September 2026
August 2026
Local SEO: How To Rank in Therapy Search Results
Local SEO is the process of optimizing your online presence to appear in local search results on Google. By improving your website, directory listings, and more, you make it more likely for your practice to show up when potential clients are searching for nearby mental health care. Keep reading to learn how local search works and how to optimize for it.
What Do Local Search Results Look Like?
Google shows two types of results for local searches. They are:
Map Pack Results
The map pack, or local map, shows Google Business Profiles on a map so that searchers can get a feel for where the therapy practices are located in relation to where they live. The map and profiles usually appear at the top of the search results.
Organic Search Results
Also called blue link results, organic search results are the standard Google search results with which you’re likely familiar. They list 10 websites and their links, and they usually appear after the map pack.
If you optimize for local search correctly, you can rank for both map pack results and organic search results. This would give you the best possible chance of Google users coming across your practice.
How To Rank in Local Search Results
The first step to getting new clients for your practice is reaching your target audience. By following local SEO best practices, you can increase your search visibility, which can lead to more website visits and appointment bookings. Below are some top SEO best practices.
Create a Google Business Profile
Since Google Business Profiles make up half of every local search result, you want to make sure you have one for your practice so that you don’t limit your opportunities to rank. Even if you haven’t made one yourself, it’s possible Google has created one for you based on information from your website and other places on the internet. Do a quick Google search to see if one exists that you can claim. If not, create a new one from scratch.
List Your Practice in Other Directories
Google relies on consistent information across the internet to determine if you’re credible and trustworthy. That’s why we recommend having listings on other online directories in addition to Google Business Profile. For general directories, set up Yelp and Facebook. For healthcare-specific directories, create profiles for Healthgrades, Zocdoc, Vitals, and WebMD Care.
Get More Client Reviews
Google favors therapy practices that have a large quantity of reviews with a high overall rating across Google Business Profile and other online directories. To strengthen your directory profiles, encourage satisfied clients to leave reviews. Send an automated email a day or two after their appointment with a direct link to your profile. You can rotate the profile you link so that all of them get reviews.
Final Thoughts
Effective local SEO can help therapy practices like yours stand out in competitive markets and appear at the top of Google search results. Local SEO efforts take time, energy, and expertise. If this is something you’re concerned about executing well, TherapySites has a team of experienced SEO professionals. Contact us today to learn more about our therapist SEO service.
Tom Daniel
General Manager
General Manager
Do You Have a Comprehensive SEO Strategy?
Local SEO is an important piece of the puzzle, but it’s only one part of a complete SEO strategy. While local optimization helps your practice appear in nearby searches, broader SEO efforts drive long-term visibility, credibility, and traffic across search engines.
TherapySites is offering a complimentary evaluation to explore your efforts across other types of SEO, including:
- On-page SEO: Do you have extensive website content related to your area of focus?
- Off-page SEO: Are you demonstrating your authority by getting other websites to link to you?
- Technical SEO: Do you have a secure, fast-loading, mobile-friendly website?
We’ll offer you tips on how to improve each pillar of your SEO strategy and explore how TherapySites’ SEO service can implement them for you.
Secure More Clients With These 8 SEO Tips
Looking for actionable SEO advice that you can implement right away? TherapySites has put together a whitepaper that explores the fundamentals of strong SEO. Titled Secure More Clients With These 8 SEO Tips, it walks you through the first eight steps you need to take to build the foundation of your practice’s SEO strategy, including:
- Setting up Google Analytics
- Creating a Google Business Profile
- Securing quality backlinks
- Tracking reviews on directories
Start improving your on-page, off-page, technical, and local SEO today with a complimentary copy of our whitepaper.
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