You already know that Google Search is crucial for helping your practice stand out and attract new clients - but where do you start? In this guide, we'll take you step-by-step through the process of finding the best SEO keywords for mental health therapists, implementing them on your website, and tracking your progress. 

By the end of this article, you'll have a clear plan to boost your website’s ranking in search engines. Whether you're managing a group mental health practice or working as a solo practitioner, this practical guide will help potential clients find and connect with you.

By the end of this article, you will:

• Have a list of 5-10 effective SEO keywords tailored for your mental health practice

• Update your website with these impactful SEO keywords

• Track your website traffic to measure the impact of your changes

What Are The Best SEO Keywords for therapists and psychologists? 

Keywords are a way for Google and other search engines to understand what your website is about, so that when a person types a phrase into the search bar the most relevant results are shown. But not all keywords are created equal, so what makes for the best seo keywords for mental health therapists and what makes for bad ones? The two important ideas are “what is your website about” and the “search intent of a person” - and by marrying the two ideas you will generate your keywords.

Let’s dive slightly deeper into two concepts: keyword difficulty (aka competition) and search volume. Keyword difficulty is a measure of how hard it is for a website to show up in the top search results. And search volume is the estimate of how many people are searching for a specific keyword - your addressable market. Below is a screenshot we took from Google Keyword Planner, a free tool you can use for this type of keyword analysis.

In the mental health space, you can see that some of the most searched keywords are “therapist near me”, “counseling near me”, etc. Try going into Google right now, type in those terms and see what comes up. The higher the search volume, the higher the competition, and all the big organizations are spending lots of cash to show up at the top. The way to compete with the big guys is to use more “niche keywords”, which have lower amount of traffic but allow you to rank towards the top of google (these are often called “long tail keywords”).

As an example, if you’re a therapist in New York City and work with couples, instead of using overly simple keywords like “therapy” or “mental health”, you will choose keywords such as “marriage counselor in New York City”. These keywords are clear, relevant, and match what clients need. Bad keywords, on the other hand, are too broad or unrelated, like just “therapy” or “marriage counseling.” Being intentional about which keywords you use ensures that the right clients - those who are searching for what you specialize in are more likely to find you.

Ultimately, this leads to more inquiries, appointments, and a stronger online presence that continues to attract the right clients over time.

Where Do I Use SEO Keywords?

Now that you know what good keywords are and can come up with a few “long tail keywords”, let’s talk about where to actually use them. The most important place is your website - particularly in the page titles, headings, and throughout the content of each page. The reason you should focus on placing keywords in these areas is simple: search engines like Google use these signals to determine how relevant your content is to a search query. The better aligned your keywords are with what people are searching for, the more likely your practice will appear at the top of their search results.

It’s also good practice to add keywords across your entire online business presence, such as directory listings (like Psychology Today), social media profiles, and Google Business Profile. If you’re consistently incorporating keywords in these platforms, it will help expand your reach and ensure that clients can find your practice no matter where they’re searching.

Let’s get you some SEO keywords for your mental health practice

Finding the right keywords for mental health starts with a simple brainstorming session that you can do right now. 

First, write down the services you offer - whether it’s individual therapy, couples counseling, or trauma support - and then list out terms that your clients would search for.

Second, add locations where you offer your services, as people often look for services near them.

Finally, play around with combining 1 and 2, for example “trauma therapist in Los Angeles” or “anxiety counseling in San Francisco” are good keywords that target potential clients searching for services in their area.

Here is an example of what your brainstorming might look like. What is unique about you?

