Every day, there are roughly 3.5 billion Google searches1, which means you should absolutely prioritize Search Engine Optimization (SEO) in your marketing strategy. You may be thinking, how is this relevant to my practice? Put plainly; there are approximately 379,000 searches for “Therapists near me2” conducted every month, which means you could be missing out on potential clients who need your help.
SEO is the process of enhancing your website to make it easier for browsers to find. Once your website is optimized, search engines will rank your site higher, helping you gain even more traction and connect with more clients. To get to the top of search engines, you might consider partnering with a third party to create a fresh website and personalized digital marketing strategy that includes SEO.
Here are 8 SEO tips that can help boost your website’s visibility and book more clients.
- Research Your Domain Authority Score
Domain Authority Scores are a measure of how well your website ranks on search engine results pages (SERPs). Scores are calculated via machine learning that predicts how likely Google is to show your web domain when someone conducts a relevant search. Your goal should be to aim for a domain authority score above 60. Scores between 50 and 60 are considered good, and between 40 and 50 are average. Scores under 40 warrant your attention and may signal that your website may need a refresh. If you’re unsure how to revamp your website, you may consider outsourcing your web design.
- Use Google Analytics
To discover how people found your site and what they do once they are on it, you should set up an account with Google Analytics. You will get your own personalized dashboard to track important stats and insights to understand your website’s trends and traffic. Plus, it’s all free!
Using this data is key to understanding how to optimize your website. You can find out which keywords are most effective, which parts of your site are the most popular, and how long people stay on your site. Additionally, Google Analytics users can see which actions people take on your site (like subscribing to an email list or booking an appointment). By analyzing and applying this data, you can enhance your site and convert web visitors into new clients.
- Utilize Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster
If you want pivotal search traffic information like search impressions, clicks, and click-through rates (CTRs), Google Search Console (GSC) has you covered. With GSC, you can also be alerted to any site issues like malware, server errors, and site load issues that may be affecting your search engine performance.
If you want to focus on Bing, their version of this tool is called Bing Webmaster. It provides similar information for the Bing search engine. With Bing Webmaster, you can resolve issues that prevent higher search rankings and monitor your backlinks.
- Submit a Site Map
Site maps are files you submit to search engines that detail the layout of your website and highlight the most important pages. Site map files may include links, videos, photos, and any other file contained on your site.
These files help search engines understand your site layout which lets them crawl (or index) your site more efficiently, boosting your search ranking and improving site views. This process also ensures the most important parts of your website are shown first in search, which means potential clients will find the pages that are relevant to them faster.
- Establish Quality Backlinks
Backlinks are links on a website that feature another website page’s URL. Backlinks to other reputable websites show that your site is well-established and contains relevant information, which really helps with search engine rankings.
You should aim for a goal of 60+ quality backlinks on your site. If you can’t get 60, including 40 and 50 is still considered good, but less than 40 is subpar. However, don’t use shortcuts to get more backlinks. If your site is linked to irrelevant or shady websites, it will make you look bad by association. Ensuring you only link to high-quality articles and web pages will help preserve and boost your online reputation.
- Leverage Authority Builders
Leveraging authority builders is another way to improve your online reputation. The goal of this strategy is to have another well-respected website feature your content and have them link back to you. This legitimizes your website and the information you provide, creating trust with your site visitors by building off the other website’s existing reputation. As an added bonus, these more-established sites generally appear at the top of search rankings, so they can help attract attention from people who may not otherwise have found your website.
WebMD is a great example of an authority builder. With a domain authority score of 94 out of 100, WebMD is one of the most trusted resources for high-quality health information on the internet. Creating a profile on WebMD allows you to benefit from their high rankings while increasing your exposure and securing new clients in the process.
In addition to WebMD, other examples of other high-authority healthcare-focused sites include Vitals.com, Yelp, RateMDs, and others.
- Acquire and Monitor Online Reviews
Did you know that more than 90% of people consult online reviews before making healthcare decisions3? It’s unsurprising, then, that online reviews can influence client acquisition, site traffic, and search engine ranking.
However, as a therapist, getting reviews can be tricky because ACA Ethics Guidelines prohibits soliciting client testimonials4. So, even though client reviews may improve your search engine ranking, it is important not to request them. The best way to request reviews is to source them from colleagues or other professionals who are familiar with your work. These reviews still have a positive impact on your ranking and show potential clients that the therapeutic community respects your work, trusts you as a therapist, and would recommend you.
- Start a Google Business Profile
Google Business Profile is a free tool that allows you to claim your business and manage how it shows up online. Your Business Profile is a great place for your practice’s key information like your operating hours, phone number, and location, but it is also a great place to highlight special offers, photos of your practice, and any other critical updates.
Once you add your location to your Business Profile, your practice will show up on Google Maps, making it easy for clients to find your office, you can message prospective clients who have questions and give them the information they need, and you can feature a link to your website, funneling new clients directly to you.
Conclusion
Incorporating these SEO tips into your therapy marketing strategy will help your practice acquire more clients, create a strong online presence, and boost your reputation in the field.
Consumers are turning to the web more than ever to research therapists in their area and placing more emphasis on finding the right fit for their mental health. To meet their expectations both on and offline, you need to make sure prospective clients find your site, readily identify how reputable you are, can easily contact you for more information, and book their appointment.
Your practice can benefit from a robust therapy marketing strategy, and TherapySites can help.
About Us
TherapySites is a unique digital marketing service specializing in website design for therapists. By combining our digital marketing know-how with unique insight into the industry, we offer therapy practices an unparalleled way to build a high-ranking, easily-discoverable website that clients love.
We ensure client and practice growth with powerful websites, social media marketing, reputation management, search engine solutions, and telemedicine. TherapySites even streamlines your practice’s time-heavy processes (client forms, scheduling, etc.), so your staff can spend more time on important tasks.
For more information or to see a demo, visit therapysites.com.
