Search engine optimization or SEO is a natural way of feeding potential customers to your website.  SEO is about making your site search engine friendly so when customers search for key words relating to your industry, your site pops us first.  It helps to streamline your sales process by bringing customers who are already searching for your specific goods and services directly to your digital doorstop.  Unlike the yellow pages where companies are listed by name, search engine optimization lists sites through their clearly defined title and meta tags, keywords and popularity.  Propel yourself to the top of the list by taking advantage of some SEO strategies.

1: Don’t pad your keywords. Too many sites took advantage of stuffing their sites with popular words that were ultimately irrelevant to their content.  Search engines contrast your keywords to the actual content on your page and will not list keywords that appear irrelevant to the copy.  Keep your keywords clean, neat and focused but also keep in mind that search engines give very little credence to keyword tags.

2: Have a site map. A site map is a simple page showing the internal link structure of your website and containing a link to every page on your website.  Customers like it because it helps them get to the page they need immediately.  Search engines like it because it makes it easy to chronicle everything on your site.  Submit an XML sitemap to search engines to help them easily list your page.

3: Keep your title tag short, sweet and to the point. It should be under 60 characters and it should funnel out: start with the most specific note about the particular page and then add some more general characteristics.  Refine it and make sure it accurately reflects the content of the page exactly.

4: Keep your content to coding ratio high. It’s hard for search engines to sift through pages and pages of hackneyed HTML or CSS code in order to find the content of your website.  Make sure your coding is as streamlined as possible and that your written content about your company shines through.  If you’ve had your page for a few years you may want to hire a professional to analyze and refine it.  There may be coding errors or excess coding that are invisible to your eye but glaringly obvious to a trained web designer and to search engines.  Ensure that your coding is kept up to date and all extraneous coding is deleted.

5: KISS—Keep it simple, stupid. Whether you’re fixing drains or selling cupcake mix, your customers are looking for that particular product.  Don’t flood your page with flowery language or metaphors.  Keep your copy simple, clean and to the point.  It makes it easier for search engines to match you up with buying customers.  It also makes life easier for your customers.  Clear language tells them exactly what they’re looking for and gives them all the tools they need to decide whether or not they want your product.

6: Tailor your meta tags to each page within your website. Yes, your website may have one overarching goal (to sell a product or service) but you need to reflect what each page on your website is for and why it is important.  This makes it easier for search engines to properly chronicle and optimize all of your content, not just the content on your main page.

7: Build up, not out. Submitting your website to every directory and search engine will not give you the results you desire if your page isn’t optimized for their indexing software.  Blanketing the search engines and directories just puts your link out there; it doesn’t put it at the top of the list.  Don’t submit your site until you optimize your internal content.

8: Optimize your off page presence. Search engines crawl the web looking for links to your site.  They interpret a link as a “vote” for your page’s popularity.  After optimization, submit your site to search engines and to DMOZ The Open Directory Project at http://www.dmoz.org.  Many search engines use DMOZ to crawl for links and there is a strong belief among SEO experts that DMOZ listings can significantly impact your Google listings.  You can also put your networking skills to work in your community.  Look for other small businesses in your neighbourhood or city with webpages and complimentary products and services.  Start a business link partnership where you link to them in exchange for a link back.  Use your real life charm and popularity to help build your website’s popularity.

9: Keep your content HTML and CSS based. Flash is, well, flashy and can make a powerful visual statement but it’s impossible for search engines to index.  PDFs can be easy to upload and link on a website and while PDF content is becoming more search engine friendly it’s still no rival to HTML and CSS content.  Keep your content written.  It gives search engines more information about what you do and how you do it.  It provides more keywords and also provides proof to search engines that you do provide the service you claim to in your keywords and meta tags.

10: Hire a professional. This is a tricky area.  You want to hire an SEO company that shows you exactly what they intend to do for you and who employ a variety of methods to help you refine your site.  Never use an SEO company who does not analyze your site and instead relies entirely on off page content.  If an SEO company doesn’t want to or know how to optimize your site internally, they are likely just going to blanket your site on all of the search engines and directories which will not significantly improve your web traffic.  You want a SEO company that provides a trio of services: On page optimization, on page content optimization and off page optimization.  They will go into your site and refine and add tags to your site, optimize your written content and then take your optimized site off page to boost your link value and search engine value.  Optimal SEO packages should include all of these elements.

SEO is not an exact science.  Instead, it helps you refine and situate your website’s online presence.  It makes your site easy for some of the top search engines to find and links you to keywords that help direct buying customers directly to your site.  A well organized and search engine optimized page gives you a competitive edge over your contemporaries on the web.  Start thinking about your SEO strategies and corner your target market today.

Donna Venzi is Business Development Manager at PrestonWhite Companies, a marketing firm dedicated to fostering small business and emerging artists in their local communities. Her background is in customer relations and finance. She holds an Honours Bachelor of Canadian Studies in the Faculty of Communications and Culture from the University of Calgary. She is interested in the future of corporate responsibility and green technology.

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It may surprise you that more searches for therapists occur online than through the Yellow Pages. Many therapists have already abandoned the Yellow Pages for being expensive and not yielding results. There are increasing numbers of people who say, “If your not on the internet, I’m not interested.” Look for this to continue to increase at an exponential rate.

Marketing yourself is a public service. This means letting people know how you can be of service to them. Your internet presence allows people looking for someone to help them solve whatever pain they are in. If you have no internet presence, many people will not find you and determine if you may be of service to them. Marketing is making your presence known. It is NOT a hard sell, trying to ram anything down anyone’s throat. Advertising is presenting yourself mostly to people who aren’t interested in what you have to offer. This is why most print advertising does not yield clients.

