Show Notes

Kayla: Welcome back to the Designer Practice Podcast, and I’m your host, Kayla Das.

Have you struggled with your practice website’s search engine optimization, or otherwise known as SEO? Maybe you’ve even hired expensive SEO experts to find your website is still not ranking high on Google search engines as you had hoped. Well, you’re going to want to keep listening to this episode to get all of the hot tips and tricks to help you boost your on-page SEO.

In today’s episode, I have Katie Boesenberg with me to discuss the difference between on-page and off-page SEO, as well as how to better utilize your on page SEO to boost your search engine ranking.

Hi, Katie. Welcome to the show. I’m so glad to have you here today.

Katie: Hi, Kayla. Yes. Thanks so much for having me on your podcast. I’m super excited to be here with you today and talking about this topic, which so many therapists struggle with, as did I, when I first started out. So, thank you for having me.

Kayla: Yeah, no, SEO. In my opinion, it is one of the most misunderstood parts of running a private practice. I’ve had so many clients come to me sharing their stories where they’ve paid thousands of thousands of dollars on expensive SEO experts. And then see almost no results in the end. And I’ve even heard stories where therapists hired SEO experts who’ve tried to cheat Google, and it actually deranked their website, which we’re going to talk about a little bit later, but it’s called Black Hat Techniques. And for listeners who’ve never heard of this term before, Black Hat Techniques or Black Hat T ricks, so you might hear me go back and forth between the two terms, are when strategies are used to cheat search engines in order to increase page rankings by using techniques that violate search engines terms.

Let’s be honest, search engines are way too smart to be cheated, so such techniques don’t often hold true value to private practice websites. And if you get caught, your website gets deranked as a result. So, this is why I’m super excited to have you on the show so that we can dig deeper into some of the things that therapists can do to enhance their on-page SEO.

Introduction

But before we get into this today, please introduce yourself, where you’re from, and tell us a little bit about what you do and who you work with.

Katie: Yeah, of course. So, my name is Katie Bosenberg and I am a registered mental health counselling intern in Florida but hopefully by the time this podcast is published, I will be fully licensed. So, I own a private practice in Southwest, Florida where I specialize in trauma and OCD. And throughout figuring out my website, redoing it a million times and continuing to do so because I feel it’s always going to be evolving. I learned so much about SEO and how I could use it to my advantage and not spend thousands upon thousands of dollars on Google ads just starting out as a therapist and just starting out in your private practice. You don’t have a lot of funds to spend on these things to attract clients. So that was a huge thing for me where I felt a little bit restricted.

So, I had to do this research, figure out how to attract clients in a way that was true to me. I’m a very introverted person. So that turned into me wanting to help other therapists and spread that information that I learned and teach them how to use SEO and copywriting to their advantage as well. So, to make that like a short and concise depiction of what I do, I work with other therapists and teach them SEO and copywriting so they know how to do it on their own and they don’t have to outsource and spend a lot of money.

On-Page and Off-Page SEO

Kayla: That is fabulous and I’m sure there’s some listeners out there that’s like, I really need to work with you. So first of all, tell us a little bit about what on-page SEO is and how does it differ from off-page SEO?

Katie: So, on-page SEO is what is on the website, so both of what you can see and what you can’t, and when I’m talking about what you can’t see, I’m talking about the reader. So, meaning like the background features of the site. So, it’s different from off-page SEO because with off-page SEO, we focus more on the backlinks, social media, reviews, podcasts, guest blogging. There’s a lot of things that off-page SEO can handle versus on-page SEO. So off-page SEO, it’s essentially everything you can do outside of your website to link back to your website.

Why SEO is Important for Private Practices

Kayla: That’s really helpful to know. So why is SEO important for private practices? And how does it help them be found by potential clients?

Katie: So private practice websites, they really do need SEO in order to be a successful marketing tool for their practice. If your website doesn’t have its SEO features optimized, your website is really just sitting there and collecting dust and we don’t want that, right? It can be a gold mine. It’s just sitting underground and we have to chip away at it. So, if we’re not chipping away at it, you’re not getting the most out of your website and basically, you’re wasting money each month keeping it up and running. So, we want to be able to know that the investment that we have in our website is working. And we’re getting that return on investment.

