How Your Therapy Website Can Show Up on Google Search
After spending weeks creating your website and trying to get everything just right, it's discouraging to realize that you still aren't getting any traffic from search engines like Google.
And it's not just traffic that you're missing - it's actual patients (and therefore income). According to Ubersuggest, people are searching for your practice. Last month there were:
823.000 searches for "chiropractor near me"
18.100 searches for "naturopath near me"
22,200 searches for "occupational therapist near me"
135,000 searches for "med spa near me"
And these aren't just causal browsers - there are people who are ready to book an appointment because they need your help now.
And if you aren't showing up in those searches, you're missing out on up to 70% of the traffic your website could be getting.
So what can you do if you Google your industry in your location and your website isn't showing up (or is way down on the infinite scroll list)?
These are the 5 steps you can take today to see why you aren't showing up and what you can do about it.
1. Run a PageSpeed Insights Test
Start by giving your website a quick checkup using PageSpeed Insights. This Google tool is great for seeing how your website performs in loading times, SEO optimization, and usability.
Take a look at the areas where you need to improve and make a list of the things you can update on your website. Common improvements I recommend are:
Optimizing your images for faster loading times
Updating your color palette to have enough contrast
Making sure to only have one H1 (Heading 1) tag per page
2. Make sure your website is on Search Console
If you haven't already, you need to make sure that your sitemap has been submitted to Google Search Console. This tells Google to crawl (or look at) your website and will help you rank higher in search results.
It’s easy to get set up on Search Console, especially if you already have a Google account and are using Squarespace for your website. You can follow the instructions here to submit your sitemap.
It's also helpful to have Search Console re-index any pages that you've made updates to so there isn't a delay on getting that new content in front of people.
3. Create or review your Google Business Profile
When someone is searching in Google for a service that can be location dependent, Google always shows them businesses in their area first, including their Google Business profile in the sidebar of the search. Google Business profiles are also used on Google Maps when someone is searching for a location in Maps.
That makes your Google Business Profile a really powerful tool for getting in front of the right people when they are searching with the intent to buy.
Make sure that you have Google Business profile set up, including important information about your practice:
Practice Name
Your name (and your team names)
Location (include your physical address if you have one)
Areas you serve
Industry
Services (and pricing)
Images (specifically of your location, but also of your work)
Hours
Contact information (phone number, website, etc.)
4. Review you keywords
Once your website has been online for a while and you've set up Search Console, you can check to see what search terms your website is showing up for (and whether people are actually clicking on your website after they search). The easiest way to do this is through Search Console in the Queries tab.
The first thing I like to look at is the list of the top 10 queries that are showing up in search results (impressions) and how many people actually end up on your website (clicks). This will let you know if the keywords your website is getting known for are actually related to your business, location, and specialty. If they are, great! Keep publishing content related to those keywords and answering questions similar to those that are bringing in traffic.
If they aren’t, take a deeper look.
Are the queries related to old blog posts? Can you update those posts to better relate to your current offers?
Are they related to something you don’t want to be known for? Concentrate on writing more content that answers questions that your patients are asking.
You can also use a tool like Ubsersuggest to run a report on the keywords you want to rank for and if your website shows up for those.
5. Make a plan to update your website
Now that you know what's working and what needs some improvement, it's time to make a plan. Start by creating a list of things you want to work on and set aside time over the next week to get them done.
I recommend starting with:
Adding or updating page titles and descriptions for every page on your site
Optimizing your images and adding Alt Text
Submitting your website to Search Console
Adding an SEO title and description for your most popular blog posts
Updating any colors combinations that aren't accessible
Don't want to deal with the tech? I can help you improve your SEO during a Refresh Session! We'll spend our time updating your copy, filling in all your SEO settings, optimizing your images, and making sure your website is on Search Console. This is the most common thing I help with during Refresh sessions!
"From start to finish, Samantha makes the entire process stress-free and straightforward. I greatly appreciate having a website that I feel confident showcases me as a professional in my industry. I'm particularly impressed by her efforts to boost the SEO of my site and her commitment to making it accessible to all users."
