When it comes to your business, your online presence is important. And there’s nothing more important to online marketing and building an online presence than SEO. There are many ways to boost your SEO and increase your visibility online. We’re going to go through a couple of those today.
As a therapist, it’s crucial that you have a strong online presence. If clients can’t find you, they won’t book your services. Sites like Psychology Today and Therapy Den are a great start, but they shouldn’t be your only marketing tool.
One surefire way to improve your SEO is to hire a mental health copywriter who knows SEO and the world of mental health well. You want to work with someone who values what you do, understands the importance of online marketing, and knows how to increase your SEO.
What is SEO?
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. It’s what ranks you higher in a Google search. Let’s say you’re a therapist who provides CBT for people with depression and anxiety in Atlanta, GA. When people Google “CBT therapy depression Atlanta, GA” you want to show up in that search. Copywriter Sarah Dittmeier uses an example of searching for coffee in her blog about SEO. [1] There are lots of ways to search for coffee (or therapy) and you need to know how to attract the right people.
The important thing to know about SEO is that it’s inbound marketing. Inbound marketing is a great way to drive more traffic to your website. You can convert readers to clients simply by having a strong inbound marketing strategy. This can’t be done without SEO.
How Do You Improve Your SEO?
One of the most important tools SEO copywriters use is keywords. These are the words that people type into a Google search. For example, “CBT” is a single keyword that someone might type in. The thing is, millions of searches for CBT will show up. In order to stand out, you need to use keywords that differentiate you from a crowd but that people are still searching for.
Long-tail keywords are a stronger way to improve your SEO. Your mental health copywriter knows how to use long-tail keywords in your website copy and blogs to attract the right kind of traffic. “CBT therapy for depression” is a longtail keyword. “How do I stop my dog from peeing on the rug?” is an example of a long-tail keyword phrase that’s very specific. This is the kind of thing you want to use.
In order to improve your SEO, you need to use a variety of keywords and long-tail keywords. You also need to use them organically. If you throw in the same keyword too many times, Google will pick up on that and penalize you for it. It’s called “keyword stuffing” and you don’t want to do it.
Why Does SEO Matter to Your Business?
The thing about SEO is that it’s the only way to rank in search engines. And if you’re not ranking in search engines, like Google, no one’s going to find you when they search online.
Let’s face it. Everyone finds everything on Google these days. Don’t you want to show up in a search? If you’re trying to increase your client load, you need to start boosting your SEO. Your practice is your business, and you want to see it grow.
In order to do that, I’d suggest hiring a mental health copywriter well-versed in SEO to do the heavy lifting for you.
How to Increase Your SEO
Here are five ways to boost your SEO and increase traffic to your website:
1. Use the Phrase “What Is…”
When you’re trying to rank for competitive keywords like “CBT depression,” SEO guru Neil Patel suggests using the phrase “what is…” or “how is…” [2] “What is CBT for depression” is a lot stronger than “CBT depression.”
One of the ways this could work is to use the phrase “what is CBT for depression?” throughout your website. This is a good opportunity to use the long-tail keyword phrase on an FAQ page, which, by the way, is an excellent place to use keywords.
2. Use the Phrase “How x works”
Just like “what is…” or “how is…” phrases, “how something works” is a strong way to rank for competitive keywords. [2] “How CBT for depression works” is going to rank you higher than “CBT for depression.”
“How CBT for depression works” is a great phrase to use on your website. You could also write a blog about it. Consistently updated blogs boost your SEO a ton.
3. Use Keywords That Rank
I’ve already talked a lot about keywords, but that’s because they’re so important to improve your SEO. Neil Patel suggests long-tail keywords because people are searching for longer phrases and you have a better chance at ranking than shorter keywords. [3]
One of the ways to rank for keywords is to use your location. If you’re a Cognitive Behavior Therapist who treats depression and anxiety in Atlanta, GA, you want to make sure you’re using your location in your keywords.
Think about what people are searching for. A lot of times it’ll be something like “depression therapy near me” or “anxiety therapy in Philadelphia.” These are very general phrases, and you want to make sure your keywords reflect what people are searching for.
One way to rank for location is by registering your website with Google. You can submit your website to be indexed. When someone searches for you, you should pop up with your location information. This only works if you have an actual office, though.
4. Make Sure Your Website Is Fully Optimized
There’s a lot that goes into increasing your SEO. As any copywriter knows, the words you use are important, but it’s not just the words you see on a homepage or in a blog post. There are a lot of other elements to having a well-optimized website.
Title Tags
Title tags are the titles that pop up when you do a search. When you Google “mental health copywriter” and you find me, my title tag says “Copywriting For Mental Health Professionals- Allie Linn.” This is a very clear title tag. It tells you who I am and exactly what I do.
Title tags should concisely describe what your website is. [4] They should use keywords that you want to rank for directly in the title tag. I want you to find me when you Google “mental health copywriting,” and so I put it in my title tag.
Meta Descriptions
Meta descriptions are the sentences that show up below your title tag in a Google search. Your meta description should briefly describe what the page is using keywords. In my meta description, I make sure to use “mental health,” “copywriter,” and “therapist” because those are the main words that I want people to use to find me.
If you Google “mental health copywriter,” “mental health and wellness copywriter,” or “copywriter for therapists,” I show up on page one. That’s because I use a combination of keywords, long-tail keywords, a strong title tag, and good meta descriptions. I also write consistent and relevant blogs every week. This helps a lot.
High Enough Word Count
You don’t want your website pages to be too long, or else people won’t stay and read them, no matter how engaging they are. But you do need to have a long enough website page that Google can crawl for it and recognize it.
Forbes says a good word count is between 600-700 words. [5] You can get away with a little less than that, but something like 300 is too “thin.” You need to have enough information on your site that people know what you do, and you also need to have enough words on your page so that Google can find you. You’re always writing for three people: the digger, the skimmer, and Google.
5. Hire a Mental Health Copywriter to Write Blogs and FAQ Pages For You
FAQ pages are fantastic places to use your keywords. You can try out the “what is…” or “how x works” on these pages. They’re great for using as many of your keywords as you’re trying to rank for (which should be about 3-5) without keyword stuffing.
Another way to boost your SEO is to write consistently updated relevant blogs. It’s not enough to have a blog and write some thoughts down. You need to write blogs that are long enough for Google to recognize (1000 words minimum). You also need to write blogs that are relevant and consistently updated. Once a week is recommended, but you can get away with every other week and still have an effect on your SEO.
If you’re looking for how to increase your SEO, look no further than a well-optimized blog written by a well-versed mental health copywriter. Your copywriter will know tricks that you may not, such as using internal and external links. [6] Internal links keep people engaged with your site because they link to other pages or blogs on your site. External links give you authority, as long as you’re linking to reputable sources. Both internal and external links affect your SEO and rank you higher.
Improve Your SEO With the Right Mental Health Copywriter
If you’re ready to boost your SEO, it’s time to hire a mental health copywriter who knows your world and the world of SEO. I’m the perfect person to take you on your SEO journey because not only am I a well-versed mental health copywriter who knows SEO, but I’m also a former therapist. You’re in good hands with me. Contact me to get started. I offer a free 30-minute consultation Zoom call to get started and see if we’re the right fit.
References
[1]https://extrashotcopy.com/blog/why-seo-is-the-key-to-online-success-for-your-business
[2]https://neilpatel.com/blog/#p-99004
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