1. I'm living in Los Angeles, California

2. I'm an LMFT

3. I offer couples therapy, individual therapy, and addiction therapy

4. I incorporate holistic approaches like mindfulness and meditation into my therapy

5. I like focusing on teenagers

6. I'm Asian-American

Here are your keywords:

1. LMFT in Los Angeles

2. Holistic therapist in Los Angeles

3. Asian American therapy in Los Angeles

4. Mindfulness therapy Los Angeles

5. Teen anxiety therapy in Los Angeles

6. Asian American holistic therapy Los Angeles

7. Couples therapy with mindfulness Los Angeles

8. Addiction therapy with holistic approach Los Angeles

Once you have your personal list of keywords, it’s time to refine it with the help of keyword tools. This will help you determine which keywords and services people are actually searching for online. Google Keyword Planner is a free tool that allows you to see the search volume and competitiveness of specific terms. You can also use third-party tools like Ahrefs, SEMRush, or Moz, which offer even more insights into keyword difficulty, related terms, and long-tail keywords that may be easier to rank for - more on them in the next section.

By combining brainstorming with data from these tools, you’ll be able to create a focused list of keywords for your therapy practice that are not only relevant to your services but also optimized for attracting the right clients. This strategy helps ensure your practice appears in front of people actively looking for help.

Diving deeper into Tools for Finding More SEO Keywords for therapists

It’s also a good idea to gather deeper insights into keyword strategy. To achieve this, third-party tools like Ahrefs, SEMRush, and Moz are invaluable. These platforms do much more than just give you a list of keyword suggestions - they provide essential data to help you understand how competitive certain keywords are (difficulty), how often they are searched (volume), and even what your competitors are ranking for. For mental health professionals looking to build an effective SEO strategy via keywords, these tools can help refine your keyword choices and make sure you’re targeting the right audience.

One of the most helpful features these tools offer is search volume data, which tells you how many people are searching for a specific term each month. This helps you gauge the potential impact of each keyword. Additionally, these tools provide keyword difficulty scores, giving you a sense of how hard it would be to rank for certain terms. For example, “therapist in Los Angeles” might have a high keyword difficulty score because it’s a competitive market, while something like “couples therapy in Los Angeles” might be less competitive and easier to rank for. 

The biggest drawback of Google Keyword Planner is that it provides far less detailed keyword results and over-grouping of related terms, giving less precise insights. For niche services like mental health therapy, Google Keyword Planner may not register certain keywords or display low search volumes, which can make it seem like there’s less opportunity than there really is. Third-party tools offer more granular search volume data and can uncover hidden opportunities that Google’s tool might miss. These tools provide more specific metrics to help you target the exact terms your potential clients are using, even for highly specialized services. 

These tools allow you to ethically track your competitors’ keywords, which shows you what terms similar mental health practices are ranking for. This helps identify gaps or opportunities in your own strategy. Lastly, many of these tools have a feature for keyword suggestions, showing related phrases you might not have thought of but could be valuable to your practice. While these platforms often require a subscription, they can be well worth it for therapists serious about finding the best keywords for mental health and growing their online presence.

How to prioritize your SEO keywords 

Now that you have your list of relevant keywords, including some long-tail ones, the next step is figuring out which ones to implement - these will be your best seo keywords for your practice. To do this, you’ll need to evaluate each keyword’s search volume (how many people are searching for it) and difficulty (how hard it will be to rank for that keyword). You can use tools we discussed above to get this data: Google Keyword Planner, Ahrefs, SEMRush, or Moz.

Here’s a simple approach:

1. Plug all your keywords into the tool

2. Check the search volume. Give kudos to the keywords with enough search volume to make them worthwhile.

3. Check the difficulty score for each keyword. Long-tail keywords tend to have lower difficulty, making them easier to rank for. If you’re just starting with SEO, give kudos to these lower-difficulty keywords first.

4. Based on your analysis above see which keywords you gave the most kudos to. The goal here is to balance volume and difficulty.

Start by selecting 3-5 keywords to focus on, and as your website grows and gains traction, you can gradually expand to more keywords. This balanced approach helps you see results faster without overwhelming your mental health SEO efforts.

I have SEO keywords for my therapy practice, what do I do next? 

Your action plan.

