work well with google?
Will using a design/theme negatively affect the loading speed of a page?

If a platform can’t deliver on what you need in terms of SEO, that’s one thing. But, not having access to the tools you need to edit your site’s design elements is a whole other thing! If a platform doesn’t have the tools you need to design your site to the degree you want, it may be best to look at another platform. Or, might want to delve even deeper into what the platform offers.

Let’s Take WordPress for Example

WordPress allows users to create wonderful websites with their base page editor. But they also offer countless themes and builders that help you structure your site to your liking. Having these options are great for SEO. It allows you to build your site in a way that makes sense to you, while also allowing you to maintain a structure that can highlight important pages by including internal and external links when appropriate.

Our Choice for Best Website Platform Goes Too…

WordPress.org. (.com is different!) It offers so many tools. It’s easy to learn how to use and allows you to add countless themes, builders, and plugins to make your site just how you want it. Our team has also found that Square Space consistently maintains good rankings in Google’s search results as well. The platform has a suite of SEO tools, extensions, and plugins to customize your site, so they come in at a close second!

When we do work on other platforms, it can be difficult to achieve the same level of results that we might get on a WordPress site. Factors such as the ones mentioned above can cause many small or significant issues at different points throughout the site. However, we have consistently received great results when working on the WordPress platform.

Begin Optimizing Your Website With Simplified SEO Consulting

Our trained SEO specialists have a lot of experience with WordPress. We can support you in improving the SEO of your site. We feel strongly about providing the best service possible. If you want to rank higher on Google, follow the simple steps below to get started:

Other SEO Services offered by Simplified SEO Consulting

Simplified SEO Consulting offers a variety of SEO services designed to meet your needs. We offer a variety of SEO services including DIY Online SEO Courses, a Done With You 12-week SEO intensive program, and Done For You SEO services. For more information, feel free to 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!

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

Business Tips, Websites

Is SEO Dead? A Mental Health Specialist for SEO on Therapy Websites Weighs In

Happy Halloween! Hope you are finding a way to celebrate, or rest, or both, and please remember to set your clocks back if you’re reading this right away.

Why would I title this post, “Is SEO Dead?”

While searching the internet one day recently, I came across this question a few times: “Is SEO dead?” Now, as an SEO Specialist, I would certainly hope not! Perhaps, “SEO” is a person folks are concerned about? In which case, I also hope all is well for Seo. But, if this search is actually a referendum on Search Engine Optimization (aka: SEO in our little world), then I have some thoughts.

OH, THE IRONY.

Really? People are going to SEARCH for “Is SEO dead?” as a way to find out? Not a carrier pigeon, newspaper, or telegram? Nope. I didn’t think so. They’re searching for it. Good. Thank you for proving my point for me. I appreciate it.

Who is searching for this?

Is it concerned business owners who are worried about getting scammed out of money because they are being encouraged to invest in something that is actually outdated? Is it people in the SEO industry who are concerned about their job security? Perhaps, the searchers are folks who are currently paying for SEO services but not so sure their investment is worth it? Maybe, the searchers are considering what they need to do to get their website ready for SEO and have some doubts or concerns.

Things about SEO that should be dead

Having done this work for a while now, I know that there are some things about SEO that make sense. Logically, strategically, and ethically. There are also some things about this work that should probably end now.

Keyword stuffing…yes, that should be dead.

Keyword stuffing is a tactic in which a specific keyword is used way more than is appropriate in the content. This is especially harmful when the keyword is not relevant to the content. In fact, keyword stuffing could diminish the page or post’s overall quality due to its overuse. This is why Google frowns upon the practice.

Paying for backlinks…also dead.

This practice isn’t just one that should be dead ASAP, but also against Google’s Webmaster Policy Guidelines. You do not need to pay for backlinks to get your SEO where it needs to be. Laying intentional and ethical groundwork to increase your trust and credibility with search engines takes time, but it pays off in the long-run. Quality SEO strategy is a long-game. There are things you can do in the meantime to help boost your site traffic. Meanwhile, focusing on content creation, technical site auditing, on-page optimization, improving the user experience on your website and increasing conversion is worth it. If you want to learn more about ethical backlink strategies, consider our comprehensive backlinks course.

