How do people actually search for a therapist?
By issue first, modality second, person third: "anxiety therapist near me", "help with health anxiety", "CBT for panic attacks", "trauma therapist [city]", then names once a shortlist exists. Searches happen privately, often late at night, frequently on mobile, and the person is usually anxious about the process itself as much as the problem. A site organised around your qualifications rather than their issues misses the entire first stage.
Should therapists rely on directories like Psychology Today or Counselling Directory?
Use them, do not depend on them. Directories rank strongly, deliver enquiries and are worth optimising properly (complete profile, specialisms named, current photo, honest fees). But you rent that visibility, compete alongside dozens of colleagues on the same page, and cannot control the presentation. A practice website ranking for its own issue and locality terms captures enquiries directories never route to you, and converts better because the client arrives already knowing you rather than choosing from a grid.
Is therapy content held to YMYL standards?
Yes, firmly: mental-health content sits in Google's most scrutinised category, and pages need verifiable practitioner credentials (BACP, UKCP, BPS or HCPC registration in the UK; state licensure in the US; provincial regulation in Canada) displayed clearly, accurate and non-sensational descriptions of conditions, honest scope statements about what therapy can and cannot do, and appropriate crisis signposting. Ethical content and ranking content are, unusually, almost the same document here.
What does issue-led architecture look like?
A page per issue you genuinely work with, anxiety, depression, trauma, relationship difficulties, bereavement, work stress, written to the person experiencing it rather than about the condition academically: what it feels like, what therapy for it typically involves, how long people usually come, what the first session is like. Modality pages (CBT, EMDR, person-centred, psychodynamic) sit alongside for clients who search by approach, and both link into a clear, low-friction contact path.
How should therapists handle reviews and testimonials?
With extreme care, because professional bodies restrict them and clients are vulnerable: many UK registers discourage or prohibit soliciting client testimonials, and confidentiality makes public reviews ethically fraught. The alternative trust signals are stronger anyway: registration details, supervision arrangements, training and specialisms, a genuine photo, a warm and specific about page, and clear fee transparency. We build trust through credibility and tone rather than through reviews the ethics discourage.
What converts on a therapy website?
Reassurance and low friction: fees stated plainly (uncertainty about cost stops more enquiries than the cost itself), availability and waiting-time honesty, a clear description of the first session, online versus in-person options, and a contact method that feels private, many clients prefer email or a short form over phoning a stranger about something painful. Photos of the actual room matter more than stock imagery of hands and sunsets.
What does therapist SEO cost?
From £450/month for solo practitioners, which reflects the scale of the work rather than the market rate for healthcare SEO. Group practices and clinics from £950/month with per-practitioner profiles and broader issue coverage. One-off website and issue-architecture projects from £900. Directory profile optimisation included in the first month rather than sold separately.