An Overview of Psychology SEO Services
Ranking your clinic at the top of the organic search results isn’t just a nicety – it’s essential for winning trust. Ranking at the top of the search results is the key to getting seen by local, prospective leads in the organic search results.
Before you can fill up your bookings and start generating leads online, you need to start by understanding how your target audience is using search engines like Google to find your clinic’s services – that’s where we come in.
For psychologists and counsellors, improving your organic search performance isn’t about “shouty” sales tactics – that doesn’t fly with SEO for mental health websites.
A strong SEO strategy for a psychologist or therapist is about creating helpful content that meets the needs of your target audience. Outlining the services that you offer, the types of treatment available, the booking process, and the credentials of your team is the key to attracting and engaging your target audience.
We have experience with psychologists, psychology clinics, therapists, counsellors, psychiatrists, psychotherapists, and a range of other mental health professionals.
What is SEO for Psychologists?
If you run a psychology clinic, then you’ve probably already heard of SEO. In the same way, you’ve heard of Facebook Ads and Google Ads, but you’re not really sure how they work or how to use those channels to attract prospective clients to your website. So, what exactly is search engine optimisation (SEO), and how can you use it to drive prospective customers to your website and increase the number of new bookings you receive online?
SEO for psychologists is the process of optimising the on-site, off-site, and technical elements of your website to rank at the top of the search results for relevant, valuable search terms.
There are more than 200 individual ranking factors that determine how you rank in Google, and it’s our job, as an SEO agency for psychologists, to create a strategy that addresses all of these factors to increase your rankings. Not every ranking factor is weighted equally, which is why we focus on the things that matter most. We implement SEO strategies for counsellors and psychologists that win new clients and generate valuable leads.
Why is Psychology SEO so important?
SEO isn’t just about driving traffic – it’s about putting your clinic in front of relevant customers who are looking for your services in your area. There are plenty of reasons why you need an SEO strategy. Here’s the main one: Paying for Google Ads is expensive.
In 2025, the average cost of pay-per-click (PPC) marketing in the mental health space is close to $15 per click. Amongst all industries, the health industry is one of the most expensive industries to advertise.
SEO is a cost-effective and scalable way to get in front of more customers without needing to pay for every click. Our goal is to create a sustainable, long-term funnel that drives traffic to your website and creates stability in your bookings and facilitates growth for your clinic.
Our SEO Strategy for Psychologists & Counsellors
Each clinic and each mental health professional that we work with is slightly different. Our exact strategy will be tailored to the types of services that you offer, the locations that you service, and your current search performance.
As a general rule, the strategy that we outline below is a time-tested approach that we have used to help psychologists, counsellors, and mental health support professionals reach their ideal audience online through organic search.
Keyword research
Keyword research and selection are crucial for your SEO campaign. Generating the right kinds of leads for your clinic starts by understanding the keywords that your prospective leads are searching for online.
Keyword research is rarely as straightforward as you may think. It’s not just about ranking for things like:
• Therapist + Location
• Counselling Near Me
• Psychologists Near Me
We refer to these as “top-level” or “money” keywords, and whilst they can be part of your SEO strategy, they can’t be your entire strategy. Here’s the main issue with trying to rank solely for “money” keywords:
1. They are highly competitive – all clinics and professionals want to rank for these keywords, which drives the competition upward.
2. They take longer to rank than long-tail keywords.
3. They don’t always convert that well.
The last point there – conversion on these keywords, is the big one. “Money” keywords like “psychologist near me” or “counselling services in *location*” don’t always convert that well.
From experience, we know that longtail keywords and service pages for specific types of counselling are far more lucrative for counsellors and psychologists. We know that these keywords are less competitive, easier to rank, and convert significantly better than general, top-level keywords. Depending on your services, these include keywords like:
• Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
• Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)
• Marriage Counselling
• EAP Counselling Services
• Addiction Counselling
We’ll do keyword research for the exact types of counselling or psychology services that you offer. From there, we’ll map out where we intend to target these keywords and, in most cases, create specific service pages so that you can rank for these services.
Competitor/market research
It’s important to remember that SEO is a competition between you and the other clinics and mental health professionals in your area.
You are competing with other clinics, psychologists, and mental health professionals to create the most useful, relevant content that meets the needs of your target audience.
To rank at the top, we need to know who we are up against and what their strategy looks like. As a result, we conduct comprehensive competitor research to understand their strategy and how we can outrank and outperform them in the organic search results.
During an initial competitor research, we’ll identify the clinics in your area that are winning the lion’s share of traffic for the keywords that you are looking to rank for.
We’ll look at their on-site SEO, off-site SEO, technical SEO, and content strategy to understand what they are doing well and what we need to adapt into your plan.
Competitor research isn’t about ‘copying’ your competitors – it’s about understanding what they are doing well and identifying any weaknesses in their strategies.