Rest in peace, unethical, and unsustainable SEO practices. We won’t miss you over here.

As always, with SEO we have to stay flexible.

Yes, there are some constants. Keyword research matters. Speaking to your ideal client matters. And, the reality is that things change with SEO all the time. For example, Google recently changed the algorithm again. This could sound scary, especially to someone who relies on search engines to power your marketing and client attraction strategy. But, for our clients, we currently expect this most recent set of updates to be in-line with the recommendations we have been making for years.

So, how do we stay flexible with SEO strategy for therapy websites?

Search engines, like Google and Bing, change the mysterious algorithm and no one is privy to the exact information. We know many of the factors the top search engines use to inform rankings. And, we know there are around 200 factors considered. It would not be a good SEO strategy for therapist websites to try to optimize for all of these 200 factors. We focus on about 7-10 factors that we have found work very well for therapists and helping professionals. Different SEO companies focus on different factors (backlinks, video, blog posts, on-page SEO, metadata, and a whole host of other technical components of SEO). One of the constants regarding SEO strategy for therapy and other helping websites is keyword research.

Keyword Research: Every page, every time.

We use a number of tools to inform keyword research, and we do the keyword research every time. This is key (see what I did there?) because it would be easy to get lazy or make assumptions based on previous search or keyword activity in the region. But, search behavior changes over time! For example, not many people were searching for “Online Therapy” in 2019. Globally, search volume started to increase for “online therapy,” “online counseling,” “telehealth,” and “video therapy” as 2020 started and progressed. In the United States, we’ve seen these trends change over the months. That’s why it is important to make sure we do the research for each new client in their region. Like universal screening for mental health issues, we have to keep this central to any comprehensive SEO training, service package, or strategy. This piece is the cornerstone of a comprehensive and successful SEO strategy that converts more ideal clients.

Now you know that SEO is, in fact, NOT dead.

We can absolutely be grateful that SEO is still relevant. And, we can talk about your concerns. Every SEO company is different, with a different focus for their clients. We highly recommend consulting with a couple of SEO companies, asking the tough questions, and making a decision that will be the best fit for YOU. No matter who you choose, we know that SEO is a worthwhile investment for private practice and small business owners.

Curious About SEO for Your Therapy Website?

Hopefully, you now know that not only is SEO not dead, but that there are some pretty amazing ways to help therapists. If you’re ready to begin optimizing your website to help you reach your ideal client on Google, we are ready to help! Follow these steps to begin SEO services with Simplified SEO consulting:

Make an appointment for a free 30-minute consultation with a member of the Simplified SEO Consulting team
Learn more about our SEO packages and training opportunities
Start optimizing your website to get in front of more of the people who are looking for you

Other SEO Services Offered by Simplified SEO Consulting

The Simplified SEO Consulting team is passionate about providing SEO services for helping professionals and therapists. Our popular, comprehensive SEO services are included in our Done for You SEO Service packages. Our SEO staff team provides several SEO training opportunities. including our “Top of Search Engines” online course and 12 weeks of online video training. We also offer an SEO strategy package to learn more about SEO and what you can do to rank better on search engines.

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

About the Author: Danica Wolf, Director of SEO Services

Danica Wolf is an MSW with years of experience in the mental health field. First providing advocacy and education, then directing, our local campus Relationship and Sexual Violence Prevention Center. She spent years managing the website for that Center, then for her own birth business.
Soon after joining Simplified SEO Consulting in 2019, Danica quickly became a favorite among our clients! Now, Danica leads our team of SEO Specialists working on the Done For You and Alumni Care services. She loves interacting with small business owners around the world and watching their business grow as they start ranking well on websites. One of her favorite things about this work is hearing client success stories! Danica takes a very client-centered approach to optimizing and managing. Making sure websites not only rank well on Google but truly serve the needs of clients and potential clients who visit the site.

October 31, 2020/0 Comments/by Danica Wolf

SEO Tips, Websites

Website Tips for Group Practice Owners

Maybe you’re interested in optimizing your website because you are trying to grow a group practice.

