SEO for Psychologists, Therapists, Counsellors

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.

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 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.

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).

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.

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.