Here are the tags that you can use to sort and find the right keywords for your practice:
find
appointment
children
therapy
teenage
health
services
relationship
couples
marriage
depression
disorder
family
child
divorce
black
male
Christian
abuse
drug
alcohol
specialist
autism
psychiatrist
counselor
therapist
anxiety
behavioral
gay
LGBT
female
anger
group
free
psychologist
mental
substance
grief
teen
addiction
counseling
Spanish
Medicaid
postpartum
narcissism
ADHD
pediatric
Counseling Keywords: Search Terms to Target for Your Private Practice Website
Trends in the United States for Counseling Keywords
As an SEO Consultant, I get to spend a lot of time doing keyword research for therapists around the world (primarily the US, Canada & UK). I personally use several different keyword research tools, including a couple of paid keyword research tools. Using these tools, I look at which counseling keywords are most common and easiest to rank for in my client’s local area.
Every geographic area is a little bit different, and it’s important to target the search phrases most likely to be used by ideal clients in your particular area. However, there are some general trends I’ve noticed as to which counseling related search terms usually have the highest search volume. Thus…I thought it might be fun to share some information with you about those numbers.
General Counseling Keywords
Above is the number of searches per month in the United States for more general counseling or mental health related keywords. Again, keep in mind this varies greatly by region even within the United States. But, according to this data (and it has remained fairly consistent across my keyword research tools & at different points I’ve looked), therapy is searched for slightly more often than counseling, but psychologist is actually searched for more frequently than therapist or counselor.
Search Volume isn’t all that matters when choosing even your general keywords to target on a private practice website.
Therapy, counseling, psychotherapy, mental health treatment…I’ve noticed that most therapists or mental health professionals have one term they prefer. And your preference does matter. There are differences between those words. Some private practice owners feel like it’s incorrect to use the word “counseling” to describe the in depth, therapeutic work that they do. Other therapists offer a variety of treatments and find that both words describe at least some of the work they do.
But if you’re on this page, you’re probably pretty interested in what will get the most visitors to your website, right? The simple answer is that I usually recommend using both therapy and counseling on a psychotherapy private practice website and throwing the words “psychotherapy” and “mental health” in at least once or twice as well.
If you don’t have time or a paid SEO research tool to do in depth local keyword research, I would recommend targeting the term counseling. There are certainly exceptions and I’ve worked with several SEO clients who we found lived in an area where the term “therapy” had a much higher search volume. In those cases, we used “therapy” more frequently than “counseling” for their sites.
It’s also worth noting that when you as a mental health professional target the term “therapy” you might be competing with other types of therapists such as occupational therapists.
What if I don’t want to use the word counseling on my website?
If you’re one of the mental health professionals who prefers to only use the term therapy to describe your work, you can still do a couple of things to rank for the term counseling. For instance, you could write a blog post explaining why the term therapy is more accurate for the services you provide. You also could use the term counseling in less obvious places on your page such as in captions or alt text of photos, in meta descriptions, etc.
Targeting Keywords Related to a Therapy Niche
I generally recommend private practice owners (or really any small business owner in a helping profession) focus on more specific keywords. See, a client searching for “counseling” is great. However, a client searching for the specific type of mental health service you most enjoy treating is more likely your ideal client. Personally, I know someone searching for “trauma therapy” is much more likely to be my ideal client than someone search for “therapy.” Why? Because there’s a much better chance they’ll be really suited for the type of work I personally do.
Does keyword strategy change if I have a group practice?
Keyword strategy doesn’t change that much if you have a larger group practice. The main difference is that you’ll have more keywords to target. However, people searching for more specialized things are still more likely to be really ready to begin your services. At Simplified SEO Consulting, we have a very specific way we go about choosing pages and keywords to target for group practices, but I’ll save that for a future blog post. For now, just know it’s still important to target keywords related to specific niches within your group practice.
Popular Keywords related to Telehealth/Online Counseling
Online mental health services have been around for a long time, and at Simplified SEO Consulting we’ve been optimizing Telehealth pages for a couple of months. However, the field got a lot more competitive when Covid-19 hit, because therapy practices that had never before marketed Telehealth services were now putting up Online Counseling pages. So, which keywords should you target? Here’s what the data for the United States looks like as of 7/23/2020 keeping in mind that keywords related to online counseling/telehealth/online therapy could easily look a little different even six months from now:
Telehealth (22,000)
Telemental health (2,400)
Online Therapy (52,300)
Online Counseling (20,100)
e-therapy (1,100)
e-counseling (810)
Online Psychotherapy (590)
Online Counseling Services (1,200)
Keywords for a Trauma Therapy Page
As a trauma therapist myself, this is an area near and dear to my heart. Here are a few search phrases you might want to optimize your Trauma/PTSD service page to include with the average number of searches for that term per month in parentheses:
PTSD Treatment (22,200)
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Treatment (1,000)
Trauma therapy (3,575)
PTSD Therapy (1,963)
PTSD Help (1,065)
Trauma Counseling (975)
Trauma Treatment (587)
PTSD Counseling (477)
Keywords for an Anxiety Treatment Page
I’ve heard several times that anxiety is the most common pain point people are looking to overcome when they search for a therapist. Again, I’ll list some of the keyword phrases you might want to target on your website below. I’ll also include the average number of searches for each phrase per month.