That’s actually how I first got interested in SEO. I’d filled my solo practice pretty quickly with referrals from former colleagues and friends. However, when I started bringing on 1099s, everyone calling wanted to talk to me. After all, they’d heard about what a great clinician I was. The problem? I was full and I really wanted to fill up my 1099s so they’d be able to make a living and stick with my new group practice!

Enter: SEO. As I optimized my group practice, people began finding Aspire Counseling online. Thus, they began calling Aspire Counseling not Jessica Tappana. Now, it was much easier to point them in the direction of the therapist who best met their needs (specialty area, open appointment times, etc).

If you find yourself in the place where you are trying to fill a group practice, I want to give you some specific suggestions on how to structure your team page, create specific pages for each therapist, and add pages for any new specialties.

“About” Pages for Therapists

Group of therapist sitting in a counseling office discussing their private practice | SEO for therapists | SEO Consulting | Simplified SEO Consulting

I recommend every group practice has an “our team” type page. On this page, include a photo of every practitioner in your group as well as a paragraph or two about that person. I usually write this for my therapists. On this page, I do my best to capture who they are as a therapist and their personality.

I also consider keywords when describing each therapist’s specialty. Basically, you want to give a quick summary of the clinician and what they treat but also try to help the page rank for their specialty. For instance, “Diana is a very active therapist, who gives you very specific skills you can use. She regularly works with the following: military members, military families, trauma survivors, clients with PTSD, depression and clients seeking DBT.” One note about this part, if you notice that a lot of your clients are coming in seeking a specific type of treatment here is the place to list it. I find that a lot of people will come in looking for DBT and EMDR. I don’t mention a lot of treatment modalities by name on this page, but DBT and EMDR are the two I’ll directly mention since we have so many people searching for those.

The founders of the group practice should not be at the top of the drop-down list of providers

As a founder of a private practice, our instinct is to put ourselves at the top of the list. I see this with a lot of group practice websites I look at. However, it’s the opposite of what I generally recommend. You want to have the clinicians who are looking to fill their caseload at the top. The people at the top tend to get more calls because people looking for services tend to go down the list and stop when they find someone who sounds like the might be a good fit. And as a group practice owner, not only are you likely full already, but you’re wanting to fill up your other clinicians caseloads so you can generate a passive income source for yourself. So, I recommend stalling your ego for a minute and putting your name at the bottom of the list instead of the top.

Create individual pages for each therapist in your group practice

On the team page, I add a button that allows visitors to click and see each therapist’s personal page. I have my therapists write these but I do give them some specific guidelines to follow.

Here’s what I ask my clinicians to have on their page:

At least 500 words
They include some keywords and topics that I suggest. I base my suggestions on what people in our area are searching for.
3 photos – We often include one more professional headshot, one more casual photo of the clinician and one photo of something important to them. Many of my clinicians choose a picture of a pet for the third picture, though some have also included their own artwork or a picture of a favorite saying.

Should I pay to have individual therapist pages optimized on my group practice website?

Frequently we have clients ask if they should pay Simplified to optimize these individual pages. I go back and forth on this. I do optimize my own therapists’ pages to some extent. Especially if they have a specialty that you don’t yet rank for. Then, I can optimize the page to include alt text, subheadings, and a meta description that will be keyword heavy and help you rank better for this new specialty. However, if I had to choose, I would prioritize optimizing your service pages over these individual therapist pages. I would also prefer to optimize your home page and blogs before these pages. Basically, if I teach you to optimize your own website at an SEO training I’ll tell you to optimize these pages last. If you’re paying us for Done for You services, you may just want to pay us to do the alt text and the meta description on the individual pages versus doing comprehensive optimization.

Have all your new clinicians identify their niche and create service pages

Diverse group of therapists discussing their private practice and website | SEO for private practice owners | SEO Consulting | SEO for therapists | Simplified SEO Consulting

Even if a therapist thinks that they are a “generalist,” they still should be able to describe a few specialties that they are very effective in treating. Once they do this, you can identify what types of specialty pages you need on your site.

