SEO for Therapists: 7 Ways SEO Eliminates Marketing Panic for Private Practice Therapists
Guest post by Kristie Platinga of TherapieSEO
Many therapists start their private practice for freedom.
This can be freedom from a subpar salary, an unsustainable caseload, and inflexible work hours. Factors like these decrease the quality of therapists' lives and prevent them from providing exceptional care for the very people that inspired them to become therapists in the first place.
Private practice is freedom, but if privately practicing therapists aren't careful, they may find their lives held down by a new set of constraints.
The danger of private practice
The danger of opening a private practice is swapping out one set of stressors for another, which can leave you feeling trapped and worse than you felt before.
A recent report revealed that 62% of business owners feel depressed at least once per week, and another 46% also experience low moods or feel mentally fatigued.
Many things contribute to these numbers, but here's what I've noticed from working with therapists specifically.
First, many therapists struggle with imposter syndrome. Do you feel the need to justify your fees? Are you constantly pursuing further education to feel "ready" for private practice?
Second, therapists experience what I like to call marketing panic. If you're in private practice, you've likely felt this before.
Am I doing the right things to market myself?
Do I need to create an IG reel every day?
Should I be on TikTok?
Am I doing enough?
I hear it all the time.
Thankfully, I'm able to provide a solution for my clients' marketing panic: SEO.
How my clients get true freedom in private practice
I know I'm biased, but I think SEO for therapists is the most efficient and low-maintenance way for therapists to achieve freedom in their private practice.
I worked with Lindsay on her SEO, and it changed her practice. After identifying keywords that brought her ideal clients in, Lindsay wrote incredible content that got her ranking on Google in no time. Now, Lindsay shows up on Instagram when she wants, not because she feels like she has to. She doesn't worry about getting new clients because her website gets so much traffic.
Still not convinced? Here's why SEO is the best way to get clients and eliminate marketing panic once and for all.
#1: SEO is about as passive as marketing gets
I'm sure you've heard a lot about "passive income."
I hate to break it to you, but passive income is largely a myth. Almost every product or service you provide requires some marketing work.
But what if you invested time and money initially, and now you don't have to do much marketing anymore?
That's what SEO is all about. In the beginning, we spend time creating key pieces of content and optimizing your website, but after you're ranking, you stay there. So although you should still be blogging occasionally, you don't have to market yourself day in and day out.
It's pretty awesome :)
#2: Ranking on page one of Google is like being on page one of Psychology Today
What would your practice look like if you were ranking on page one of Psychology Today every day? I imagine your practice would be bursting with new clients, and you'd have a miles-long waitlist.
Unfortunately, it's not possible to consistently be on page one of Psychology Today. They sort therapists' profiles randomly, so there's nothing you can do to ensure page-one rankings. Do you want an arbitrary sorting process to be the basis of your marketing?
With SEO, we know what to do to get you ranking--there's little guesswork. Plus, once you're on page one, you're not going anywhere.
#3: You don't need anything but your website
The words freedom and independence go hand-in-hand, and SEO gives you both.
When you do SEO, all you need is your website. There is no long-term reliance on any other platform, person, or company.
#4 You're meeting clients the moment they're searching
When people look for a therapist on Google, they're ready to make a hiring decision at that moment or soon after.
Although other forms of marketing can grow your private practice in amazing ways, SEO meets searchers when they're ready to work with a therapist--not when they're scrolling through social media on their lunch break.
#5: You gain a potential client's trust
Ranking on Google means something. Out of all the digital platforms, people trust Google the most. So by ranking on Google, potential clients will tacitly (or consciously) trust your website more than other therapists' websites.
#6: Your content's lifetime value increases
Content on social media can last between a couple of weeks if you go viral to 24 hours (unless an embarrassing picture of you gets turned into a cringe-worthy meme).
When we add content to our website, and Google starts ranking it, it lasts until we take it down.
A couple of hours spent writing a high-quality blog post can result in years of web traffic. Unfortunately, a couple of hours spent on your social media content for one week typically lasts just that long: a week.
#7: No testy algorithms
Algorithms are fickle.
Google uses an algorithm as well, but it's not as volatile when it comes to new products and features. For example, when Instagram came out with reels, Instagram aggressively promoted reels to the significant detriment of accounts that weren't using them.
Keep in mind that Instagram competes with other social media platforms, especially with the rise of TikTok. Last year, TikTok's new user growth was significantly higher than Instagram's. Remember that Google has no competition. The only standard they have to meet and exceed is their own. Google wants to make its product better while social media platforms are constantly battling to remain relevant.
Social media can do amazing things for a modern therapy practice, but it gets tiring.
Say goodbye to marketing panic and hello to a profitable practice
Are you hooked on SEO?
I'm talking all about SEO in Lindsay's group coaching program. Apply today to get started!