An internet presence can be started (or expanded) for free, using these methods.

Getting yourself on free listing sites

Many sites have both free and paid listings. Generally, start with the free listing. I found my free listing showing on the first page of Google search within one week. Begin with seeing if your professional organization has listings. These are often free. Next check with other mental health groups you belong to and see if they have listings, ex. Anxiety Disorders of America Association. Some are free. Some have additional charges.

Find the listing sites for Google business. This will also get you listed on Google maps, which show at the top of Google searches. Also do this for Yahoo business. Find other business and mental health listing sites by Googling “free business listing sites,” free mental health listing sites,” etc.

Create a free website

Prior to creating a website, create a professional profile on one of the social network sites, such as Linkedin.com or Biznik.com. The consensus is that a website is now a necessity for therapists. It will greatly increase your presence and legitimacy beyond having your profile listed in different places. One can quickly create a simple site. You will want to present information that will speak to the pain of those clients you would most like to see. This will attract your “Ideal client” much more than if you describe yourself as a “caring person who provides a safe place,” etc. Conventional wisdom is that your content is 80% about the client and 20% about yourself.

Don’t wait until you have a perfect site planned. Better to get a functional site up, asap. Websites are dynamic entities. You will want to refine, probably add, and sometimes delete what you began with. How you write gives others a sense of who and what you are. Be sure to include a head shot photo of yourself with a big smile.

Begin with your DSL provider and see what they offer. Google “free websites.” Look for templates that you like, flexibility, expandability, etc. Many of the free sites will also let you expand your site, more, for a monthly fee. Most options will cost between $5 and $10 a month.

Consider creating a free blog

Some will start a blog, rather than a website. Generally, a website is more versatile and should be your first priority. A blog will probably serve you best, the more specific it is, i.e., focuses on a niche, such as ADHD, OCD, etc. Two popular free sites to start a blog are blogspot.com and wordpress.com. If you do a blog, aim to write at least twice a month.

Social media

The use of social media is exploding and will continue to grow. It is a way of connecting with friends and colleagues, as well as others finding us. Therapists and others are increasingly finding ways to market via social media.

One of the most popular websites is YouTube.com. While it is primarily used for entertainment, more and more it is used for education and marketing. I think video has largely been underutilized by therapists.

Facebook.com has become another of the most popular websites. Some use it to keep in touch with friends and others use it for marketing. Use it for on or the other. If you want to use it for both purposes, use a personal email account for a Profile and a business email for a business Page.

Biznik.com is a business site, primarily for entrepreneurs. It is a way to network, especially with non-therapists.

Twitter.com is a source that you can announce publishing a paper, changes to your website, good books and articles, workshops that you might offer, etc. Many offer free things like recordings, articles, etc. It is another way to network with other professionals. It’s popularity is exploding.

Linksforshrinks.com is a site for therapists. Part of the impetus was to have another legitimate site where you could have a link to your website (the more links to your site, the better Google will find your site). It also has professional forums to discuss professional and marketing issues. There isn’t nearly as much information as in the forums for those who use the Psychology Today listing service, although that costs almost $30/mo, which has been a great resource and referral source for me.

Like most things, the more you invest in being involved with social media, the more you will benefit. If you are active, you can minimally expect some increase in website/blog traffic. This may or may not equate to client referrals.

Writing articles

Another way to develop a presence is to write self-help and other articles. A popular sites to submit articles is articlesbase.com. You can also submit to some of the listing and social media sites. When you write, distribute your writings in as many ways as you can. Post them on your website and blog. Have copies in your office waiting room. Fax copies, as is relevant with other fax communications. I routinely do this when I fax treatment updates to physicians. Offer copies to physicians, schools, clergy, etc.

Outside of the content, writings give others at least a glimpse of yourself. This is an opportunity to get to know, like, and trust you. The more that happens, the more people will come to you to help them achieve solutions.

Put your website address and contact information on everything

Make sure your address is on your business cards, stationary, fax sheets, etc. Just the fact that you have a website adds to your credibility, regardless if the receiver has the interest in checking it out. Create a “signature file” at the bottom of your email accounts. Minimally, include your web address, blog, etc. under your name, business address, business phone. Consider putting other information there, such as free offers, signing up for your news letter, etc. If you are going to start a group, give a talk, etc., consider including that information, while it is relevant, i.e., remove that information after it occurred.

In conclusion, you can’t do all of these things in a single day. However, you can complete some of these things Today. Keep reasonable expectations. When you do these things, it isn’t likely that you will have 10 people call you a week and want to self-pay. You will find that new clients will increasingly say, “I found you on the internet.” Marketing is a dynamic process. Generally, our efforts are cumulative.

This is not the end of marketing. You will probably want to expand into other low cost strategies, including purchasing a domain name for your website, using one or several paid listing services, etc. Continue to educate yourself about marketing and new avenues. Good luck and good marketing.

Mike Miller, PhD

http://establishinganinternetpresencefortherapists.com

http://drmikemiller.com

I am a Licensed Psychologist, Licensed Independent Chemical Dependency Counselor, and author. With over 30 years of experience, I specialize in treating anxiety disorders, but am also very experienced in treating depression, couples issues, ADHD, and alcohol and drug abuse.

I have written two ebooks Establishing an Internet Presence for Therapists and Anxiety Control. Techniques to get your life back!. For the Anxiety book, send an email to drmike@drmikemiller.com

Self-help is something in which I’ve always believed. My goal continues to be for people to get better as quickly as possible.

I earned my PhD in Counseling Psychology from Indiana State University.

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