How We Cater Our SEO Services to Private Practice Owners

So, why should you choose Simplified as your website’s SEO gurus? Well, I might be a little biased, but if you’re a private practice therapist, we’re the best option for you. There are a few reasons for this, and I’m so excited to tell you all about them.

Therapists Need Help with their Websites

When you went to graduate school for your counseling degree, they likely didn’t teach you about how to open a private practice. Your professors didn’t include content about how to open and run a business. And they surely didn’t teach you how to create a website that works for both humans AND Google. There are so many aspects to being a private practice owner that you just didn’t get the scoop on in school.

Many of the therapists we work with have flowery, beautiful websites. They use phrases like “get started on your healing journey” and “I provide a welcoming space for counseling.” This is wonderful, but it’s really just a starting point. When trying to gain therapy clients through a website, there needs to be intentional care given to all aspects of it. This includes the pretty stuff on the front end and the techy stuff on the backend.

I don’t say this to put down any of our lovely clients or the work they’ve done on their websites before coming to us. Instead, I point this out to show the need for techy experts’ help on therapist websites. And not just any techy experts, but ones who also have an understanding of human psychology, too. That’s where our SEO specialists come in.

How Simplified Helps Therapists Get Ranking

One of the first things our SEO specialists want to discuss with you is your ideal client. If you could work with any population, disorder, or specialty area, what would it be? And why? From there, we can zero in on a strategy to get those ideal clients in your door.

Also, it’s important that you know that all of the SEO specialists at Simplified have a background in a mental health-related field. This could be a Bachelor of Psychology degree, to even a Master of Social Work degree. Additionally, we all have a passion for destigmatizing mental healthcare and bettering the services offered to those in need.

This background in mental health practice and advocacy gives our SEO specialists a unique set of skills. Based on your ideal client, we will think about the struggles they are likely facing and what they would be Googling if they were looking for therapy services. Then, we use research tools to solidify our hypotheses about clients’ search behavior. We then use this information to optimize service pages, meta descriptions, and many other elements of your site.

You Need Service Pages

Unless you’ve got a keen understanding of Google, it’s likely you don’t know about the importance of service pages. You might even be asking yourself “what’s a service page?” And that’s okay.

At Simplified, we want our clients to have service pages, or singular website pages, about one specific service they provide. For example, you may specialize in working with clients struggling with anxiety and eating disorders, and you also enjoy seeing couples. So, we would likely begin with creating service pages for anxiety treatment, eating disorder treatment, and couples therapy.

Having individual pages about each of the services you offer is great both for Google and the humans reading your website. People without a background in the mental health field don’t usually understand what therapists mean when they use abstract words to describe the benefits of therapy. Website users (and Google) want to know exactly what you are offering, where, and how they can get started. Potential clients want to know the ins and outs of your therapy style and why they should choose you. Service pages are your place to exhibit empathy and understanding for what potential clients are going through, then demonstrate that you have the ability to help.

Site Structure and Processes

Another skill an SEO specialist is particularly trained in is assessing site structure and processes. We know that therapists can make really beautiful websites. Whether it’s bright and bold colors or calming aesthetics, you’ve got the artsy part down. But when it comes to functionality? Y’all could use some help! And that’s not to look down on anyone. As I said earlier, nobody taught you this stuff in grad school!

Site Structure

The backend of websites can be a messy place. Often when clients begin working with us, they have broken links, redirect errors, default pages, or spammy backlinks. Again, this is nobody’s fault. However, our SEO specialists have the tools and skills to clean it up for you. It’s important to us that the backside of your website is functional. Google sees these errors on your site, and they can affect your Google rankings, further hindering you from showing up in potential clients’ search results.

Processes

Additionally, our SEO specialists can help you develop processes on your site. This refers to things like drop-down menus, contact forms, and Call to Action sections. At Simplified, we use a Call to Action section as an assistant to website viewers when they’re ready to contact you. Folks looking for counseling services are often overwhelmed and perhaps even distressed when they finally decide to reach out to a therapist. So, we lay it out for them. We add a bit of text, links, and detailed steps for how to begin counseling at your practice. Here’s an example.

Anxiety can steal your joy and totally exhaust you. But you don’t need to battle anxiety on your own. You can get support from an anxiety therapist in Charleston, SC right here. If you’re ready to get connected with anxiety treatment, follow the steps below.

Fill out our contact form.
One of our therapists will reach out to you to schedule your first appointment.
Gain new skills to manage anxiety and finally find the present again.

The Call to Action section is just one of many tools an SEO specialist has to make website users’ experiences easier. And when their experience is simpler, they are more likely to take the time to get connected with you. Who wants to rummage around on a website to get in contact with a therapist when they’re already struggling? In fact, Google actually rewards websites with positive user experiences. So, there is a two-fold benefit to cleaning up the content and action steps on your site.

Our SEO Specialists Are Ready to Meet You

The team members at Simplified blend our backgrounds in mental health work with our techy SEO skills, creating a synergistic effect for private practice therapists’ websites. This then takes a domino effect. Our SEO work leads to more clients finding your website on Google, then getting set up for services. Then, you’ll start having a fuller caseload with the clients you really want to see. And if it’s a part of your business goals, you can even start adding clinicians to your team and grow into a group practice!

At the end of the day, our SEO specialists are advocates for improving folks’ access to mental health services. So, we are ready and excited to help you meet your business goals and spread the benefits of counseling. Ready to start optimizing your website and meeting your business goals? Follow the steps below.

Schedule your free 30-minute consultation call.
Meet with one of our skilled SEO specialists.
Start taking care of other aspects of your private practice and let us help with your website!

Services at Simplified SEO Consulting

You may be wondering about what services we offer. For the do-it-yourself types, we have DIY Online Courses as well as SEO Training options! Our training services include a Done-With-You 12 Week program as well as a Mastermind course. And if you’re ready to have an SEO specialist take the lead, we offer Done For You optimization services.

About the Author

Olivia Bahr is an SEO specialist and content writer at Simplified SEO Consulting. She holds a Bachelor of Social Work degree and is currently pursuing a Master of Social Work at the University of Denver. Olivia is an advocate for social justice and increased access to mental health services. In her free time, Olivia hangs out with her dog, goes to concerts, and skis with friends.