So, to answer your question specifically, SEO is important for private practice websites because it allows our websites to show up in organic search results for clients searching for our services. For example, if a potential client is looking for a therapist specializing in social anxiety, and let’s say that’s in Cincinnati, and they Google that. They’ll find you on the first page of Google if you optimize your website to show for that specific search. So, our website’s SEO is basically talking to Google or search engines to tell them when to show our page in the search results based on what the viewer or searcher is looking for.

How to Improve Your On-Page SEO

Kayla: That makes complete sense. So, when we think of SEO, what are some of the things that therapists can start doing to help improve their on-page SEO specifically?

Katie: So, starting to figure out SEO can definitely feel daunting and tedious. So, I want to go over just a couple of different things that therapists can start with to improve their on-page SEO.

Keywords

So, one of the most important things you can do to optimize that SEO is figuring out which keywords you want to rank for. Keywords are words that tell Google what your content is in a way that allows your website to show up in search results. And using the example of social anxiety therapy in Cincinnati, you would want to use those words with your location in your copywriting. So, you definitely want to do that keyword research for whatever your niche is. And you can do that for free on Google Keyword Planner. You can do it on Ubersuggest, there’s SEMrush, Moz. So, there’s a lot of different ways you can do that keyword research for free on websites that provide those tools. So, again, you have a lot of different options with that.

Internal Linking

But another way to maximize that on page SEO is by using internal linking. So, this just means by adding links to other pages on your website inside of your website. So, to make that make a little bit more sense. An example of that would be maybe having a picture of yourself on your homepage with a little blurb about you and then having a link that says, learn more about me, which then takes the reader to your about me page. So, it’s a way of navigating from one page to another page in your website that shows Google that you have a structure to your website, your website has relevance, and your website has some type of authority. So, this is what Google is looking for in order to put you in their search results. So, I would suggest having your service pages linked on your home page as well because that can create more internal links too. So the more internal links you have, the more structure your website has, and Google is seeing that and they like that.

Images

And speaking of photos, images can be beneficial to your SEO as well. So one of the reasons for this is because Google often shows visuals in their search results. So, you can maximize your images for SEO by adding alt text, which that basically is just a description of what the picture is. And you can throw a keyword in there too. So, giving you a little bit of an example of that would be, say you have a picture of what shows a smiling mother with her child, your alt text could be mother spending time with child after healing from postpartum depression. So, the alt text that I’m talking about, you don’t see that in the picture itself. It’s kind of behind the picture and it tells Google what the picture is about. But it also allows for people who have visual disabilities to be able to understand what that image is with their readers when they’re on their websites. So, in that alt text, don’t include photo of or image of because Google already knows it’s a picture. So just describe what the picture is.

Meta Descriptions

And one more item I would like to add to start optimizing your on-page SEO for therapists is use meta descriptions. So, it’s a word that doesn’t really make much sense, like internal linking and having pictures on your website does. So if this does sound a little bit confusing, I want to explain it to you. So meta descriptions are summaries of what your pages on your website are about. So you will have one for each page. These are the descriptions that show under the title of a page in search results. And they’re just short descriptions, so don’t get too wordy with them, but definitely add the value of the page in the description. So, this can be a way to create a connection with a prospective client before they even land on your page. It kind of draws them into clicking on that title and searching your page and seeing if you are a good fit therapist for them. So the more compelling you can create the description, the more likely your ideal client will be in clicking on that link, and the more Google will see your site as valuable.

So those are just a few things that therapists can start with to really optimize their on-page SEO if they’re just starting out with it, or maybe they’re trying to tweak it a little bit. So those were the keywords, the internal linking, images, and the meta descriptions.

Keywords and Practicing in Multiple Jurisdictions

Kayla: Fabulous. So, what if a therapist actually is registered or licensed in multiple areas? I often hear therapists say, “I work in Alberta and Ontario, and I don’t just want to say that I am a therapist in Edmonton, Alberta, because that means other people won’t find me as well.” so when we think of say, keyword research and keywords specifically, what does that mean for people who might work in multiple jurisdictions? Or maybe even fearful putting in a single location into their keyword search?

