In 2024, mental health remains a major health priority, ranking alongside other top concerns like cancer, stress, and drug abuse – areas that many therapists specialize in. Searches for terms like "therapists near me" have surged by 49% from 2020 to 2023. Alongside this, over half of mental health appointments (55%) are now conducted remotely, primarily through video sessions.
With these trends in mind, it’s clear that, as a therapist, one of the best ways to book new patients is to be present where they’re searching for you: in the search engines.
Do Therapy Websites Fall Into the Your Money or Your Life (YMYL) Category?
Yes, therapist websites are considered "Your Money or Your Life" (YMYL) pages, along with websites focused on topics like medical information, financial advice, and legal services. If you’ve read our SEO Playbooks, you know that YMYL pages are those that contain information that could impact a person’s happiness, health, safety, or financial stability.
A person might visit a therapist's website to explore treatment options for issues like anxiety, depression, or trauma. This information can shape their choice of treatment, influence their decision to seek help, and even affect how they approach emotional challenges.
That’s why in this article, we’ll discuss practical, time-efficient SEO strategies for therapists – approaches that help build online visibility without overwhelming your schedule, so you can focus on expertly connecting with the people who need you most.
SEO for Therapists: Best Practices
Target Localized Long-Tail Keywords for Specialized Services
While many people focus on the broad "therapists near me" search, ranking highly for this can be a bit of a struggle, especially if your website isn’t optimized for local search or other key SEO factors.
For specialized therapists, getting specific with keywords can make a real difference. Many patients are searching for highly specific support, using phrases like "PTSD therapist near me" or "couples counseling for infidelity."
Using these types of specific, long-tail keywords in both your main website content and blog posts can help connect you with the people looking for exactly what you offer.
Note that patients may use different terms in their searches – like "therapy," "counseling," or "therapist" – depending on their preferences or needs. Including those keyword variations in your strategy can help you show up for different searches.
An Example to Follow: Dr. Dena DiNardo
Take a look at the example below, from Dr. Dena DiNardo. The following result appeared as the third option when searching for the specific term "couples counseling for long-distance."
Notice how the focus keyword, Long-Distance Relationship Counseling, appears throughout her title tag, meta description, and blog content.
Interestingly, none of the top 3 results matched the search term. And that’s okay, because thanks to updates like BERT, Google can easily understand the searcher’s intent and the meaning behind keywords. So there’s no need to sound like a robot!
Use Factual Information Backed by Trusted Sources for Therapist SEO
On therapy websites – or any YMYL websites – you need to demonstrate your expertise at every opportunity. This includes not only the content itself but also the context around it, such as the sources you link to and the way you present your credentials.
Here are some ways to constantly signal expertise and credibility:
- Use well-regarded, authoritative sources, like government websites (e.g., CDC, NIH), professional health organizations (e.g., American Psychological Association), or peer-reviewed journals, which have established credibility and are frequently updated.
- Whenever possible, confirm facts by cross-referencing multiple reputable sources.
- Instead of relying on secondary interpretations, seek out original studies or direct reports.
- Involve experts to review the blog post material. If you have a writer helping you with your blog content, make sure you review it as a licensed therapist before the publication.
An Example to Follow: ThriveWorks
The following box appears at the top of every article by leading mental health provider Thriveworks.
It features the name of the article writer, who’s typically someone from the editorial team. However, all articles also make it evident that they’re expertly reviewed by a licensed therapist (in the above case, confirmed by the LMFT acronym).
Each blog also includes when it was last updated. That’s the perfect trifecta: helpful content, clinical expertise, and transparency. The more frequent your updates are, the better.
ThriveWorks also has an exclusive page dedicated to its editorial policy. It highlights how they provide readers with valuable resources that educate and empower them to live better. That includes details on:
- Expert authors and their qualifications
- Authoritative sources, which readers can find at the bottom of a given article
- A tiered review process, consisting of at least two licensed mental health professionals reviewing an article before the publication
- Up-to-date information, with original publication dates visible at the top of the article
Reinforce High Standards by Highlighting Your Registrations and Verifications
Seals and badges act as quick visual cues communicating trust and credibility, helping users feel more confident in your site’s reliability.
For example, the "Verified by Psychology Today" seal means that the professional’s name, contact details, and license or accreditation are up to date and in good standing. Not everyone knows the specifics – but they know Psychology Today is a well-known and reputable platform, so it’s instantly a big deal.
These half-second connections are essential, particularly when people are scrolling and comparing multiple professionals at once. So make your badges prominent on your website and offload some of that authority-building to them.
Optimize for "Therapist Near Me" Searches with Google Business Profile
If you offer in-person therapy services, it’s essential to show up in local searches. One of the best ways to do this is by creating a Google Business Profile if you haven’t already. To set one up, go to the Google Business Profile page, sign in, and follow the prompts to enter your business details, including your practice’s name, address, and phone number (NAP).
An Example to Follow: Indy Therapy and Counseling
High-quality images on a Google Business Profile can create a welcoming "virtual tour" experience, letting potential patients explore your clinic’s atmosphere even before they arrive.
Having a complete profile – like the example from Indy Therapy and Counseling – strengthens your online presence and helps patients feel connected from the start.
Google’s Business Profile helps you to share more than just your basic information. You can also use your profile to share updates and announcements, like new therapy offerings, special events, or seasonal promotions. It’s a simple way to get the word out and encourage engagement.