Let’s use my own counseling website as an example. I started by creating specialty pages for the main types of counseling I enjoy doing. Then, as I added clinicians, I added on specific service pages for their specialties. Most recently, I hired a new therapist in December. She has very different specialties than anyone else at our practice. She sees clients going through life transitions, clients who have chronic illness, caregivers, and mothers. Prior to hiring her, I did zero marketing for her specific specialties. So, we worked together to create a specific service page about her niche with the goal of getting her more clients. Then, I heavily optimized these pages. A month later, we rank #1 (above Psychology Today!) for her specialty and are getting calls to fill her caseload.

Won’t I eventually have too many service pages?

If it looks like you’re getting too many service pages, I have a simple suggestion. The first is to create subpages. For example, I have a PTSD tab on my website. And when you hover over it three additional subpages pop up: sexual violence, EMDR, and our PTSD E-Course. This keeps my drop-down menu from being overwhelming.

Strongly encourage your therapists to write blog posts that will help you rank for their specialties and increase inquiries

I get it. Getting your employees to write blog posts is sometimes like pulling teeth. But, blog posts that have been optimized and are full of keywords pertaining to their specialties will boost your website’s SEO and get more clients for your therapists. In my experience, if a therapist writes a lot of blogs, it is easier for my VA to get clients to schedule with them. She will say things like “based on the services you are looking for I think you would be a good fit for Christi because this is her specialty. In fact, she has written several blog posts on this issue. May I send them to you?” Another great example, one of my therapists wrote an awesome blog post about her fear of escalators and how exposure therapy helped. Then, I optimized it and added keywords. Now, we’ve been getting a ton of calls with people wanting to see her because they found that post.

Internal Links from Service Pages

In the past, I had links from my service pages to the pages for the therapist that provides that service. However, I don’t do
that anymore. I learned this lesson the hard way! What I learned is that when a therapist leaves, I then have to go and unlink a bunch of pages, or I have accidentally forgotten to update it.

Instead, I now link all of my service pages back to the “Our Team” page. From there, a visitor can read through each clinician’s specialties and find the person who works for them.

This is the easiest way to add necessary internal links while keeping it simple to add or remove therapists from your group practice website as they come and go. It also becomes very, very clear to Google that the our team type page is about a bunch of therapists, because so many pages on your site are linking the words “our therapists” or “the counselors at…” back to that team page.

The one time I link to an individual therapist’s page

The one exception is blog posts. And, if they’ve written a blog post I will include an about the author section. From there I will add links to the therapist’s personal page and to the relevant service page(s).

Begin optimizing your website with Simplified SEO Consulting

Ranking well as a group practice doesn’t have to be complicated. We love working with group practice owners! As a group practice owner myself, I have a real soft spot for working with everyone from therapists just expanding into the group practice arena to owners of large, multi-site practices. If you are ready for your private practice to get to the top of Google, we would love to help! To use any of our SEO services, please follow the simple steps below to get started:

Book a free 15-minute consultation,
Speak to one of our SEO specialists to find what service or package is the best fit for your private practice,
Start ranking better on Google and get more clients!

Other SEO Services offered by Simplified SEO Consulting

Simplified SEO Consulting is pleased to offer you a variety of SEO services designed to meet your needs as a private practice owner. If you’re too busy and don’t have time to optimize your website, we offer the popular Done for You SEO Services. With this package, our team of SEO specialists will optimize your page for you. If you are the do-it-yourself type, we can help you too. We have SEO training packages designed to teach you the skills you need to get your website ranking well. A great place to start is with our “Top of Google” online course! In 2020, we’re excited to begin offering “Top of Google” 2.5 Day SEO Workshops. These intensive trainings are held in various parts of the country. Contact us with specific questions, or book a free SEO Consultation to decide which service is best for your practice.

photo of Jessica Tappana SEO specialist and founder of Simplified SEO Consulting

About the author:

Jessica Tappana is a therapist, group practice owner & an SEO expert. Jessica is passionate about helping therapists and their ideal clients find one another. She believes quality mental health care can change the world. Her group practice has grown primarily through great SEO. It now has seven clinicians and one virtual assistant and she still sees around 10 individual therapy clients a week herself. However, most of her focus has shifted to helping other therapists around the world rank better on Google.