Katie: So, with that, you can definitely use keywords. that speak to your potential client or your ideal client in a way that speaks to what they’re struggling with. Now, we want to add a location in there too and you can definitely have more than one location that works for a lot of therapists as well, especially here in the States where some therapists are licensed in a couple different states and they want to advertise that on their website. They can put that on there and Google will still see that.

So, it just broadens it a little bit. And it allows therapists to be able to see those clients from different areas. But in order to speak to the client using those keywords and doing that keyword research, I would definitely hone in on the ideal client specifically, and then just adding in whatever locations that you do practice on your website as well. So, Google can see that. It doesn’t necessarily have to be put together with those keywords, as long as it’s just somewhere on your website, maybe in a header.

Google’s Double EAT Formula for Ranking

Kayla: That makes complete sense. And you know, it’s interesting because when we think of Google overall, it actually has its own formula for calculating their search ranking scores. And although it changes from time to time, and it actually just changed in December of 2022. They often search for the most reliable, helpful, and trustworthy content.

And as of December 2022, Google started looking for four things, which is what they call Double EAT. Currently, Google uses these four categories to determine their website ranking, which includes experience, expertise, authority, and trustworthiness. So essentially what they’re looking for on your website is:

Do you have the experience to write about this specific topic?

Do you have the expertise in this particular area?

Do you have the authority, meaning that you are the go-to-source on this specific topic at hand?

And that your content is trustworthy?

Avoid Using Black Hat Techniques

And going back to the black hat techniques or tricks that we were talking about before, how some SEO experts will use these techniques, but it can actually derank you. It’s that trustworthy part that when we start using these kinds of cheating techniques that negatively impact your score and can get you de ranked in that respect. So, if an SEO expert or even yourself for that matter starts using these, it can really drastically affect your SEO.

Now you might be wondering what are some black hat techniques or tricks. Again, I don’t recommend using these, but I want you to know what they are so that you don’t fall in the same trap. So, some of the most common black hat techniques that you’ll want to avoid are keyword stuffing, using invisible text, or buying links or clicks so that you get more views. I’m sure there are many others out there too. But using such techniques are not going to help your ideal client find you or grow your practice in any way. And the smart search engine bots are going to catch on sooner than later if you start using these techniques. So again, don’t use them. So, ensuring that when you’re creating content or using SEO techniques that you’re really focused on being helpful, authentic, and trustworthy.

I look at Google as a real good business owner. Google wants to ensure that the most reliable, helpful, and trustworthy content shows first for searchers when they are looking for specific content. Because the truth is, like any business, if what the client is looking for isn’t available or is of low quality, guess what? They won’t come back again. And search engines reward great content by helping that content raise the rank so searchers can find it and benefit from them so they do come back again and again. And these black hat techniques do not help. And when you’re found out, not if, but when you’re found out, you will be deranked as a result.

Katie: And you’re absolutely right with that. So, I know you just mentioned the keyword stuffing as part of that and I mentioned keywords is one of the most important aspects of SEO to focus on, but you make an incredibly essential point and not stuffing those keywords, Google will not see you as an expert if you have one keyword all over your website. So, you definitely want to use your keywords and a conversational way and not in a way where you are trying to trick Google. into seeing your website as a place with expertise because it will definitely backfire.

And one more thing that I wanted to add to the black hat techniques because this is actually something that I saw recently with a therapist that I did a little audit for. And of course, their intention behind it was just to have more information on their website, but it was definitely a black hat technique that I believe was probably negatively affecting their website, and it was plagiarized or duplicated content. She was plagiarizing herself essentially because it was the same exact content on one service page to another service page. So if you do have duplicated contact on your website, you’d want to edit that and make sure that it is its own and unique to you and not plagiarized or duplicated.

Kayla: You had some really great points there. And even when we are not necessarily plagiarizing other people, but if we plagiarize ourselves and we start using the same content and all these other pages, it’s not necessarily helping with new, unique content that is helpful, right? So being able to ensure that you’re creating new content or at least rewording it in a way that’s authentic and that can really help your ideal client throughout your website can be really helpful.

