Podcast Summary – Private Practice Startup Podcast

Episode 94: SEO For Therapists: Get Google To Love You
Hosts: Dr. Kate Campbell & Katie Lemieux
Guest: Perry Rosenbloom (Brighter Vision)
Date: July 14, 2018

Episode Overview

In this episode, hosts Dr. Kate Campbell and Katie Lemieux bring back Perry Rosenbloom of Brighter Vision to demystify SEO (Search Engine Optimization) for therapists. The conversation dives deep into why SEO matters for private practices, actionable steps therapists can take, and how to sustainably grow a website’s visibility to the right clients on Google—aka, “getting Google to love you.” The tone is friendly, accessible, and encouraging, aiming to make SEO feel manageable and worthwhile, even for clinicians without technical expertise.

Main Discussion Points & Insights

1. What is SEO and Why Does It Matter in Private Practice?

• SEO Defined: Search Engine Optimization is about making your website relevant to Google for specific searches (07:44).
  • Quote: “SEO, all it's about is about relevance. So you want to be able to communicate to Google...what your business website is about.” – Perry (07:44)
• Why It’s Important: Good SEO ensures that potential clients searching for the services you provide (in your geography and specialty) can find you, not just general directories or unrelated businesses (08:42).

2. Foundational SEO: Content, Keywords, & Service Pages

• Homepage SEO: Get your homepage dialed-in, including titles (the clickable blue text on Google) and descriptions (the preview text). But after this is done, further changes don't move the needle much (08:52).
• Service/Specialty Pages: The most powerful thing you can do for SEO is to create specific service pages for each area you practice in (09:55).
  • Quote: “The best thing that you can do in your private practice for your SEO is to write specific service pages on your website.” – Perry (09:55)
• Content Tips:
  • Each service page should have 400-600 words, written in plain language aimed at your target client or their parents, focusing on transformation and results, not jargon or credentials (10:59; 12:42).
  • Avoid “alphabet soup” (clinical jargon or therapy acronyms) (11:29).
  • Use emotional, client-centered language to connect with both readers and Google (11:31).

3. Internal Linking and Blogging for SEO Boost

• Internal Links: Use blog posts to link back to relevant service pages (12:42).
  • Quote: “The wheel on the spokes analogy...you have a service page and then you have all these other spokes leading off of it.” – Perry (13:09)
• Blog Ideas: Write about seasonal issues (e.g., anxiety around the school year), linking those articles to your main service pages to reinforce relevance to Google (13:09).

4. Finding the Right Keywords and Topics to Write About

• Short Tail vs. Long Tail Keywords:
  • Short-tail: e.g., “Counselor Boulder”—very competitive, often not your ideal client, and hard to rank for (16:44).
  • Long-tail: e.g., “Opiate addiction counseling Boulder”—more specific, easier to rank, better fit for niche practices (16:44).
• How to Discover Keyword Ideas:
  • Use Google itself: start typing your topic into Google and note suggested phrases and questions; scroll to the bottom of the results for related search queries (13:46; 15:43).
  • Use your clients’ language: Incorporate phrases and pain points your real clients use into your content (16:06).

5. Link Building: The Votes That Set You Apart

• Why Backlinks Matter:
  • Google uses external links (“votes”) to decide which sites to rank higher if many sites have similar content (20:13).
  • Not all links are equal—relevant, credible links matter the most (22:36).
  • Quote: “A vote for your website is a link…if I have a link from goodtherapy.org…maybe a local newspaper…all of a sudden, Google's seeing additional votes and additional relevancy… and Google's gonna say, hey, Perry's private practice, you're mentioned in this local newspaper about the opiate crisis…Well, I think you're a lot more relevant.” – Perry (21:42)
• Effective Strategies:
  • Guest blogging or getting quoted in local media or relevant industry sites
  • Cross-linking with other local therapists (if relevant to your specialty)
  • Don’t pursue irrelevant links (e.g., your friend’s sprinkler repair site); it won’t help and can harm (22:55).

6. SEO Maintenance: The Garden Analogy

• Continuous Effort Needed:
  • SEO isn’t “set and forget.” Like tending a garden, it requires regular care—publishing new content, seeking good links, updating pages (28:26).
  • Quote: “SEO is very much like a garden. You plant your seeds with the good content and the good title tags and the good descriptions…but you still need to be watering your garden on a daily basis.” – Perry (28:44)
  • Small, consistent actions are more effective than sporadic big efforts.

7. Platform Choice and Brighter Vision’s Unique SEO Support

• Website Platforms: WordPress, Wix, and other platforms can all work for SEO if set up properly (26:20).
• SEO Support: Brighter Vision offers clients specialist help—including a dedicated SEO expert who creates detailed, personalized action guides (26:20; 27:47).

Notable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

• On SEO’s Evolution:
  • “Back in the day…you would stuff your page like a Thanksgiving dinner with like all those keywords and say it a gazillion times…but it's so much better now as a user of Google…That really helps the small business owner.” – Perry (06:13)
• On Avoiding Jargon:
  • “Stay away from the Alphabet soup.” – Perry (11:29)
  • “You want to be able to connect and convey, connect with people in an emotional way...” – Kate (11:31)
• On Keyword Prioritization:
  • “It's not as crucial as just having good content. Google's smart enough at this point that it can understand what you're trying to target and rank you appropriately for it.” – Perry (15:55)
• On Link Relevance:
  • “Does it matter what type of sites you're linking to to make you be relevant?” – Kate (22:55)
  • “It does matter…Google's gonna look at that. It's gonna be like, no, no, no, this isn't legit…I'm going to either completely discount this link, or…penalize.” – Perry (23:28)
• On SEO as a Garden:
  • “You need to put the time and energy in…But you need to, it's something that should be thought of at least on a monthly basis…over time, you're going to get a really thriving garden…” – Perry (28:44)

Key Takeaways & Action Steps

• Write individual specialty/service pages (400-600 words, client-focused, plain language) for each area you serve.
• Use clients’ actual language and emotional results in your website writing, not clinical jargon.
• Support your service pages with blogs linked back to those pages.
• Use Google itself for keyword brainstorming by observing auto-suggestions and related searches.
• Pursue relevant backlinks—get quoted, guest blog, cross-link, but make sure links are pertinent to your specialty and location.
• SEO is ongoing—check in at least monthly, adding content or updating as your practice evolves.
• Consider expert support (e.g., Brighter Vision) for deeper help or for managing the technical/strategic aspects of SEO.

Final Metaphor

“It’s all about giving your garden the love so that Google will love you back.” – Kate (30:30)

Further Resources

• For Brighter Vision’s SEO support and special offers: [See show notes or visit their website]
• For actionable marketing and SEO tips tailored to therapists: [Check Private Practice Startup website]

Next Episode Preview

The next episode will feature Alison Puryear and John Clarke on the topic of relocating your private practice, a helpful resource for therapists managing a move.

This episode is a treasure trove for therapists looking to demystify SEO and begin taking active steps to improve their online visibility in ways that are genuine, sustainable, and client-centered.