January 21, 2020/0 Comments/by Cory Moss

Training, Websites

Not Sure Where to Start With Your New Therapy Website?

You have a great therapy practice, but do you even exist without a website? Not in today’s world! Check out these free, relevant resources for mental health professionals. If you want to learn more about how we can help your therapy website rank higher in the search results, book a free consult. I’d love to talk with you about which services could help you help more people.

I am not new to WordPress. For years, I had the responsibility of keeping up with my office’s website on the our local University’s server. Y’all, it was the Wild, Wild West when we first set up that site! I am definitely a DIY-er on a lot of things, but this was overwhelming. Coding? Site navigation? Design? We weren’t even thinking about meta descriptions and SEO at that point! After supervising two huge redesigns, I learned a ton about site upkeep, plugins, widgets, themes and accessibility (more on that next month). But, I did not know how to launch a brand new, DIY website. In fact, I thought all you had to do was purchase a domain on Google and WordPress would magically make it happen.

Nope. Not so much.

Well…sort of. You can go through WordPress.com, which is what I did with my birth services site a few years ago. Whoops! Don’t do this, unless you want to spend a bunch of money to “rent” the space. I can’t even get Yoast SEO tools on the site without upgrading to a more expensive package! No, thank you.

So, how do I get started with my therapy website?

First, you need to have a clear vision and mission for your website. This will help make the decisions much easier to make while getting setup. You do not have to have a fancy brand kit, but you will need to make some aesthetic decisions eventually. Don’t worry, these can be changed! Having a budget for what you are able to spend on basic website setup now, and on an annual basis, would be helpful. This is especially important if you have “shiny object syndrome” like I do. There are a ton of people who would love to sell you a bunch of bells and whistles online. Of course.

Okay, great! I have time and money. What’s next?

Next, I HIGHLY recommend you block out a day to do the basic launch for your mental health or therapy website. Can it be done in a few hours, here and there? Sure. But, if you’re like me, focused time is way more productive than pieces. If you are able to immerse yourself in the training, and set up your site as you go, you’ll end your day of action with a live website! Celebrate your wins, folks. You deserve it.

Didn’t you say there was training involved?

Finally, get yourself registered for the FREE Yoast SEO Training on WordPress for Beginners. Like I said, I was not a beginner, but wanted to approach the process as a beginner would. This way, I could catch up on any features, tips and tricks that I didn’t already know. Let me tell you, I am so glad I did it this way! Was some of it a review of information I already knew? Sure. Of course. Here’s a hot tip for those modules that are more of a review for you:

Hot Tip: You can adjust the speed of each video! 1.25x was a decent pace for me to still listen for new concepts without feeling like I was “wasting” time. (Because NO ONE has extra time, amirite?)

For those of you who are less auditory, there are PDF pages with every module that provide more details than the videos. I started the training watching every video, then reading the PDF, then taking the quiz for that module before moving on to the next. After a couple of topics, I either just watched the videos or just read the PDF, depending on my comfort level with the action steps for the concept. Basically, you can do this however YOU learn best. Yes, this is the instructor in me talking now.

Wait…there’s a quiz?!?

Yes. Yes there is. Quite a few of them, actually. I was sort of hoping you wouldn’t notice that part, perhaps? In order to get your certificate at the end, you must score at least 80% overall. (Yes, you can re-take the quizzes after you’ve reviewed the answers and the concepts again…it’s really not that bad) Actually, this was a fun part of the training! As a high-achiever, you know I needed to do well on those quizzes and get that certificate.

Now, there were a few key takeaways from the training I would love to highlight! These are things that some of our clients have had questions about, so you might be curious too. I’d love to know what else you are curious about, so please leave a comment below with additional questions and/or topics you would like for us to cover.

Key Takeaways For Mental Health Professionals for Your Therapy Website

Module 4.2: Adding images, videos and embeds

Even those who know how to add images could benefit from this enhanced training. However, remember that with our Done For You Comprehensive SEO packages, we can do this for your counseling or therapy website.

