Timely Topics for Blog Posts

It’s a new year! We made it to 2020, y’all!

Have you heard people talk about this being the year of finding your vision? (Get it, 20/20?)

Also, hot tip: don’t shorten this year when writing things like checks and other official documents. When you write it out like this [1/13/20] it’s way too easy for folks to then turn the year from the intended “2020” to whatever year in the past or future they want to make your check or document relevant again. Speaking of which…are we even going to be writing checks much longer into the future? I digress…OR DO I?!? 

Are you actually going off on a tangent if it’s interesting and timely? 

Here’s the thing, as long as it can be related back to your intended blog post topic, a timely, relevant rant can absolutely make your post that much more interesting to read!

People read blogs to be educated, entertained or empowered.

Think about it. Would you be reading this if you had zero interest in learning how to better build your business by blogging? No! You are reading this, right now, for a reason.

Why are you reading this and other blog posts, right now?

Woah, folks, we’re getting meta here…and I’m not talking about the meta description on the post. Though, that’s probably going to be entertaining or informative too! Back to the question of why you are reading. I would imagine you were either looking for the topic. Or, you are already a fan of the blog. Perhaps, you are a prospective client wanting to know if we have any clue what we’re talking about? Maybe, you were sent a link to this post from the e-mail mailing list. Did a friend share this with you? Awesome! We’d love to know so we can thank them! 

No matter how you found this, the hope in spending time writing all of this down is that we’re adding value to your life in some way. Think back to the quote above with three reasons people read blogs. If I’m not doing at least one of those three things, no one is even reading this right now. So, as I’m considering the timely topic of timely topics, I’m thinking about where you might be with your therapy practice’s website.

You are just getting back into the swing of things after the holidays. Many of you are currently hiring new therapists, expanding your practice or even about to launch new websites. What an exciting time! We always want to provide you with excellent information, but for those who are building or hoping to maintain the momentum you’ve built in a clear, actionable way, blogging is one of the best ways to do it.

Content Calendars and Other Tools: Are They Really Necessary?

There are a bunch of different ways to plan your content. Some people have complicated spreadsheets, content calendars or other tools to help strategically plan out your posts weeks and months in advance. This works well if you are: 

• a hyper-organized person
• working with a team to get these posts created, optimized, and posted
• deadline motivated, or need external accountability
• not sure where to start and just have a little bit of time to plan some things now in the hope of making a habit

Some people just know that it’s time to post and start writing. 

Good News: This Method for Identifying Timely Topics for Blog Posts Works Either Way!

Step #1: What are your clients’ pain points at the time your blog posts will go live?

Think about what your clients might be dealing with in the coming 30, 60 or 90 days, depending on how far ahead you are trying to plan. 

For example, should you write: 

• A series about keeping or recovering from New Year’s Resolutions for busy perfectionists?
• A dating/love series for individuals on the autism spectrum?
• Posts about applying to college, grad school or for jobs when dealing with depression or anxiety?
• Summer planning for single parents?
• First vacation post separation or divorce?
• Postpartum preparation for teachers?
• …what else might be most relevant for your audience?

Step # 2: Brainstorm

Jot down your thoughts.  Or perhaps it’s easier to just record yourself talking about the topic.  You can listen back later and turn those thoughts into a blog post!

If getting started is tough for you, check out this post for information about post length and how to get started!

Step #3: Keyword research

Do some keyword research! What do people want to know? How can the things people are actively searching for be integrated into what you’ve already identified as relevant to YOUR ideal client(s)?  Use a couple of different keyword research tools and identify a few target keywords people reading your blog post might be looking for.

Step #4: Write the blog posts

Make it happen. It only sounds hard when you’re staring at a blank page. Trust me. I know the feeling. 

Step #5: CELEBRATE your success

By crafting a well-written blog post, you did a thing that is going to help people and help them find you. Good work, you brilliant human, you.

Now, it’s YOUR turn to share

Leave a comment, or connect with us to share your thoughts! 

What do you think? Does this make sense? What questions do you still have?

Do you feel like you have a better sense of how to plan your blog posts in a way that you can get the information out to your audience, with the quality and scope we know search engines are looking for? You can have the best blog post in the world, but if your ideal reader never sees it, it’s not doing you any good. That’s where we come in. 

What Can Simplified SEO Do For Your Private or Group Therapy Practice?

Whether you have a whole library of blog posts or are just considering sharing your wisdom with the world, we can help your information get seen. Our Done for You SEO services are a great place to start, with options ranging from optimizing 1-4 posts each month. If you’ve already had us optimize your site, consider getting a boost with an alumni blogging package! We can write them, or not, and will optimize them in a way that will not only get your posts read by more eyes but will also help get those eyes looking onto other pages around your site! This is key for turning casual readers into clients. Finally, if you’d rather just do all of this yourself, we’d love to teach you. We have online and in-person training options for the DIY business owner who is ready to learn to optimize their own website. 

Let’s Get Your Website Ranking!

To get started, let’s schedule a free, 30-minute consultation! You can talk with me or Jessica about your goals, fears, and desired level of involvement in your blog or website. This will help us both determine where to start and how to get your site working for you! All this, without the never-ending investment of paying per click to get to the top of those search engines you have to worry about with Google Adwords. We look forward to talking with you, soon!

About the Author

Danica Wolf is an MSW who has years of experience in the mental health field herself running the local rape and sexual violence prevention center.  She spent years managing the website for that center as well as for own business as a Doula.  Since joining the Simplified SEO Consulting team, Danica has quickly become a favorite among our clients!  She loves interacting with small business owners around the world and watching their business grow as they start ranking well on websites!  Danica takes a very client-centered approach to optimize making sure that websites not only rank well on Google but truly serve the needs of clients who visit the site.  She is currently the Lead SEO Specialist and helps review website pages others have optimized to ensure every website is gaining as much traction as possible!