Anxiety Treatment (18,164)
Anxiety Attack (110,000)
Counseling for Anxiety (1,267)
Anxiety Symptoms (134,899)
Anxiety Disorder (60,606)
Panic Attack (135,750)
Anxiety Medication (110,455)
Keywords for a Couples & Marriage Counseling Page
I don’t personally do couples counseling so my private practice website doesn’t have a couples page. However, I’ve worked with several therapists now who do specialize in couples counseling and I’ve had fun helping them optimize their website.
Couples Counseling (18,128)
Marriage Counseling (60,545)
Couples Therapy (27,082)
Relationship Counseling (7,941)
Marriage Therapy (2,383)
Premarital Counseling (8,067)
Remember these numbers are the average search volume for the United States. I was actually a little surprised by this research, because several of my clients live in areas where couples counseling is the most common.
Reminder: Know Your Local Area & Ideal Clients
I want to be clear that reading this post does not replace good, quality keyword research. I know, you’d like for it to, because doing all that research to choose the perfect keywords that will help your counseling website rank better on Google takes time. But the truth is that markets can vary greatly.
I go into every single new SEO job trying not to make assumptions. This is because I’ve learned how different various parts of the country can be. I mentioned above a couple of those things. For instance, for some of my clients we focus more on optimizing for “counseling” and others the focus is a little heavier on “therapy.”
Remember, the goal of SEO isn’t just to rank well on Google for the terms you target. The goal is to actually convert people to paying clients. To do that, it’s important to know what your clients are actually searching for. If you rank really well for “couples therapy” but everyone in your area is searching for “marriage counseling,” it’s not going to do you much good. You rank well, but your ideal clients are calling your competitor down the street who ranks better for the right search term.
Counseling
Therapy
Psychotherapy
Mental Health
Counseling Services
Counselor
Therapist
Psychologist
The 50 Best SEO Keywords for Therapists (2023)
Keyword Competition
Avg. Monthly Searches
Competition Level
therapy
368,000
Low
dbt
74,000
Low
cbt
90,500
Low
emdr
165,000
Low
therapist near me
450,000
Medium
emdr therapy
165,000
Low
cognitive behavioral therapy
135,000
Low
family therapy
49,500
Low
pscychotherapy
90,500
Low
aba therapy
110,000
Low
cbt therapy
49,500
Low
dbt therapy
74,000
Low
therapist aid
110,000
Low
couples therapy
74,000
Medium
biofeedback
22,200
Low
marriage counseling
90,500
Medium
hypnotherapy
33,100
Low
dialectical behavior therapy
49,500
Low
marriage counseling near me
74,000
Medium
somatic therapy
40,500
Low
couples therapy near me
49,500
Medium
gestalt therapy
14,800
Low
shock therapy
22,200
Low
acceptance and commitment therapy
14,800
Low
psychodynamic therapy
18,100
Low
exposure therapy
18,100
Low
psychology today find a therapist
27,100
Low
cognitive therapy
18,100
Low
light therapy
18,100
High
psychodynamic
14,800
Low
panic attack treatment
14,800
Low
couples counseling
33,100
Medium
internal family systems
18,100
Low
group therapy
22,200
Low
rebt
6,600
Low
behavioral therapy
33,100
Low
neurofeedback therapy
18,100
Low
lmft
18,100
Low
hypnotherapy near me
14,800
Medium
find a therapist
22,200
Medium
ifs therapy
14,800
Low
narrative therapy
9,900
Low
counseling near me
135,000
Low
couples counseling near me
22,200
Medium
aba therapy near me
22,200
Low
family counseling near me
22,200
Low
person centered therapy
9,900
Low
types of therapy
18,100
Low
child therapist near me
33,100
Low
christian counseling near me
27,100
Medium
The 50 Best SEO Keywords for Therapists (2022)
Keyword Competition
Avg. Monthly Searches
Competition Level
therapy
246,000
Low
therapist near me
201,000
Medium
cognitive behavioral therapy
110,000
Low
emdr therapy
90,500
Low
psychologist near me
74,000
Medium
psychotherapy
74,000
Low
counseling near me
90,500
Medium
marriage counseling near me
49,500
Medium
cbt therapy
22,200
Low
behavioral therapy
27,100
Low
cognitive therapy
18,100
Low
gestalt therapy
12,100
Low
lmft
14,800
Low
psychodynamic therapy
12,100
Low
child psychologist near me
14,800
Low
couples counseling near me
14,800
Medium
couples therapy near me
14,800
Medium
chirstian counseling near me
18,100
Medium
find a therapist
12,100
Medium
psychotherapist near me