Blogging and SEO

And this also goes back to blogging. I love blogging. So, I’ve been doing it for several years now. How does blogging or creating consistent content on a private practice website help with search engine optimization?

Katie: So, blogging can be so helpful with search engine optimization. You definitely don’t want to knock it. Blogs give you a chance to give valuable content and information while also giving you an opportunity to add in those keywords to you and adding in images and also creating some compelling copy to connect with your ideal client.

So, your blogs can be a strategic way and showing up in Google results because it allows you to actually answer questions for your reader. And those keywords can be in that question format, right? So, this will also show Google that your website is active and not just sitting there. Google likes active websites.

Also, kind of just throwing in a little tip here. You can show Google you are active through your Google My Business account as well. So, posting announcements weekly through your Google My Business account helps with that SEO as well. And you can even use your blogs as those announcements, right? Like you can put the announcement, new blog, read about how EMDR is helpful with sexual trauma. So, it’s definitely a great way to continue optimizing your SEO and continue reaching that ideal client.

Kayla: Yeah. I’ve noticed since I’ve started blogging, now moving towards podcast transcripts, but I’ve been blogging for at least three years now, might even be a little bit over that. And I’ve noticed that it’s my blogs that actually get clients in. And if you think about it, when we Google something, we Google a search term of some sort, I think it’s always a blog or an article that pops up. It’s never someone’s front page, it’s never someone’s about page, or it’s never someone’s contact page. If I’m looking up something that I want to learn about, it’s usually some type of blog or article that comes up on the first couple pages of search engines. So, by creating some of these content, you can actually start putting yourself in that when people start searching, they, I want to say almost accidentally find you, but then they actually start searching through the rest of your website. So, they’ll then go on your contact page. They’ll go on your about page. They’ll go on your service page.

So personally, I found that my traffic to my website really increased when I started blogging and blogging consistently. At first, I only blog like maybe once a month once every two months, and it does take a little while for Google to find your website and you can use certain tools like Google Console, which I use now, which I didn’t use then, because I didn’t even know it existed back then. But you can help get your pages indexed quicker.

And I won’t go into indexing, but basically, it’s just a search engine word for them being able to actually find your website. But it still takes several weeks to sometimes several months. And I think my number one article, that I still have today, was actually my first ever article that I ever wrote. But it took me almost a year before I started seeing people actually click on that and to be the number one. And like I said, it’s still the number one today, but it’s also my oldest article as well and I do update it from time to time.

So again, going back to blogging, I don’t want to take over this podcast, I can’t explain how much I think that blogging has really helped with my own business and how it can really help other therapists with creating more on-page SEO so that they can be found in different avenues and so forth.

Katie: Yeah, no, you’re definitely right with that. And it provides so much value to your website and it hits that Double EAT, right? It hits that expertise, that authority, that trustworthiness, when you’re providing that consistent value and content for your ideal client or even readers. It shows Google that your website is worth looking at. So, it’s worth putting in the search results.

One-Page vs. Multi-Page Website and SEO

Kayla: Yeah, for sure. So many therapists, when they start out, they might start using a one-page website versus a multi-page website. What are some of the considerations or limitations of using a one-page website versus a multi-page website when it comes to SEO specifically?

Katie: Well, to be completely honest, having something is better than nothing. So, if you can start with a one-page and you don’t have time to create the multi-page, do it. You can definitely continue building your website, but I would suggest making that a priority if you do only have a one-page website. And building SEO definitely takes time. So, if you have just the one page, go ahead and publish it. Allow Google to start ranking you for those SEO optimizations for that one page. And then as you continue to build on it, it’s going to continue working for you.

So having a multi-page website is much more meaningful to Google and maximizing your site’s SEO. If you only have a one-page website right now, use that in a way where you can create that copy that speaks to your ideal client, but then start adding on those service pages and about me page and FAQ page, a section for your blogs. Start adding little by little. And by having a multi-page website, you can create that structure that Google is looking for, and that improves your SEO drastically because of it. Google likes structure, it likes easy navigation, and knowing that your website provides expertise and value. And so having that multi-page website satisfies that for Google if you do it correctly.

