SEO For Therapists
If you want clients to find you online, you need an SEO strategy.
SEO stands for “search engine optimization.” Search engine optimization is a collection of techniques that help your practice appear when a potential client searches for a therapist. If you’ve ever Googled “therapist near me” and wondered how to get your practice to appear, SEO is the solution.
SEO can seem intimidating, but you don’t need to worry.
The basics of SEO are pretty straightforward, even for folks who aren’t tech savvy. I explain everything you need to get started in my free easy-to-follow SEO guide for therapists.
However, many therapists get stuck on the path to SEO success when it comes time to move beyond the basics. Figuring out what exactly will make Google happy is pretty difficult, and teaching yourself how to beat the competition with SEO can feel like starting grad school – again. What’s more, most therapists didn’t open a practice so they could learn how to tweak meta tags or upload XML sitemaps – time you spending working on your SEO is time taken away from meeting clients or self-care.
But trying to hire someone to help can be a huge gamble. Most SEO consultants don’t understand the world of therapy, which means they might write content for your website that includes inaccurate information or suggest strategies that go against your code of ethics, like soliciting testimonials from clients. Or you might find a good writer who doesn’t understand the technical fundamentals of SEO, preventing you from implementing a comprehensive SEO strategy.
Working With Us
To solve that problem, I’ve assembled a phenomenal team. Remember, good SEO requires you to have engaging, authoritative content as well as technical know-how. That’s why I’ve brought on the best psychotherapy SEO writer in the business and a rock-solid expert in the technical side of SEO. Think of us like your personal SEO A-team.
Here’s what we do for you.
Strategy & AdWords Integration
Effective SEO campaigns work as an integrated part of your overall marketing strategy, not as an isolated effort that doesn’t tie into anything else. That’s why I (Dan) work to understand your practice’s marketing goals, and to make sure that SEO fits within the other efforts that you’re doing.
Since many of our SEO clients also hire us for AdWords, I place special attention on making sure that our SEO efforts are complementing our AdWords efforts (and vice versa), ensuring you get the most out of your marketing investment. I also provide general oversight and management of the rest of the team, and make sure that the goals that were discussed during the sales process remain the focus after you sign up.
Content writing
Content is king when it comes to SEO. If your website has high-quality, authoritative writing, Google is much more likely to place it in the search results.
That’s why I partnered with my friend and colleague Kyler Shumway, M.A. Like me, Kyler is a doctoral student in clinical psychology (expected graduation Fall 2019), and has published dozens of articles on psychotherapy all around the web. He’s also presented on online writing for APA, and he’s written his own book. So the guy knows how to write, and he infuses his writing with the expertise derived from his clinical training.
What’s more, Kyler understands how important the therapeutic relationship is, and takes pains to craft content that helps clients start to connect with you right from the moment they land on your website. Kyler collaborates with you to develop a list of topics that are best suited to improving your marketing results, while also taking the time to learn your therapeutic style to make sure that his writing reflects your unique “voice.” The result is SEO-optimized content that is tailored to your specific practice and custom-written to ensure both readability and clinical accuracy (no pseudoscience or outdated data in our writing!)
Here’s a few of the highlights of what Kyler does for you:
Writing Features
- Analysis Of Your Practice: We develop an understanding of your practice, so our writing can reflect what your clients are looking for and what makes your practice unique.
- SEO-Friendly Design We follow SEO best practices to make each article attractive to the search engines – including writing at least 800 words per page and creating illustrations where appropriate.
- People-First Writing Writing that attracts search engines but repels potential clients doesn’t help you at all. That’s why we make sure your content is engaging to read, and understandable by lay people.
- Evidence-Based Foundation We make sure that our content represents current research and evidence-based practice. It’s common for our pages to have a list of sources that include academic journals and professional publications.
- Conversion Focus Your website is designed to bring you clients, and so is our website writing. We structure each article to guide readers towards signing up for your services, and typically end with a call to action.
While anyone can get started on SEO, real success requires someone who knows all of the technical tricks to make your website shine in Google’s eyes.
That’s why I partnered with DJ King. DJ is a bona-fide SEO expert, who has been working as a search strategist since 2014. Since joining the team, DJ has been teaching me plenty about online marketing that I didn’t know – and I literally wrote the book on online marketing 🙂 He’s also passionate about psychology, and plans to pursue his own doctorate in the coming years.
