Tips for Improving SEO on a Private Practice Homepage

I wanted to take a moment to talk about homepages and SEO strategy. As a client your initial inclination may be to optimize your homepage first, right? Your homepage is the glue that holds your website together and directs traffic. Naturally, it seems very important to work on right away. But, did you know that home pages are generally one of the last pages our SEO team works on during our Done-For-You or Overhaul SEO packages?

You might be wondering why? Your homepage is important, so isn’t their SEO important as well? The answer is, it is important, but there’s a better way to strategize to maximize your return on investment.

When We Work on SEO, We’re Trying to Boost Organic Search Results

Let me begin by explaining what an organic search is and how it relates to SEO. An organic search occurs when a search engine user types in a word or phrase in google and a list of websites that rank for that term are provided. In comparison, a direct search occurs when a search engine user types in the name of your practice and finds your website. When we do SEO work we want to see your clicks, or the number of times someone visits your site from a search engine list, increase for organic searches. We do this by identifying keywords and optimizing for those terms on your service pages. So, if your ideal client is someone seeking couples therapy, we want to target our SEO efforts on boosting a page for that, and linking that page to your homepage.

Tips for Your Homepage to Maximize SEO Potential

While this information is good, you may still be concerned with your homepage, it’s content, and it’s SEO. So I want to finish this article by providing some general insight into the things we encourage our clients to include in their homepages. 

1. Begin with a headline that finishes this sentence: I am (name) and I help (these people) overcome (this challenge) so they can (achieve this desired result).
   • The goal of this section is to make it clear to your reader who you are, who you help, what issues you treat, and instill confidence that you can help them heal.
   • This sentence should be above the fold. In other words, someone shouldn’t have to scroll down to find this sentence.
2. Discuss your clients’ common pain points
   • For example, if you see mostly couples, you would discuss common issues many couples face using statements such as “You and your partner are arguing all the time” or “you can’t seem to connect with your partner in the way you once did.”
     • We suggest using YOU statements because people are likely to type questions into a search engine and Google (or bing) likes to provide them with answers.
3. Showcase the services you provide organized in a logical way.
   • Many of our clients use buttons to organize their services and direct clients to specific service groups such as individual therapy, couples therapy services, family therapy services, etc.
4. A section that instills hope for healing
   • Tell your clients how you can help them feel better after therapy.

Things that are not necessary to include in a homepage:

1. A welcome note
2. Thanking them for visiting
3. Telling them they are brave or strong.

Final SEO Tips and Suggestions for your Homepage.

Readability matters on your homepage.

First, please remember to consider your readability when writing your homepage. You want your clients, who are likely experiencing distress when they visit your page, to see themselves in your examples. Write simply and clearly. So, if you work with a lot of people experiencing extreme anxiety, consider rather they would understand what you’re saying at 2 am when they’re experiencing a panic attack and can’t sleep. Another suggestion, send your page to a friend or family member who IS NOT a mental health professional and ask them if they understand what you’re saying. 

Next, please use short sentences and paragraphs. Your homepage doesn’t need to be the place where you discuss everything you do in your practice. Instead, you should provide your potential clients with links to your service pages where they can read more information about the services you provide.

Be Authentic

Lastly, please be authentic to yourself and your brand. Quickly communicate who you are.  Make sure you write as you’d talk to a client (or a client’s parents). Show them that you know your stuff and can truly understand what they’re going through. Also, choose photos that represent your ideal client and your ideals.

Still Looking for More Support?

If you’d like more support to boost the SEO on your homepage, our team is happy to help. One of the best ways to do this is by writing a meta description. If you’re the do-it-yourself type please consider taking our online course to learn more about writing meta descriptions and all other aspects of SEO. If you’d like our help, contact an SEO specialist to learn more about our Done-for-You SEO packages and A La Carte SEO services. You can also book an SEO strategy call with one of our team members.

Begin Working On Your SEO with Simplified SEO Consulting

Thank you for reading my blog and learning more about SEO strategy. I know all this information can be overwhelming, so if you have questions, please reach out to the Simplified SEO Consulting Staff. We would be happy to discuss SEO strategy and our services with you during a free consultation call. To begin working on your SEO and get your website to the top of Google, please follow these steps:

1. Schedule a free 15-minute video consultation with a Simplified SEO team member
2. Talk  to an SEO specialist and learn more about our SEO services
3. Start optimizing your webpage and see it rank better on Google!

Other Services offered by Simplified SEO Consulting

Simplified SEO Consulting offers a variety of SEO services for mental health professionals and private practice owners. We offer comprehensive SEO services in our Done for You SEO Service packages.  Also, we offer alumni packages and al la carte SEO services. If you are interested in learning SEO, we provide several learning opportunities with our SEO training packages including our “Top of Google” online course and 12 weeks of online video training and SEO Strategy package.

Contact Simplified SEO to ask any questions, or book a free SEO Consultation to decide which option is best for your private practice. We look forward to talking with you.