Optimizing Your Yelp Listing for Your Private Practice Website

Yelp and SEO

Many therapists may not think of Yelp as an important part of their private practice. But, having an optimized listing can actually help Google recognize your practice as a trustworthy source for potential clients. There are a variety of things to address on your Yelp listing. But, due to the unique nature of the mental health field, it can sometimes be difficult to understand the most vital points to address. So, today we are going to discuss what goes into an optimized Yelp listing for private practice owners. Without further ado, let’s learn how you can make the most of your listing.

Claiming your Listing and Adding Important information

Before you start optimizing your listing, you must ensure you have either created a new listing or have claimed it if it already exists on Yelp. This will be the only way you will can have the ability to change or add additional information about your practice. After doing so, you can then add vital information about your practice. This should include essential points like:

Your name, address, and phone number (NAP)
Hours of operation
Business description
Physical address
Site URL
Notable locations/businesses that are nearby
Primary services offered
Business categorizations
History of the business

While ensuring that these points are addressed is important, there are others that may not be applicable due to the nature of owning a private practice. For a majority of therapists, services are offered in the form of psychotherapy instead of products that are being sold. As a result, this may be a part of your Yelp listing that you should leave intentionally blank. Yelp won’t count it against you if you don’t list products if you don’t offer them. The nature of therapy is unique, and this is also reflected in the many different businesses that use Yelp such as restaurants, mechanics, hotels, etc.

Ensure Info is Accurate

It is important to ensure you are adding as much accurate information as possible to make the most out of your Yelp page, but making things up for the sake of having more to offer than your competitors will not benefit your listing, or your practice. If anything, this may cause more confusion for potential clients searching for your practice, and result in a loss of credibility. Everything you add or update will be reviewed by Yelp moderators to ensure accuracy, so take care to make sure you are adding the correct information.

Adding Photos

Another important thing to include on your Yelp listing is photos related to your practice. This can include anything from images of the interior of your practice, the clinicians that clients can expect to work with, or exterior photos of your practice to help visitors better identify where you are located. Reviewers can also include photos with their comments, which can be a welcome source of engagement.

Yelp Page Upgrades

It is also worth mentioning that it is possible to actually pay for upgrades to your Yelp listing. These upgrades include additions such as a Call to Action to make it easier for potential clients to reach your site, removal of competitor ads, adding your practice logo, and business highlights. These can help promote the exposure of your practice, but they are in no way a requirement when optimizing your Yelp listing.

Responding to Messages and Reviews

For therapists, getting reviews in an ethical way can be a tricky subject due to the nature of this profession. But, when you start receiving them, it is vital that you respond in a timely, ethical way, whether they be positive or negative. Responding to reviews serves as a chance to foster engagement, and take constructive feedback into consideration. So, create a response that addresses the issue and takes ownership, but also shows appreciation for the comment and the input of the reviewer.

Every now and then, there may also be reviews from unhappy clients or unrelated actors looking to get a reaction. They may be unhappy with services or want “review bomb” a business. Reviews that only seek to harm your reputation can be removed, but they must be addressed carefully by reviewing Yelp’s content guidelines. The line between critical feedback and defamatory comments can be thin depending on the situation, so it is vital to do your homework before deciding to remove anything.

Updating Your Yelp Listing Over Time

Finally, it is also important to mention that you should check in on your Yelp listing over time. Update it as things change with your private practice. This ongoing check-in can happen when responding to reviews. Doing so will help sure your page stays active in the eyes of Google, and potential clients. Plus, this gives you the opportunity to update your listing to include keywords that you may want to focus on. Thus, further improving your ability to show up in the search results for specific services.

Begin SEO Services with Simplified SEO Consulting

Our team of SEO specialists can support you in making the most of your Yelp listing. We can also help improve your place in Google’s search results. We are honored to offer SEO services for therapists across the country and internationally. We also offer list management tools in order to help build authority, trust, and consistent practice information across the web. To start your SEO journey with Simplified SEO Consulting, please follow these simple steps:

Apply to work with us to improve your SEO
Meet with an SEO specialist.
Start better managing multiple practices

Other Services Offered with Simplified SEO Consulting

Simplified SEO Consulting offers a variety of services to help improve your Google search rankings. Our team can offer support in optimizing your site with our Done For You SEO Services. We also offer DIY Online SEO Courses, and a 12-week Done With You Intensive SEO Program. Feel free to read other posts from our blog for more helpful information!

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. He often goes 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!