Get Listed on Local Citations in Therapy-Specific Directories
Getting listed in therapy-focused directories like Psychology Today, GoodTherapy, and TherapyDen is far more than a trustworthy backlink opportunity. After all, these directories rank highly in search results for therapy-related queries, so having a complete, engaging profile on them can drive traffic directly to your site.
A great listing is like its own mini-website with all the necessary information included. This is extremely helpful for users to find you and keep you on their radar as they research their needs.
Create Content on Frequently Asked Therapy Questions
Patients often have questions they need answered before they feel ready to contact a therapist. Some patients may be told by family or friends that therapy could benefit them but still feel hesitant, unsure if seeking professional help will truly make a difference.
"Having been a therapist for several years, I have come across many individuals who are hesitant to engage in treatment. More often than not, people are misinformed about what therapy actually is," explains Robyn Gold, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker.
With this in mind, addressing common questions or misconceptions in your website content allows potential patients to feel acknowledged and understood, without needing to book a session first. It’s a great opportunity to build trust and show empathy, creating a welcoming space that helps patients feel more at ease with the idea of reaching out.
An Example to Follow: Dr. Dena DiNardo
Again, Dr. Dena DiNardo doesn’t hold back on answering every potential nagging doubt that might be getting in the way of an appointment. It ranges from "How long?" questions to whether the practice accepts insurance.
Some of these are great "People Also Ask" material – another awesome organic traffic source from the SERP.
Answering these questions upfront also helps you filter in the right patients. When potential patients understand your approach, specialties, and methods, they’re more likely to contact you with a clear sense of what to expect.
Add Schema Markup for Therapists
Structured data or Schema markup can also improve how your bio and services show up on SERPs by organizing key professional details, which can lead to featured snippets.
Those include the collapsible sections for certifications, education, availability, ratings, and other essential information at a glance.
Specific to therapy, certain types of Schema markup are more relevant to your practice. They include:
While using schema correctly can increase your likelihood of being featured, it’s not a guarantee. Google’s algorithms weigh other factors, like content quality, relevance, and overall site authority.
Create "Therapy Types" and "Conditions Treated" Pages
Listing out your services on the therapy types and treatments you offer has the potential to increase your revenue.
According to Jason Parks from The Media Captain, "Service pages have a very high commercial intent. When someone searches for a specific service, they are further down the sales funnel and already considering purchasing.”
The term "purchasing" in this case can refer to booking a session.
Remember your authoritative blog content and your FAQs? Those are key to addressing the searcher’s informational intent. Your services page is where you’ll go all in on terms that suggest a much higher commercial intent, such as "near me."
An Example to Follow: Dr. Dena DiNardo
On the "Couples" services page of her website, Dr Dena DiNardo also makes the switch from informational intent on her blog (long-distance relationship counseling) to a very specific "near" query (online couples therapy near you).
Kickstart your Therapist SEO Efforts with Easy Wins
The easiest wins are often found in your existing website data. By making the right changes based on what’s already there, you can achieve significant results without starting from scratch.
The two key tools for this are Google Search Console (GSC) and Google Analytics (GA), which show you where you currently stand in terms of traffic, ranking, and user behavior.
To streamline things, consider a tool like SiteGuru, which connects with both GSC and GA, so you don’t have to jump between platforms. SiteGuru pulls data from each into a single, easy-to-use dashboard, saving you time and giving you an actionable SEO to-do list.
The next low-hanging fruit is technical SEO.
Check your website for:
Indexing errors. This means search engines can’t access certain pages on your site. In the example below, some pages have conflicting "robots" tags, which may confuse search engines about which pages to index or ignore.
Structured data. SiteGuru checks each page to confirm if Schema is present and flags any pages without it.
Slow loading speeds. SiteGuru measures your pages’ speed and provides easy-to-follow tips on how to improve load times, so potential patients don’t get frustrated and leave before they see your message.
Duplicate content. It confuses search engines, which could impact your ranking. To fix them, use self-referencing canonical URLs, which tell search engines the "main" version of each page. If you’ve added them they’ll appear in your SiteGuru report.
Next, the goal is to reach for the quick wins by:
Identifying internal linking opportunities. These links help search engines understand the relationship between pages on your site and guide visitors to more valuable content. For example, if you have a blog post on relationship counseling and another on infidelity, you might add links from one to the other so the readers (and search engines) can connect the dots.
Getting rid of thin, unsubstantial content. Google frowns upon pages with too little information or low HTML-to-text ratios. SiteGuru flags pages with less-than-ideal content length so you can add depth or clean up excess code to make the content clearer and more informative.
Boosting keywords close to the top. If your website already ranks for certain keywords just in or outside the top 3 positions, you’re closer to a top ranking than you might think. With a few updates – like refining content or adding supporting keywords – you can improve those rankings, and SiteGuru shows exactly which keywords are nearly there.
Not to mention, you can keep a close eye on your best keywords. Never lose sight of their rankings, and know exactly what to do to take them to #1.
Give Help When - and Where - It’s Needed
Finding a therapist is a deeply personal process full of questions about the best methods and the process itself. And the first place we all look for information is Google. If you, as a therapist, provide the information your patients need, you’ll become the expert they turn to for help.
But that doesn’t mean you have to become an SEO pro overnight. SiteGuru makes SEO manageable with simple, step-by-step guidance. It’s designed to help you reach your goals without needing to become an expert.
Focus on filling up those appointments and serving your patients. Let SiteGuru take care of the heavy lifting. Try it free for 14 days, and see how it helps grow your practice!
