The Non-Blogger’s Guide to SEO Success

Are you a therapist or psychiatrist private practice owner who detests writing and really doesn’t want to start blogging? Yet…you know that you need to do something to get noticed and increase your website’s visibility and have heard blogging is an important SEO strategy? We understand that feeling!  You may not consider yourself an ‘expert’ in SEO, but that doesn’t mean it has to be intimidating. In this post, we will provide helpful tips and advice to explain how some private practice websites can rank well even without a blog.

Search engine optimization (SEO) is a vital component of any online marketing strategy, especially for private practice owners. A higher ranking on Google can help drive more traffic to your website and attract more clients to your practice. But does blogging have to be a part of your SEO strategy? The answer is no, but it can definitely help.

Blogging is one of many SEO Strategies You Can Use

Blogging is a powerful tool that can help your website rank faster on Google. Regularly publishing high-quality blog posts can increase the number of pages on your website, which in turn gives Google more content to index. This makes it easier for Google to understand what your website is about and which searches it should appear for. Blogging also allows you to target specific keywords and phrases that potential clients might use to find your services.

However, there are instances where websites without blogs still rank well on Google. This can be frustrating for those who put in the effort to consistently create and publish blog content (even though the writing is like pulling teeth for them) but it still takes months to outrank practices that don’t even have a blog. Some of the factors that may contribute to this include the age of the URL or domain, the number of high-quality backlinks, and the relevance of the website’s content to the search query.

Here are some specific strategies and factors that can make your website more search engine friendly and help you attract more clients to your practice, even without blogging:

How Long You’ve Owned Your Website

When it comes to ranking a website, the age of the domain or URL matters to Google. This is because an older domain is seen as more established and trustworthy. Google wants to provide users with the most relevant and reliable results possible, and an older domain indicates that the website has been around for a while and has likely built up a good reputation.

But Google doesn’t just look at the age of the domain; they also consider whether there has been consistent ownership of the website. If a website has changed hands frequently or has been dropped and picked up again by different owners, it may not be seen as a reliable source of information. On the other hand, if a website has had the same owner for a long time and has consistently provided high-quality content, it may be seen as a more trustworthy source of information.

While it’s not essential to have an older domain or consistent ownership to rank well on Google, it can certainly help…especially if you’re not blogging.

Keyword Research

Conducting thorough keyword research is essential for any effective SEO strategy. Focus on identifying the most relevant keywords for your practice and optimizing your website’s content around them. Make sure to include these keywords in your copy and page titles, as well as on any images that you use. This will help Google better understand the content of your website and ensure that it appears for relevant searches. A website that ranks well without blogging likely is using words on that website that people are searching for.

Link Building

Link building is one of the most important SEO strategies, and it is especially critical if you’re not blogging. Building backlinks to your website from other high-quality, relevant websites can help boost your website’s ranking on Google. This is because when Google sees that your website is being linked to by other websites, it indicates to them that you are providing valuable content.

This helps to establish your website as a reputable source of information, and can lead to higher search engine rankings. So, focus on building high-quality backlinks from reputable websites in your niche.

It is very common that websites without a blog who rank well have a large number of backlinks  from high-quality websites. So, this should be a huge focus of your SEO efforts if you aren’t blogging. However, it is important to be aware that Google has a strict policy against link schemes and buying backlinks.

A note about link-building “shortcuts”

Buying backlinks can be tempting, as it offers a quick and easy solution to link building. However, Google has strict policies regarding link schemes, so engaging in any type of black hat SEO (such as buying backlinks) activity may result in your website being penalized or even removed from Google’s index altogether. So focus on building high-quality backlinks the right way, and avoid any shortcuts that may get you into trouble.

Some “white hat” strategies for building quality backlinks to your website include :

1. Publish content on industry-specific forums and discussion boards
2. Appear as a guest on a podcast
3. Submit your website to relevant directories and local listings
4. Create social media accounts for your business and share links to your website with followers
5. Ask to be added to a resource list
6. Act as a source for reporters
7. Participate in Quora threads related to your niche and use it as an opportunity to link back to your website
8. Reach out to influencers in your industry and ask them to share your content with their followers
9. Submit guest posts or write testimonials for high-quality websites in your niche that allow you to include a link back to yours 
10. Sponsor a local event.