And all of this is just saying that we really need to speak to the Google Gods with our website. And they definitely rule SEO and they have their practices. And so, if you need to start small with a one-page website, don’t worry, do it. But then start building on it and allow yourself to start gaining traction with your SEO.

Kayla: I love that advice because yeah, something is better than nothing, but the goal should always be to build because sometimes we think, “Oh, I just got a website and I can just leave it be” and this is whether it’s a one-page or a multi-page, but sometimes being able to update, refreshing it and really as we grow our practices grow, our ideal clients change, the services we provide change. So, really keeping up-to-date can be really helpful. But having the goal to continue to build.

And I will say my own website, I’ve probably changed it, not including just the blogs and the podcast episodes, but the whole like look of it and the content in it, probably 10 times since I’ve started my business. Not that everyone has to do it that often. But it’s really remembering that the content that you put on your website matters.

And not that we need to always keep up with what Google is doing, all of the Google algorithms and things like that, but again, going back to the double-EAT. Are you putting content out there that’s unique, trustworthy, and helpful? And if we always come from that frame of mind, that’s really going to help your ideal clients be able to find you because Google is going to reward you in that way. Absolutely love it.

Katie’s Free Group

So, Katie, I know you have a free group on Facebook, can you share a little bit about your free group and what they can expect from the group if they decide to join?

Katie: Yeah, of course. So, I created this free Facebook group. I called it The Counselor’s Copy, A Roadmap to SEO and copywriting for therapists. So in this group, I do free live trainings every week and I offer tips weekly as well. I just post them in the group a couple of times a week. So, I focus one week on SEO and one week on copywriting, and then I flip flop just to keep it structured, and so I know what I’m doing that week in terms of what I’m offering.

So, I do offer a lot of information in this group to help you DIY your website. But if you would rather have some individual guidance and coaching when doing your website, I do have a course called The Counselor’s Copy where I teach therapists the A to Z of SEO and copywriting so they don’t have to outsource their websites and can understand Their own websites and how to optimize them once and for all. Psychology Today and Google my Business are also included in this course as well.

But like you said you’ve changed your website a million times and you’re not going to want to go pay somebody a million times to continue to keep those updates. So that’s where when I created this group and this course, it’s to really help therapists learn it themselves so they don’t have to waste that money every time they want a change.

Kayla: I love that because even if we’re not techie, knowing how to do basic edits and to learn some of the copy that we can put on our website is really valuable and helpful because as a business owner, yeah, you might have a web designer who’s going to do a lot of the visual aspect, but like you said, you’re not going to pay someone all the time to change your copy or to change your website. So knowing some of these basics can be really helpful to help you as a business owner, as you grow.

So, if you would like to join Katie’s free Facebook community, The Counselor’s Copy Course, check out kayladas.com/katiesgroup.

That’s kayladas.com/katiesgroup

Or you can simply scroll down to the show notes and click on the link.

Katie, thank you so much for joining us today and breaking down the differences between on-page and off-page SEO. And sharing these valuable tips and strategies so that therapists can start boosting their website ranking today.

Katie: Yes, thank you so much for having me. I’ve really enjoyed doing this and sharing this little tidbit of information and hopefully it’s helpful to those listening to the podcast.

Kayla: And thank you everyone for tuning into today’s episode and I hope you join me again soon on the Designer Practice Podcast.

Until next time, bye for now.

Credits & Disclaimers

Music by ItsWatR from Pixabay

The Designer Practice Podcast and Evaspare Inc. has an affiliate and/or sponsorship relationship for advertisements in our podcast episodes. We receive commission or monetary compensation, at no extra cost to you, when you use our promotional codes and/or check out advertisement links.

Reference

Google Search Central. (15 December, 2022). Out latest update to the quality rater guideslines: E-A-T gets an extra E for Experience. Retrieved from https://developers.google.com/search/blog/2022/12/google-raters-guidelines-e-e-a-t