Here’s a few of the highlights of what DJ will do for you:
Technical Features
- Setup and configuration of Google Analytics and Google Search Console We set you up with Google’s world-class tools for tracking your SEO performance, so you can make informed decisions
- Comprehensive website SEO & conversion audit:Â We go through your website with a fine-tooth comb, identifying all of the technical changes you can make that will improve your SEO. We also suggest changes to your website design that will improve your conversion rate, boosting the chances a visitor will become a client.
- Custom-written meta titles and descriptions: We write meta titles and descriptions for your website pages, making them more attractive to users who encounter them in the search results. You get 10 pages in the Starter package, 25 in the Growth, and 50 in the Concierge.
- Google My Business & Bing Places:Â We setup and configure your Google My Business and Bing Places accounts, making sure these crucial profiles are working as they should be. In the Growth and Concierge packages we’ll also setup and configure your Psychology Today, Yelp, and Good Therapy profiles if desired.
- Monthly SEO reports: For the duration of your package, we’ll send you a report each month analyzing your Google Analytics data and providing you with actionable insights for continuing to improve your SEO
SEO Packages
I offer three different packages: Starter, Growth and Concierge. Each package combines my marketing strategy with Kyler’s stellar content writing and DJ’s technical expertise.
No matter what package you choose, you’ll receive a comprehensive technical setup from DJ, at least one custom-written article from Kyler, and at least three months of reporting and coaching from DJ. More comprehensive packages offer more content from Kyler and additional support from DJ. Read on to see what package is right for you!
Starter Package – $1600
Three months of service
The Starter package is designed for therapists who are comfortable working on their SEO strategy themselves, but who want expert guidance and support along the way. If you’ve read through my SEO guide and it feels like something you could apply yourself, the Starter package is probably all you need.
The Starter package is also a good fit for therapists who don’t plan to invest a huge amount of time or money into SEO, but want to make sure they’re not missing any easy opportunities. If you want the security of knowing that all of the low-hanging SEO fruit has been picked, the Starter package could be a good choice for you.
With the Starter package, we handle all of the one-time technical work listed in the “What you get” section. We also provide you with one custom-written SEO article that you can use as a model for your own writing. Then, for three months we’re available to coach you through the process of setting up your own SEO strategy. You can access our SEO expert DJ for one hour each month, whether by phone or email, and you’ll also receive an SEO report at the 30, 60, and 90 day mark letting you know how your strategy is working.
In order to get the best results from this package, you should plan to do your own legwork. We’ll coach you through the process, but you need to be the one writing new content and seeking out new backlink opportunities. So if you aren’t interested in committing multiple hours per month, this probably isn’t the package for you. But if you feel motivated to learn SEO under our expert guidance, or if you’re really wanting to stretch your marketing dollars, this package is a great choice.
Growth Package – $3600
Six months of service
The Growth package is an excellent choice for therapists who want solid SEO results without needing to invest their own time.
We start things off with three SEO-rich articles, and then every month thereafter (for five months) we provide you with a new custom-written article to keep your content fresh and Google happy. We also send you an SEO report at the end of each month and, of course, you still have one hour per month of our coaching time to use as needed.
While it’s impossible to guarantee success with SEO, with this package we provide you with a significant chance at making a meaningful boost in your organic search traffic. By the end of the six months, many of our clients see a noticeable difference.
Concierge Package – $6000
Six months of service
With the Concierge package, we pull out all the stops. If you’re going up against heavy competition and you want the biggest possible chance of success, the concierge package is for you.
The Concierge package absolutely supercharges your content strategy. We start you off with five custom-written articles in the first month, then write you two new articles each month for the next five months – for a total of 15 SEO-boosting articles.
We also provide you with a customized backlink strategy report, where we research your local area and unique niches, and provide you with a strategy document of all of the blogs, local and national organizations, newspapers, etc, that might be sources of high-quality links for you.
And if you have multiple locations, we’ll craft a local SEO strategy which helps get you maximum results for all of your offices.
Oh, and just for fun, you’ll get a signed copy of Clicking with Clients 🙂
If you want the best possible results from your SEO – or if you have a unique practice that needs a customized touch on every level of your SEO strategy – the concierge package is the way to go.