SEO can feel like one of those things you're supposed to hire someone to do because somewhere along the way it became a combination of acronyms, algorithms, and people telling you that you have to blog every week forever.
You don't.
There are actually some pretty simple things you can do on your own website to make it easier for Google to understand what you do, who you help, and where you work.
Here are five places I would start.
1. Give Every Page ONE H1
Your H1 is the main heading on a webpage. Think of it like the title of the page you're handing to Google.
Every page should have one H1, and it should clearly communicate what that particular page is about.
So please don't make your homepage H1:
Welcome to Smith Counseling
or
Find Your Way Back to You
Those might sound nice, but they give Google very little information.
Instead, try:
Therapy for High-Functioning Anxiety in Red Bank, NJ
Now Google has context about the service, specialty, and location.
And don't worry, your website doesn't have to sound like a robot wrote it. Put your emotionally connecting hook directly underneath. Your H1 can help you get found. Your hook helps someone want to stay. (you might remember starting to read about this on The Homepage Copy Formula)
2. Give Each Page Its Own SEO Job
One of the biggest SEO mistakes I see is trying to make the homepage rank for absolutely everything.
Your homepage has a job. So does your anxiety page. Your EMDR page. Your couples therapy page.
If you want to show up when someone searches “postpartum therapist in Austin,” having a dedicated page about postpartum therapy gives you far more room to show Google that you have relevant information about that specific topic.
That doesn't mean creating 27 thin service pages stuffed with keywords. Start with the services you most want to be found for and create genuinely useful pages around them.
One page = one primary SEO focus.
3. Use Your Footer to Tell Google What You Do
Scroll to the very bottom of your website.
Is there anything there besides your copyright and social media icons?
Your footer appears across your website, which makes it a great place to give both Google and potential clients additional context about your practice.
For example:
Smith Counseling provides therapy for anxiety, perfectionism, and burnout for adults in Red Bank, NJ, with virtual therapy available throughout New Jersey.
Simple.
You're reinforcing your services, specialties, and location without awkwardly stuffing keywords into every paragraph on your website.
4. Rename Your Images Before You Upload Them
If the images on your website are named: IMG_4837.jpg
you're missing a very easy SEO opportunity.
Before uploading an image, give the file a descriptive name.
Something like:
anxiety-therapist-red-bank-nj.jpg
Then add alt text after uploading it.
These are not the same thing. The file name gives search engines additional context about the image. Alt text primarily describes what is actually in the image for accessibility and can also help search engines understand the content.
So don't shove 14 keywords into your alt text. Describe the image accurately.
5. Connect Your Pages With Internal Links
An internal link simply takes someone from one page of your website to another page on your website.
And they're incredibly easy to overlook.
If your homepage mentions EMDR, link those words to your EMDR page. If a blog discusses anxiety, link relevant language to your anxiety therapy page.
Why?
You're helping your visitor find more information and helping Google understand how the pages on your website relate to one another.
That's SEO.
Not magic. Not tricking Google. And definitely not repeating “therapist near me” 37 times on your homepage.
It's making your website easier to understand...for search engines and humans.
Want to keep going? Grab my free SEO Starter Kit for Private Practice + Coaches for simple, actionable ways to improve your Google visibility, choose stronger keywords, and start thinking about how your website shows up in AI search, too.