12,100
Medium
mental health therapist near me
12,100
Medium
child therapist
12,100
Low
family counseling near me
9,900
Medium
person centered therapy
8,100
Low
child therapist near me
12,100
Low
milieu therapy
6,600
Low
mental health therapist
9,900
Medium
somatic therapy
6,600
Low
solution focused therapy
5,400
Low
narrative therapy
5,400
Low
humanistic therapy
6,600
Low
clinical psychologist near me
5,400
Low
talk therapy
5,400
Medium
rational emotive therapy
5,400
Low
eft therapy
5,400
Low
grief counseling near me
6,600
Medium
emdr therapy near me
6,600
Low
existential therapy
4,400
Low
family therapist near me
8,100
Medium
trauma therapy
5,400
Medium
anger management therapy
5,400
Medium
emotionally focused therapy
5,400
Low
relationship therapist
5,400
Medium
psychoanalytic therapy
3,600
Low
holistic therapy
2,900
Low
therapist near me for depression
5,400
Medium
child counseling near me
6,600
Low
psychological therapy
4,400
Low
dbt therapy near me
3,600
Medium
anxiety therapist near me
5,400
Medium
The 50 Best SEO Keywords for Therapists (2023)
Keyword Competition
Avg. Monthly Searches
Competition Level
therapy
368,000
Low
dbt
74,000
Low
cbt
90,500
Low
emdr
165,000
Low
therapist near me
450,000
Medium
emdr therapy
165,000
Low
cognitive behavioraltherapy
135,000
Low
family therapy
49,500
Low
pscychotherapy
90,500
Low
aba therapy
110,000
Low
cbt therapy
49,500
Low
dbt therapy
74,000
Low
therapist aid
110,000
Low
couples therapy
74,000
Medium
biofeedback
22,200
Low
marriage counseling
90,500
Medium
hypnotherapy
33,100
Low
dialectical behaviortherapy
49,500
Low
marriage counselingnear me
74,000
Medium
somatic therapy
40,500
Low
couples therapy near me
49,500
Medium
gestalt therapy
14,800
Low
shock therapy
22,200
Low
acceptance andcommitment therapy
14,800
Low
psychodynamic therapy
18,100
Low
exposure therapy
18,100
Low
psychology today finda therapist
27,100
Low
cognitive therapy
18,100
Low
light therapy
18,100
High
psychodynamic
14,800
Low
panic attack treatment
14,800
Low
couples counseling
33,100
Medium
internal family systems
18,100
Low
group therapy
22,200
Low
rebt
6,600
Low
behavioral therapy
33,100
Low
neurofeedback therapy
18,100
Low
lmft
18,100
Low
hypnotherapy near me
14,800
Medium
find a therapist
22,200
Medium
ifs therapy
14,800
Low
narrative therapy
9,900
Low
counseling near me
135,000
Low
couples counselingnear me
22,200
Medium
aba therapy near me
22,200
Low
family counseling nearme
22,200
Low
person centered therapy
9,900
Low
types of therapy
18,100
Low
child therapist nearme
33,100
Low
christian counselingnear me
27,100
Medium
The50 Best SEO Keywords for Therapists (2022)
Keyword Competition
Avg. Monthly Searches
Competition Level
therapy
246,000
Low
therapist near me
201,000
Medium
cognitive behavioraltherapy
110,000
Low
emdr therapy
90,500
Low
psychologist near me
74,000
Medium
psychotherapy
74,000
Low
counseling near me
90,500
Medium
marriage counselingnear me
49,500
Medium
cbt therapy
22,200
Low
behavioral therapy
27,100
Low
cognitive therapy
18,100
Low
gestalt therapy
12,100
Low
lmft
14,800
Low
psychodynamic therapy
12,100
Low
child psychologistnear me
14,800
Low
couples counselingnear me
14,800
Medium
couples therapy near me
14,800
Medium
chirstian counselingnear me
18,100
Medium
find a therapist
12,100
Medium
psychotherapist near me
12,100
Medium
mental healththerapist near me
12,100
Medium
child therapist
12,100
Low
family counseling nearme
9,900
Medium
person centered therapy
8,100
Low
child therapist near me
12,100
Low
milieu therapy
6,600
Low
mental health therapist
9,900
Medium
somatic therapy
6,600
Low
solution focusedtherapy
5,400
Low
narrative therapy
5,400
Low
humanistic therapy
6,600
Low
clinical psychologistnear me
5,400
Low
talk therapy
5,400
Medium
rational emotivetherapy
5,400
Low
eft therapy
5,400
Low
grief counseling nearme
6,600
Medium
emdr therapy near me
6,600
Low
existential therapy
4,400
Low
family therapist nearme
8,100
Medium
trauma therapy
5,400
Medium
anger managementtherapy
5,400
Medium
emotionally focusedtherapy
5,400
Low
relationship therapist
5,400
Medium
psychoanalytic therapy
3,600
Low
holistic therapy
2,900
Low
therapist near me fordepression
5,400
Medium
child counseling nearme
6,600
Low
psychological therapy
4,400
Low
dbt therapy near me
3,600
Medium
anxiety therapist nearme
5,400
Medium
Counselor TherapistMental health near me San antonio Dallas TX Houston Insurance better helppsychology today Counseling 