• Write down your list of 5 prioritized keywords

• Set up Google Search Console / Google Analytics

• Update your website: Homepage, Services Page, and Footer (which is used on all pages)

• Update your directory listings (Psychology Today, Google Business, Yelp, Client Portal)

• Track your progress every month

Let’s dive a bit deeper into each step.

Write down your list of prioritized keywords. You’ve identified good keywords for mental health, and prioritized them. It’s our goal to implement them, and track how they are performing over the coming months (as a reminder, SEO takes 6-12 months in time to take effect). Keep these keywords handy as you move through the next steps, as these keywords will guide your updates and content creation.

Set up Google Search Console and Google Analytics. If you haven’t already, sign up for these free tools (it’s recommended by Google Best Practices). Google Search Console helps you track how your website performs in search results, while Google Analytics lets you see how visitors interact with your site. Monitoring your site’s performance over time is key to understanding what’s working and where adjustments may be needed.

Update your website with the keywords. Focus on the main touch points for visitors: your homepage, services page, and footer (since this appears on every page). Use your prioritized keywords naturally in your homepage content, especially in headings, meta descriptions, and the first few sentences. On your services page, make sure each service has a description that includes the keywords relevant to that service. Lastly, include your top keyword in the footer to ensure consistency across your site.

Update your directory listings. Updating directories with your keywords will increase the potential that clients find you. Update listings like Psychology Today, Google Business, Yelp, and your client portal. These should include your prioritized keywords in descriptions, titles, and service sections. Keywords related to location are especially helpful in these directories to help you rank for local search results.

Track your progress every month. SEO is an ongoing effort, so set a recurring monthly calendar event to review your Google Search Console and Analytics data. Are you seeing more visitors? Is your site ranking higher for your keywords? Track your progress and adjust your keywords and content as needed.

Bonus task for therapists: Creating a mission statement for your website

Creating a mission statement that reflect your mental health SEO keywords is another powerful step that will resonate with your target audience, and drive relevant traffic to your website.

For example, if you specialize in trauma therapy in Temecula, the mission statement for your therapist website might be: “We offer mindfulness-based therapy for Asian Americans in Temecula, creating a supportive environment that honors cultural identity, helps individuals overcome trauma and encourages personal transformation. Our goal is to help individuals cultivate inner peace, resilience, and self-awareness through therapeutic practices rooted in mindfulness. Our offices in Temecula provide both in-person and virtual therapy options.” This statement overtly highlights your location and specialties, helping search engines prioritize your therapy practice.

Once you’ve written this statement, go ahead and update the homepage and services page of your website. Updating your mission statement and website is a great way to boost the visibility of your therapy practice and get the most out of your content and keywords.

Implementing these steps will position your practice for long-term SEO success, driving more clients to your practice through organic search.

Wrapping up

By now, you’ve read through the essential steps for finding and implementing the best keywords for a mental health website. You’ve learned how to find keywords, prioritize them, update your website, and track your progress. But we know that digesting all this information can still feel like a lot, especially when your focus is on providing the best care to your clients.

SEO is a powerful way to help people find your mental health practice, but implementing it can be time-consuming and overwhelming. From keyword research to optimizing your site and directory listings, there’s a lot to manage. If you’re feeling a bit unsure about where to begin or how to keep up with these ongoing tasks, know that you’re not alone.

For those taking the DIY route, you’ve got a solid action plan to follow. Start small - updating your homepage, services page, and directories, and checking your progress each month. It’s a marathon, not a sprint, and consistency will lead to results over time.

If this still feels like more than you can take on, we’re here to help. Our SEO consulting services for mental health professionals go beyond the basics of this article. We specialize in building custom strategies, optimizing content, and managing the technical side of SEO so that you can focus on what matters most: your clients. Whether you need occasional guidance or a full-service SEO partner, we’re ready to support you in growing your practice and reaching the right people.

Let us take care of the SEO so you can continue doing what you do best - providing care to those who need it.