Creative Ways to Organize Content on a Private Practice Website

As mental health professionals, we often want to simplify everything. We know that people already have enough barriers preventing them from getting support for their mental health and life overall. So, when it comes to writing and organizing content on a website, many of our therapists want clean, straight-to-the-point, content.

This completely makes sense. However, in terms of getting ranking on Google, the more content, the better. Some central concepts to our SEO strategy are to add more service pages and blog posts, with at least 500 words each. And we really want service pages to have around 750-1,000 words, with blog posts having 1,000-2,000 words. Yes, this takes a lot of time, energy, and work! But, it’s so worth the return.

Think about it. If you were Google, would you rather show website searchers looking for “anxiety treatment” a website with 500 words about anxiety or 1,200 words about it? You’d go with the site with more content! So, you will hear our team harp on and on about how important it is to have lots of content about the particular keywords and services you’d like to rank for.

As I said, some of our therapists don’t like the way that long copy and multiple service pages and blogs look. And this is completely valid! So, we want to help your private practice website turn into something that you feel is representative of you and your brand. And we want your website to be helpful and accessible to your clients. Most importantly, we want you to be proud of your website.

With all of that being said, we want to collaborate with you to find solutions for getting lots of content on your site in a way that looks and feels right for you. Read on to learn about different ways we can organize content and pages on your site to make it just right for you.

Navigation Menus

As we add more service pages to your website, there’s a chance it may start to look clunky or overdone. And if you have a large group practice, there’s a chance you have upwards of ten services listed on your site. At times, this can sometimes be overwhelming for website viewers when looking at a long list of available services.

One option we offer for simplifying a navigation menu is to leave pages unlinked or “hidden.” On a Squarespace site, an unlinked, live page will be stored in the “unlinked” section of the backend navigation. Likewise, on a WordPress site, an unlinked, live page would simply be left off of the navigation menu. On both website platforms, you can choose not to have any of your service pages listed in a navigation menu if you’d like. Some of our therapists prefer to have a landing page for all their counseling services with clickable lists or boxes displaying the services available. This takes a bulky services menu out of the question and hosts “hidden” pages’ links on one main landing page.

In the SEO world, we are focused on increasing organic search. And with this strategy, it’s these pages will still get plenty of traffic without being explicitly listed on your website. Organic search allows any pages to be findable, not just those explicitly listed on the front end of a website. Those who are searching for a specific service will still be able to see unlinked pages in Google’s search results. Plus, other service pages, blog posts, and even a home page can link to these hidden pages. So website viewers can still find the page even if it’s not listed in a drop-down navigation menu. This is a great strategy to make sure your menus don’t become overwhelming and clunky.

On-Page Content

For the best return on your investment in SEO work, your service pages need to have at least 500 words. And if this sounds like a lot of words on a page, that’s because it is. Like I said earlier, Google needs lots of information about a specific keyword or phrase in order to rank you in prime spots on the first and second pages. If you don’t like the way a 500+ word service page looks after writing the content, there are options to break it up and make it look different. The point is, we want Google to give you credit for the words you put on a page. But how it looks can be individualized to your unique preferences.

Options for Content Layout

There are endless possibilities for how to layout content on your service pages! Some of our clients have opted to use an accordion feature on their pages. This looks like a list of questions or topics in individual rows with corresponding drop-down buttons. The drop-downs reveal answers or additional content about the original questions or topic. An accordion feature is a great way to have lots of information on a page without overwhelming the reader. They can go directly to the question they have, select the button for the drop-down, and find the information they need.

Another alternative to a traditional service page layout is a table. Tables can be a great place to contain lists of symptoms, benefits of a service, or comparing two services. Using tables or boxes can help get more content in a smaller space with designated space. Additionally, it helps readers jump to the specific information they are looking for while passing the information they already have. Strategically organizing content on service pages will help readers stay on your site. And the longer they stay on your site, the more likely they are to become clients! This is exactly our hope with SEO work.

Want to Learn More About Content and SEO Options?

Wondering about what else we can do to help you get ranking on Google? With the help of one of our highly skilled SEO Specialists, you can learn about our options for SEO work. These include DIY online courses as well as Done With You online trainings. And if SEO is too time-intensive and overwhelming for you, our team of SEO Specialists would be happy to take on your website with our Done For You services. To get started with Simplified SEO Consulting, follow the steps below.

1. Book a free 30-minute consultation call here.
2. Speak with an SEO Specialist to learn about the best SEO option for you and your practice.
3. Start working on your SEO and get ranking on Google!

About the Author

This blog post was written by Olivia Bahr, an SEO Specialist and Content Writer here at our SEO consulting company. Olivia has a passion for the LGBTQIA+ community, advocating for mental health, and is a dog lover. This fall, Olivia will be working toward an MSW degree at the University of Denver.