- Notice that GIF I included up there? Yep, fancy right? I didn’t know how people did that until going through this module! AND, because I know how to optimize Alt Text for both SEO and accessibility, that fun little image is giving this post a nice boost in the rankings while ensuring that all who read this page are able to experience the content. If that doesn’t put a smile on your face, I don’t know what will.
- Maybe the GIF isn’t your thing. That’s okay. I also know that in order to captivate, connect and convert our potential (read: ideal) clients, we need to build the “Know, Like and Trust” factor. One great way to do this is to have more of you and your team featured. One way to do this is to spend a quick two minutes talking about a particular concept, on camera, and add it to a service page! (I know, it sounds scary…but you can do hard things, right?) Perhaps you could do a quick Facebook Live, download it to YouTube and embed the video on your site? If all of that sounds too scary, find a quality clip of Brené Brown for the time being.

Module 6.3 & 6.4: Common Mistakes and Security

Well, if that doesn’t entice you to watch this 3.5-minute video, I don’t know what will! Yes, please…just tell me the common mistakes. Not surprisingly, they are the type of things that we at Simplified SEO Consulting have a tendency to mention every month on Facebook, on consult calls and via e-mail. So, let’s review the top three for SEO, shall we?

Improper Permalink Etiquette: Set them up in a smart, strategic, SEO-enhancing way (or let us) before hitting “Publish”, and don’t touch them once they are published!
Avoiding the Updates: Be sure to update your website, plugins and theme regularly! At least twice a month is best practice. If you have a web developer, they may be doing this already but you should still ask to be sure.
Create a CLU password! Passwords shouldn’t be simple, or easy to guess. Did you know, StarWars made the list of most popular passwords? Yep. We’re not quite as clever as we think we are, huh?
Get a CLU instead: Complex, Long and Unique!

Module 7.2: WordPress and the Yoast SEO Plugin

Before the training, I honestly didn’t know everything the Yoast plugin could do for therapy and other mental health websites. I’m still not positive I know the ins and outs of every piece (canonicals? crawlability? sure…) What I love most about the plugin is:

Bullet feedback –

Red. Orange. Green. I’ve been driving for over half of my life. I can certainly get on board with a basic stoplight system! Easy. Even as I’m typing this post, I check the real-time feedback every so often to be sure I’m optimizing this blog. (How Meta……get it?)

Readability analysis –

If you’ve been on a call with me, you know my oh-so-shameful secret already. Okay, it’s not really a secret, but it’s my biggest “growth edge” when it comes to SEO for therapy websites. Drumroll, please…I’m an academic. Yep. I have the horrible habit of making things WAY more complex than needed. In fact, I think I had that last sentence written three different ways before settling on its current form? (Checks readability color again)

Snippet editor –

What kind of magic is this?! I know we can’t actually dictate what the search engines choose to feature in search results. But, if we take the time to make it easier for the bots, they should reward us, right? I think so. This is that “secret sauce” that Jessica refers to, the meta description! In the past couple of months, I have learned a ton about meta descriptions. Way more than I knew was possible. If that sounds like a fun venture for you, definitely snag our free, 7-day SEO e-mail course.

To Wrap it All Up

In the final, “What Should You Do?” module, my favorite quote was “…of course, you could outsource this, but it remains a task that requires human effort.” Yes. Yes it does! That’s where we come in. If you are the DIY type, I totally understand. I am too. There are certainly some basics to know that will help you get set up, but ranking well on the search engines is a process that involves a surprising amount of trial and error. To make it easier, we are so excited to finally offer a live crash course in SEO via a weekend workshop! We would love to work with you online and/or in-person.

With affordable, accessible options for all sizes and scopes of clinics, we can help you maximize your online therapy website presence and attract more clients who are already looking for you. To get started, just schedule a free, 30-minute Zoom consultation by clicking here.

Happy helping, however you practice,

~Danica Wolf, MSW
Mental Health SEO Specialist

October 22, 2019/3 Comments/by Danica Wolf