Psychology and SEO

One of the major differences between Simplified SEO Consulting and many other SEO  companies is our understanding of psychology and therapy services. Our SEO Specialists prioritize getting “into the mind” of your potential clients and understand the importance of doing SEO in an ethical, client centered way. This helps us optimize your site in ways that will speak directly to an ideal client, incentivizing them to click on your site. We want website searchers to become website viewers. And website viewers to then become clients.

Client Psychology & SEO

The marketing field stands at a unique intersection between business and psychology. This is because psychology plays a limitless role in understanding consumer behavior. In order to best cater to searchers’ queries, we must first understand their needs. Then, we can consider the psychology that would lead them to believe your practice is the best fit for them. Lastly, we can focus on closing the deal. Or in our case, getting website viewers to convert to clients.

Psychological Connection to SEO Elements

Emotion is an essential factor in the psychology of decision-making. So, when working on website optimization, it is important to cater to the emotions of a website visitor. There are many aspects of a website that can entice viewers to stay on your site. Today, I’ll discuss four key elements of website optimization that can play to readers’ emotions.

Pain Points

Before even touching a service page, you need to identify your clients’ pain points. This will ensure that you’re not writing copy simply to create content. Instead, you are creating website copy that is useful to readers. We want searchers to land on your service page, read it, and think “oh my gosh, that’s me!” The content throughout your website should speak to the needs of your ideal client.

How do you identify pain points?

Pain points are the reason clients are coming to see you. And not just any clients, but the clients you want to work with. The clients that you feel excited to meet with because you know your skillset can make a difference in their lives. In the counseling world, pain points may be:

• Symptoms of a particular diagnosis
• Clients’ specific thoughts or beliefs about themselves/the world
• Common experiences of a distinct population or demographic

Think about your current clients’ struggles. What brought them to counseling in the first place? These are the pain points you should be communicating on your service pages.

Meta Descriptions

Another element in which you can really center potential clients’ emotions is meta descriptions. This is the first tidbit of information a searcher can gather about your site. So, it’s very important that it accurately represents your business and speaks to your ideal clients’ emotions.

Incorporating pain points into your meta description will help your website stand out among a long list of search results. And the hope is that touching the emotions of a searcher can increase their incentive to click on your site, turning an impression into a click.

Photos and Videos

“A picture is worth a thousand words,” right? We know that the human brain can take in much more information from a photo or video than from text alone. This is one reason why having photos throughout your service pages is necessary for SEO. Breaking up large blocks of text with images not only helps with reading flow, but it helps communicate a fuller message to the reader.

Video plays an important role in communicating with website visitors, too. Imagine a client scrolling through your site, then finding a video of you speaking to the camera about your practice and the clients you help. This could make or break a viewer’s decision to call or check out the next practice that popped up on Google. Showing visitors who you are through video can them feel familiar and comfortable with you before even speaking.

Call to Action

If you’re a client of Simplified, you know how important a quality call to action section is. This part of a service page communicates to visitors how to convert to clients. If we could, we’d have big flashing red arrows to the call to action section! While getting lots of traffic to your site is great, getting calls for appointments is even sweeter. It’s the whole point of search engine optimization!

A direct call to action gives website visitors clear instructions on what to do when they decide to choose you. In a call to action section, you can speak to the struggles they are experiencing, then validate their emotions. This is basically a tiny snapshot of what meeting with you as a therapist could be like. (Remember those normalization and validation skills from school? That’s what I’m talking about!)

Giving clear steps of how to get started simplifies the process for new clients. And when they’re up at 3 AM from insomnia, they don’t want to weed through instructions. They want to get their needs met ASAP.

SEO is Complex

There are many, many elements that go into a long-term SEO strategy. But, putting your ideal client at the center of that strategy will simplify it. At Simplified SEO Consulting, we want to know all about your ideal client. When our SEO Specialists can get into the mind of someone struggling with your specialty issues, we can help take your website to the next level.

If everything SEO sounds like mumbo-jumbo to you, you’re not alone! Search engine optimization is a vast subject, with many elements that can cause confusion. But, if you’re ready to take on the journey of boosting your website’s search engine optimization, we are happy to be your guide! To get your website ranking higher on Google, follow these steps.

1. Book a free 30-minute consultation call with one of our staff members.
2. Connect with one of our skilled SEO Specialists to learn about our offerings.
3. Start getting found by your ideal clients!

SEO Services at Simplified SEO Consulting

We know that as a business owner and clinician, you are beyond busy. If SEO sounds like a good investment, but you don’t have the time, consider our Done For You SEO package. On the other hand, if you are interested in learning the ins and outs of SEO, our DIY Online SEO Courses or Done With You packages may be a good fit!

About the Author

Olivia Bahr is a Mental Health SEO Specialist and Content Writer at Simplified SEO Consulting. She holds a Bachelor of Social Work degree from the University of Missouri and has experience working with survivors of domestic violence. While working with private practice therapists from around the nation, Olivia has grown to enjoy blog writing, copywriting, and working with therapists specializing in trauma and LGBTQ issues.