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The APA Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct dedicates Section 5 to advertising and public statements. Here's what each standard means for your website and SEO content:
Standard 5.01: Avoidance of False or Deceptive Statements
This is the foundation. Psychologists do not make false, deceptive, or fraudulent statements concerning their training, experience, competence, credentials, institutional affiliations, services, or the scientific basis of their work. For your website, this means:
- Your credentials must be accurate and current
- Service descriptions must reflect what you actually provide
- Outcome claims must be supportable and not guarantee results
- Meta descriptions and page titles fall under these requirements
Standard 5.02: Statements by Others
You're responsible for statements others make on your behalf. This includes content written by marketing agencies, testimonials you publish, and directory listings you control. If an SEO provider writes copy claiming you 'cure' conditions, you bear ethical responsibility.
Standard 5.04: Media Presentations
When your content appears in search results or on social media, ensure statements are based on appropriate psychological literature and practice, not sensationalized for clicks.
Standard 5.05: Testimonials
APA prohibits soliciting testimonials from current therapy clients or others who may be vulnerable to undue influence. This creates tension with standard review-generation practices—a tension we'll address in the testimonials section.
Standard 5.06: In-Person Solicitation
While less relevant to SEO, this prohibits soliciting business from potential clients who are vulnerable. Aggressive remarketing to people who visited crisis-related pages could raise concerns under this standard.