On-Page Optimization

Since a website without a blog will have fewer pages overall, it’s important that those pages you do have are really well optimized. On-page optimization refers to the process of optimizing individual web pages in order to rank higher and earn more relevant traffic. Key factors include optimizing page titles, meta descriptions, and header tags. Additionally, make sure all of your website’s pages are properly optimized for mobile and that they load quickly.

User Experience

Your website’s user experience (UX) is critical to its success in search engines. Ensure that your website is mobile-friendly, easy to navigate, and loads quickly. Additionally, having meaningful calls-to-action on each page will help drive more conversions.

Local SEO

Local SEO is a critical component of any effective SEO strategy for private practice owners. Ensure that your website is optimized for local searches by including your practice’s name, address, and phone number on your website and other directories. A list management service  can help ensure that your practice is listed on the most important local directories. We offer this service, but so do many other SEO companies.

Other local SEO strategies might include having a full optimized Google Business Profile where you regularly post updates,  responding to customer reviews, featuring local photos and references on website and setting up geo-targeted campaigns on social media.

Is it possible to rank on Google without blogging?

Ultimately, SEO without blogging can be effective in driving organic traffic to your website. However, blogging is still a powerful tool for SEO and should not be overlooked as part of an overall marketing strategy. It undoubtedly makes ranking well easier. And, not only does it drive organic traffic, but it also helps build relationships with your audience and increase brand visibility. 

However, every website that ranks well doesn’t necessarily have a blog. There are over 200 factors Google considers when ranking a website, and while blogging has its place in an effective SEO strategy, it is not the only factor. So if you don’t want to blog, make sure your SEO strategy focuses on the other key components such as content optimization, link building, and local SEO. Doing so will help ensure your website ranks well in search engine results even without a blog.

At the end of the day, SEO is an important part of any digital marketing strategy, and the key is to find the strategies that work best for your business.  It’s also important to note that SEO can take some time, so be patient and stay focused on the long-term goals.

Simplified SEO Consulting: An SEO Solution for Therapists & Private Practice Owners

If you need help developing an SEO strategy that works for your private practice, apply to meet with a member of the Simplified SEO Consulting team and we’ll be happy to help. We know every private practice owner is different. Your needs are different. Your budget is different. Ideal clients vary from practice to practice. Treatment methods vary. Location varies and has a huge impact on what you need to do for SEO. In other words, we know every practice we work with needs a slightly different strategy. That is both why we offer a free consultation to help us determine what will be needed for your website and why we offer such a wide range of SEO service.

Our Done for You SEO services are most popular and great if you’re looking to outsource! We also believe that mental health private practice owners who have the time and motivation absolutely can learn SEO if they want. Therefore, we offer a wide range of services to help you optimize your own site including a comprehensive SEO course, a 12 week individual training program where you work 1:1 with a member of our leadership team and also a small group intensive where we take a semester to help a small group of people improve the SEO on their private practice website.

SEO is a lot of work…and it pays off.

I know SEO is a lot of work. Truly, it is. I think so now even after years of doing it. And while both of my websites rank well, they still do require attention from time to time even now. AND I believe it’s worth it. I’ve seen the huge benefits that can come long-term from having great SEO. So, I want to make sure my team does everything in our power to really help and support other practice owners in their SEO journey.

It’s a dialectic. Both can be true. But if you’re thinking about going the SEO route to market your private practice, reach out and we’d love to help.

About the Author

Jessica Tappana owns a private pay group practice in Missouri that currently has 2 locations and approximately 12 therapists. She’s also the founder and owner of Simplified SEO Consulting. She believes that therapists do their best work when they have a steady stream of their ideal clients. So, Simplified SEO Consulting’s mission is to help as many therapists as possible have that steady