Marketing

How To Market Yourself As A Therapist: How to be SEEN online

May 1, 2019
by Sarah Gershone

If you’ve been struggling on learning how to market yourself as a therapist, then here’s our guide for you.

When we create content on our websites, marketing for therapists can often be the last thing on our mind. But the truth is that, when we are working on our content, we really need have to have two main users in mind. The problem in, one of those users . . . isn’t human.

Your website can be an incredibly powerful tool for growing your private practice. But, it is only as powerful as the number of visitors who actually visit it. But, with all the websites on the internet today, how can you ensure that your website is actually SEEN by the people who you want to connect with?

The most fundamental thing to understand about getting your website SEEN online, is that you are creating content for two crucial viewers.

One is the ideal client who you are trying to attract.

The other, is the Google algorithm.

Creating content on your site gives your potential client more and more ways to find you. Every blog post you write creates on more possible point of intersection between your site and your clients searches. More than that, it gives a potential client who has found your site more ways to get to know you, and to give them the confidence that they need to take the leap into approaching you for treatment.

At the same time, the more content there is on your site, the more data there is for the Google Algorithm to chew on, to help it figure out what kind of site you are, and which visitors would most like to find you.
But because we want to please not just our potential client, but also the algorithm, we need to not only speak in a way that is non-threatening, compassionate, and confidence building for out clients.

We also need to speak Google’s language. And that means: Keywords.

How to Market Yourself as a Therapist Tip #1: Get the Right Keywords Websites

What are keywords? Since Google isn’t a person, it consumes information differently than a human would. It cannot digest large pieces of information as a whole. Instead, it looks for individual words or phrases that it can identify.

These words or phrases are like anchors, which tell google what category of content your website slots into. The more “anchors” there are on your site, the more confident Google will feel that it really understands what your site is all about.

And that means, that when someone is looking for the kind of content you provide, Google will know to show that searcher to YOUR site.

What keywords should you use on YOUR therapist website?

The answer to this question may not be as complicated as you think. Simply think about that ideal client that we talked about before. Brainstorm the phrases that client might type into Google when they are first ready to look for professional help.

For example, a physical therapist might identify keywords like: back pain stretches, sports injury assessment, and sports injury treatment. (These are just a few example, ideally you want to aim for a rather lengthy list of words!)

A therapist who specializes in online therapy might focus on keywords related to finding counseling online.

If you are having trouble coming up with what good keywords for your practice might be, you can use the free online Keyword Tool (https://keywordtool.io/google) for help. Another strategy is to check out websites of other therapists in your field and scan the headlines they have both at the top and mid-way through their posts and articles. They are most likely using many of the same keywords that would be relevant to your practice.

What do you do with these keywords once you have them?

Create a list of these words, and then, as you write simply make sure that you are using these words throughout your content.

Make sure to also use them in your headlines, and even in the sub-headings of your text. Remember, Google is SMART. It can tell which words you’re emphasizing, and will weight those words higher as it analyzes your content.

And just to be absolutely clear, this is NOT about creating a clunky mass of words, or awkward, key-word stuffed sentences!! Rather, this is simply being mindful about how we communicate, and choosing to use the vocabulary that will help Google to understand the message that we are trying to relay. In this way, we can make sure that our messages are successfully delivered to the right people.

Think of it as the difference between carefully addressing an envelope before handing it to your postal worker, versus throwing a message in a bottle out to sea.

Your keywords are the address that you put on your content so that the delivery person (Google) knows who to deliver that content too. Without that helpful information, your content is simply lost at sea, and you have to wait (probably a long time) and hope (really, really hard) that eventually it washes up next to the right person.

How to Market Yourself As A Therapist Bonus: Pro tip

One of the absolute best ways to get your content seen is to get it shared. And the best way to get your content shared, is to . . . say it with me. . . make it shareable. That means adding links to the bottom of your posts, so that people can share the information they find helpful on facebook or twitter! Even better, encourage people to share your articles with whoever they think might benefit from it most.

If you would like help in making your website an effective tool in growing your practice, contact me to set up a discovery call! I’m eager to help.

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2 thoughts on “How To Market Yourself As A Therapist: How to be SEEN online”

Ellen Sherman PhD

November 24, 2019 at 4:46 pm

Just what we discussed!
Reply
- Sarah Gershone
  
  November 24, 2019 at 10:02 pm
  
  Hi Ellen! Yes, absolutely. 🙂 Hope you found this helpful as well.
  Reply