A step-by-step SEO framework you can implement this week

This checklist is built for solo practitioners and group psychology practices—therapists, clinical psychologists, and group practices with websites already live or under development. It assumes basic website familiarity (you can edit pages or work with a developer) but no SEO background.

If you're looking for a diagnostic overview first, start with the SEO audit guide for psychologists. This checklist moves straight into action once you've identified gaps.

A note on scope: This covers the foundational elements most practices need to start showing up in local search results and attract patient inquiries. Depending on your current website state and market competition, you may need additional work on link-building, content depth, or paid support—but the checklist below gets you to a defensible baseline.

1. Claim and optimize your Google Business Profile. This is your single highest-priority item. Verify ownership, complete all fields (practice name, address, phone, hours, services, credentials), and upload professional photos. Set service areas if you're in a group practice or serve multiple neighborhoods.
2. Fix NAP consistency. Ensure your practice name, address, and phone match exactly across your website, Google Business Profile, Psychology Today profile, TherapyDen, and any other directories you're listed on. Inconsistencies signal unreliability to search engines.
3. Add LocalBusiness and ProfessionalService schema markup. This structured data tells Google you're a legitimate mental health provider. Include your credentials, specialties, and service area. If you work with multiple insurance providers, include that too.
4. Enable HTTPS and test site speed. Google ranks HTTPS sites higher. Run your site through Google PageSpeed Insights and fix any slow-load issues—especially important for mobile traffic (where most patients search).
5. Set up Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools. Monitor how you appear in search results and catch indexing issues early.

Most psychology practices benefit most from optimizing pages for specific therapy types rather than writing a single "Services" page. A patient searching for "trauma therapist in [city]" or "anxiety treatment [city]" should land on a page written for that exact need.

For each therapy specialty you offer, create one dedicated page with:

• A title and description that use patient language, not clinical jargon. Example: "Anxiety Therapy in Portland" (not "Generalized Anxiety Disorder Treatment Protocol"). Include your city for local relevance.
• A clear explanation of what the therapy is and how it helps. Write 200-300 words explaining anxiety treatment in plain English—what happens in a session, what patients can expect, what issues it addresses. Avoid overly technical terminology.
• FAQ schema markup. Add 4-6 patient questions ("What happens in your first session?" "Do you accept insurance?" "Can therapy help with anxiety?") with answers. This helps Google show your practice in featured snippets and builds patient trust.
• A clear call-to-action. Include your phone number and a link to your booking/contact form. Don't make a patient dig for how to schedule.
• Insurance and pricing transparency. If you accept specific insurance, mention it. If you're out-of-network or sliding scale, say so.

One well-optimized service page typically converts better than five mediocre generic pages.

Important disclaimer: This is educational guidance on best practices for patient privacy. Verify current HIPAA requirements (45 CFR §164) with your legal counsel or compliance officer before publishing content. State psychology board regulations on advertising also vary—consult your state board guidelines.

Patient testimonials and reviews are powerful for SEO and trust, but they must be HIPAA-compliant. The HIPAA Privacy Rule doesn't prohibit testimonials, but they cannot identify the patient's condition or contain protected health information.

Compliant testimonials include: "I felt heard and understood during therapy" or "The therapist helped me develop coping strategies that work for my life." These speak to the therapeutic relationship and outcomes without revealing diagnosis.

Non-compliant examples: "I was depressed for 10 years and this therapist fixed it" (identifies mental health status) or "You helped me manage my bipolar disorder" (reveals diagnosis).

For review responses: Never reference the patient's condition or details of their treatment in your reply. Thank them for their feedback, express your commitment to care, and invite them to contact you privately if they have concerns.

For patient testimonials: Get written consent using a template that explains the testimonial will appear on your website. Store the signed form securely. Consider video testimonials where the patient speaks about their experience without naming their diagnosis.

Psychology practices see patient searches cluster around three intents: problem-based ("help with anxiety"), therapy-type-based ("trauma-focused CBT"), and local ("therapist near me").

Your on-page SEO should target a mix, but the highest-converting keywords are usually local + therapy type: "anxiety therapist in [city]" or "EMDR near [zip code]."

Keyword targeting checklist:

• Identify your top 3-5 therapy specialties (anxiety, trauma, depression, couples therapy, etc.).
• For each specialty, create one service page targeting "[therapy] in [city]" + patient-friendly modifiers ("help for," "treatment for," "therapy for").
• Use Google Search Console to see what keywords people are already using to find you. Optimize existing pages for those terms if they're patient-relevant.
• Include location + therapy type in your page titles, H1, and first paragraph. Example: "Anxiety Therapy in Portland, OR | Licensed Clinical Psychologist"
• Avoid stuffing keywords. Write for patients first, search engines second.

In our experience with therapy practices, pages targeting local + therapy type keywords ("depression treatment in Denver") consistently outperform generic keywords alone.

Schema markup tells Google what your content is about in a structured format. For psychology practices, three types matter most:

1. LocalBusiness + ProfessionalService

This tells Google you're a licensed mental health provider in a specific location.

<script type="application/ld+json">
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "ProfessionalService",
  "name": "Your Practice Name",
  "address": {
    "@type": "PostalAddress",
    "streetAddress": "123 Main St",
    "addressLocality": "Portland",
    "addressRegion": "OR",
    "postalCode": "97201"
  },
  "telephone": "+15035551234",
  "areaServed": "Portland, OR",
  "credential": "Licensed Clinical Psychologist, Oregon Board #12345",
  "availableService": "Anxiety Therapy, Trauma Therapy, Depression Treatment"
}
</script>

2. FAQ Schema

Add 4-6 patient questions and answers on your service pages. This helps Google rank you for featured snippets.

3. Review/AggregateRating Schema

If you have Google reviews, schema markup displays your rating in search results. Google usually extracts this automatically if your Google Business Profile is properly set up, but you can add it manually.

Implementation: If you're comfortable with code, add the JSON-LD examples above to your page header. If not, ask your web developer or use a schema plugin (Yoast SEO, Rank Math) that generates markup visually. Always test your markup in Google's Rich Results Test tool before publishing.

If you only have 5 hours this week, do this:

1. Claim your Google Business Profile. (30 minutes) Go to google.com/business and claim your practice. Verify ownership, add complete practice info, upload 5-10 professional photos. This alone will improve your local search visibility immediately.
2. Audit and fix NAP consistency. (45 minutes) Document your practice name, exact address, and phone number. Check Psychology Today, TherapyDen, Healthgrades, and your website. Update any inconsistencies. Inconsistent NAP data confuses Google and hurts rankings.
3. Create one high-quality service page. (2 hours) Pick your strongest therapy specialty. Write 250-350 words explaining what it is, how it helps patients, and what to expect in a first session. Use patient language. Add your phone number and booking link. Include 3-4 FAQ questions with answers.
4. Add your credentials to your homepage and About page. (30 minutes) Include your full license number, state, and any specializations (EMDR, CBT, trauma certification). This builds trust and improves local schema markup.
5. Set up Google Search Console. (15 minutes) Verify your website, check for indexing errors, and see what keywords people use to find you. This gives you data for the next optimization round.