Is SEO Important for Mental Health Professionals?

Perhaps you’ve started a private practice counseling clinic and your new website doesn’t seem to get be getting much traffic. Maybe when searching keywords that you think you should rank for on Google, your webpages are nowhere to be seen. You might even wonder how the sites of other therapists in your area rank so high without paying for Google Ads. Maybe you’ve had some success with getting traffic to your website, but you would like to reach more potential clients. Or perhaps you’ve had steady traffic and rank well on search engines, but you would love to maximize your investment.

As a specialist in Search Engine Optimization training and “done for you” services for therapists, I understand the frustration. Developing and maintaining a private practice website is a large investment in time and money, and we want clients to easily find and visit it. Unfortunately, even the most beautiful website may seem invisible to search engines like Google when Search Engine Optimization isn’t performed. Fortunately, however, with simplified but effective Training in SEO for counselors, you can start gaining an edge over your competition!

What Is Search Engine Optimization for Mental Health

Perhaps you have experience with SEO for mental health professionals and want to keep up on the latest techniques. Or maybe you have a general idea of what it means to optimize a website, but you aren’t familiar with the technical aspects. For the latter, SEO is the cumulative measures taken to help a website rank better on search engines such as Google. SEO practices consists of the following: keyword usage, adding hyperlinks and alt-text, improving readability, writing blogs posts and optimizing meta-descriptions. It seems like a lot, but don’t this discourage you! Many therapists have seen great long-term results, learning how to optimize their own websites with our SEO training course for counselors. However, sometimes they see their time better spent seeing the new clients who are coming in, and pass on the SEO. Your therapy website can be the powerful, well-oiled marketing tool it was meant to be!

The Importance of SEO for Mental Health Professionals

Search Engine Optimization may be the most important tool for website marketing for counselors. The results I have seen in my experience working in SEO for therapists from all around speaks to this belief. Here are just three of the reasons why SEO is so important, if not crucial, for your website’s marketing effectiveness:

1. Search Engine Optimization is Maintenance for Your Website

Suppose you arrive home in a car you’ve just purchased, and the initial excitement is beginning to wear off. Even if it’s a brand new car, it’s likely you would want to learn how to maintain it. At the bare minimum, you need to keep gas in the tank. That is, if you want it to go places and serve its intended purpose. However, if you want it last very long, you would have to do more than just put gasoline in it. Your website is very similar to this car.

Your private practice therapy website is similar in that it can go places if you maintain it. Overlooking SEO and only investing in search engine ads is like just keeping the gas tank filled. There are times when such ads can be a practical marketing solution but not alone. However, a website that you optimize through training or maintain with skilled SEO consulting services will continue to get long-term results. Your website will become the powerful marketing tool that it’s meant to be, drawing attention and bringing traffic. More potential clients will find your website when your organic rankings increase. SEO for therapists is like changing the manual for changing the oil for your marketing machine.

2. SEO for Therapists Accomplishes Four Major Tasks

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the set of techniques, tools and practices that carry out four specific purposes. The four things your counseling website must do include:

1. Rank Well with Visibility On Search Engines: Make your website more appealing to search engines so that your website will show up to more potential clients. Websites that show up higher on Google search results are often associated with being trustworthy or credible.
2. Direct Action to Promote Traffic on Your Site: Great SEO can help you engage readers. It speaks to them and entices them to come to your service pages or blogs to learn more or to contact you for services or referrals.
3. Be User-friendly, Interesting and Easy to Navigate: Having interesting content that links to other content, quality backlinks and pictures with alt text description allows readers navigate your site more easily, making it more accessible. This helps them feel more comfortable and confident in browsing your website and entices interest.
4. Encourage Readers to Spend Time on Your Website and Take Action: The longer someone spends on your website the more likely they are going to contact you or services or referrals. This also gives you more time to pitch your experience as a mental health expert and continue to build trust.

3. SEO for Counselors Allows You to Measure Progress

Information is crucial in any investment of time or money, and with SEO marketing there is no exception. Analysis software and plugins allow you to see the results of your efforts and the progress you’ve made with your website. You can see the effect changes to your website have in search result rankings, click through rates and more. Equally important, these tools can help guide your decisions, so that you can maximize your time and set measurable goals.

Training in SEO for Therapists and “Done for You” Services Can Help You Increase Website Rankings and Traffic

If you are interested in ranking better on search engines or bringing in more traffic and referrals for your private practice therapy, you can learn how to do SEO yourself with training in SEO for counselors. Many therapists have seen amazing results when using the skills and techniques taught in our SEO course. If time is a factor or you see your time better spent focussing on seeing new clients, we offer “Done for You” packages for mental health SEO. If you think that you might be interested in training, but aren’t sure, you can sign up for our free 7-day SEO for Mental Heath Professionals Email Series or reach out to use with questions.

GETTING STARTED WITH SEO FOR MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS IS EASY:

1. Get in touch with Simplified SEO Consulting by scheduling a free 30-minute SEO consultation.
2. Get connected with a skilled SEO Specialist for Therapists that you can trust.
3. Start learning SEO in the meantime with our free 7-Day SEO for Counselors Email Series.

Services Offered at Simplified SEO Counseling

As a Consulting Service for Mental Health SEO we can help you optimize your website with three different types of packages, including “Done for You” SEO Services, SEO training, À la carte “Done for You” SEO services and our Alumni & Maintenance Package.