Local SEO strategy
Local Search Engine Optimisation targets users with a local intent – meaning the user is searching for a clinic in their local area.
For psychologists, therapists, and counsellors, a strong local SEO strategy is a cost-effective way to reach your ideal customer and drive high-converting bookings online.
For most psychologists, therapists, and counsellors, services are delivered in a face-to-face, in-clinic environment. Even if you offer telehealth appointments, having a local search presence is still essential.
We know from experience in this space that users will include a location or local indicator in more than 50% of search queries. As a result, your clinic needs to have a strong presence in the organic results and the Google Map pack.
It’s important to remember that not all local keywords include a specific location or “near me” in that search. Google is smart enough to realise that someone searching for “Psychology Clinic” in Sydney probably doesn’t want to see the top options in Melbourne or Brisbane. Even when we don’t explicitly optimise with a location, we still use other local signals to infer the location of your clinics and your service area.
We can think about local SEO for counsellors and therapists in two ways:
1. Ranking at the top of the organic search results
This means ranking your web pages at the top of traditional search results for keywords with a strong local intent.
2. Ranking in the Google Maps Pack
Ranking at the top of Google Maps or in the 3-pack is extremely valuable for clinics. When users search for local search terms, it will usually trigger a 3-map pack to appear at the top of Google. Having your clinic appear in this 3-pack for your top-level “money keywords” and “services” is highly lucrative and can dramatically increase the quality of leads that you receive through Google search. Users see a snapshot of critical business information, like reviews, services, and trading hours – all of which can drive online bookings.
Our SEO services for psychologists and mental health professionals include traditional organic search optimisation, as well as Google Business optimisation to give you the best chance of ranking at the top of the map pack.
Content writing
Helpful, relevant content is the backbone of every successful psychologist SEO strategy. Writing for psychology clinics means abiding by the guidelines set out by the Psychology Board of Australia (PsyBA) regulated by the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA).
Our experienced copywriters know the many regulations set out by PsyBA and regulated by AHPRA that need to be considered in all our content for our psychology SEO clients. Some of those include:
• Not using client testimonials on your website
• Not making any unsubstantiated claims (i.e. no “best”, “leading”, “expert”)
• Not using the word “specialist” in advertising or content
• Not using fear-mongering language in the content
• Not offering “specials” or limited-time deals for psychology services
• Not use misleading language, comparisons, or examples
• Not advertising any unproven or unfounded treatment methods
Our thorough experience and understanding of the regulations set out by the Psychology Board of Australia (PsyBA) give our psychology SEO clients the peace of mind knowing our SEO content writers will not say or advertise anything that can land them in hot water with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA).
Off-page SEO
Off-page SEO refers to all of those things that happen away from your website that improve your search engine optimisation performance. For clinics, this comes down to a few key factors:
Backlinks: Backlinks or links refer to citations that you receive from one website that links to your personal website or clinic website. Search engines use backlinks as a key ranking signal or trust marker. In general, the more links that you have from trusted, authoritative sources, the more likely you are to rank well in Google. Think of backlinks as a reference for your website. The more “good references” from trustworthy sources that we can accumulate, the better you are going to rank.
NAP/Citation links: NAP (name, address & phone number) or citation links are directory links that confirm the key information listed on your Google business profile. NAP/directory links are a key trust marker for websites and are especially important for clinics with a physical location and a local SEO strategy.
Google Business: Google Business is the most powerful citation for your clinic. Google Business is a key trust signal and helps your prospective customers to learn more about your business, gain directions, read reviews from other customers, and learn about key information like trading hours. We help clinics to rank higher in the map pack and optimise their Google Business profiles to win trust with prospective clients.
Our SEO process for psychologists, counsellors, and clinics
How we help mental health professionals to win traffic and drive conversions with search engine optimisation.
Understanding
Every great SEO partnership starts by understanding your clinic, your ideal customers, and any pain points that exist. We don’t send out generic proposals or “SEO package pricing” – we’re a bit more considered than that. We’ll have an initial consultation where we ask key questions to understand more about your business and your current marketing efforts. We’ll also conduct preliminary research that outlines your current standings, competitors’ strategies, and growth opportunities.
Strategy
Once we’ve had a chance to learn a bit more about your clinic or practice, we’ll conduct intensive SEO research to understand the full suite of opportunities. We look at keywords, competitor strategies, your current website structure and pull together a strategy that outlines priorities and growth opportunities. We’re big on transparency, so we’ll provide you with an accurate idea of your current position and a realistic timeframe for growth.
Growth
Once we’ve got a strong strategy in place, we can get to work executing your SEO marketing strategy. We work on an ongoing, month-to-month basis with no lock-in contracts or fixed terms. All of our SEO partnerships include an initial 12-month growth strategy, but we don’t lock you into a contract – we let our results do the talking.
What sets us apart
From other SEO agencies.
Our SEO thought leadership and research has been cited by global brands.
