Local SEO for Therapists: 7 Steps to Show Up First in “Near Me” Searches
Thirteen years ago, when I was searching for a therapist for the first time, online therapy wasn’t really a thing. I wanted someone nearby — not across the city — because the idea of commuting too far (and possibly being late, hello ADHD) spiked my anxiety. So I did what many people still do: I filtered by location and tried to guess who was close enough to feel convenient and safe.
Your potential clients do the same thing today. They open Google and type “therapist near me,” “EMDR therapy in North London,” or “anxiety counselor Chicago Loop.” If your website isn’t optimized for local search, they’ll never even see your name — even if you’re a perfect fit.
Local SEO is how you make sure they do. It’s how Google connects you with people nearby who are already ready to reach out.
Let’s make sure your therapy practice doesn’t stay hidden.
Table of Contents
Step 1: Build Strong Local SEO Foundations
Think of your website like a therapy practice: before you decorate the room (blog posts, images, keywords), you need a solid foundation — clear structure, safety, and accessibility. The same principle applies online. Local SEO starts with telling Google exactly who you are, what you do, and where you do it.
When your site is structured clearly and your location is baked into your URLs, titles, and schema, Google understands your boundaries — your “practice area,” so to speak. Without this clarity, your content might float aimlessly online, showing up in irrelevant searches or not at all.
What to do
1. Use a clear site structure:
Home | Services → EMDR Therapy London | Blog | Contact.
Example URLs:
/cbt-therapy-chicago/emdr-therapy-north-london
Breadcrumbs help Google and users navigate: Home › Services › EMDR Therapy in North London.
2. Add schema markup:
Schema (structured data) is how Google understands your business details — like your address, hours, and service areas. Add LocalBusiness and Service schema to your home and service pages.
3. Prioritize mobile and speed:
Compress images under 200 KB.
Avoid heavy animations.
Test your site on mobile — because that’s where most “near me” searches happen.
A clean, fast, and well-structured site tells Google: “I’m real, I’m local, and I’m trustworthy.”
Your future clients are already searching — let’s make sure they can find you.
Download my free Therapist SEO Blueprint to learn how to optimize every page of your site with calm confidence and attract more bookings to your private practice.
Step 2: Claim and Optimize Your Google Business Profile
Your Google Business Profile (GBP) is your digital front door — often the very first impression potential clients get. When someone searches “therapist near me” or “CBT therapist in London Bridge,” the map pack (the 3 boxes with pins) appears above most websites. That’s where your GBP lives.
An optimized profile increases your chances of your private practice showing up in those top spots — which can mean dozens of new local leads each month. It’s free, it’s fast, and it’s more influential than social media when it comes to getting local clients.
What to do
Go to Google Business → search your practice name → claim this business.
Add accurate info: name, address, phone, website, and hours.
Choose a precise category: “Therapist,” “Mental Health Counselor,” or “CBT Psychotherapist.”
Add a 1–2 paragraph description using local keywords naturally:
“I offer EMDR therapy and trauma counseling in North London, helping adults heal from anxiety, overwhelm, and stress.”Upload 5–10 photos — your office, workspace, and even local area shots (Chicago skyline, your neighborhood park).
Post monthly updates or share short blog snippets — it shows Google you’re active.
✨ Pro tip: Mention nearby neighborhoods in your description — “Serving Camden, Islington, and Hampstead areas.” It expands your radius for “near me” searches.
Step 3: Use Local Keywords on Your Website
Therapists often write beautiful, heartfelt websites… that never mention where they are. Google doesn’t magically know your location; it reads your words. When you intentionally include local keywords, it’s like giving Google a map pin saying, “Show me to people nearby.”
Even better: the more specific the area, the easier it is to rank. Competing for “therapist London” is tough, but “anxiety therapist in Hampstead” or “trauma counseling in Lincoln Park, Chicago”? Much easier — and more aligned with what real clients type.
What to do
Use your location in:
Homepage title tag:
Therapist in North London | Anxiety & Trauma CounselingH1 heading: Therapy for Anxiety, Stress, and Trauma in North London
Service pages: EMDR Therapy in Camden or Couples Counseling in Wicker Park, Chicago.
Meta descriptions:
“Compassionate EMDR therapy in Chicago. Helping adults heal from trauma and anxiety. Book a free consultation today.”Slugs:
/emdr-therapy-north-london/cbt-therapy-chicago-loop
Contact page: embed a Google Map and list your full address or service area.
You can even mention nearby neighborhoods: “Serving North London, Camden, Islington, and surrounding areas.”
This not only helps Google understand your reach but reassures clients they’re in the right place.
Interested in Therapist SEO Tips? Read also…
Step 4: Create Location-Specific Content
Your blog isn’t just for SEO — it’s how you show Google (and potential clients) that you’re part of the local community. Local content builds trust and relevance. It tells Google, “I’m not just any therapist — I’m the therapist people in this area search for.”
Think of your blog as a way to answer your clients’ questions in their language and context. A post about “How to Find a Good Therapist in North London” doesn’t just rank well — it attracts people literally looking for therapy right where you are.
What to do
Write blog posts like:
How to Find a Good Therapist in North London (and What to Look For)
Therapy for Expats in Chicago: How to Feel Grounded in a New City
Mindfulness Workshops and Counseling in Shoreditch
What to Expect from CBT in Camden Town
Each post should:
Use a location-based keyword in the title, slug, and first paragraph.
Link to your relevant service page (“Learn more about CBT Therapy in Camden”).
End with a gentle CTA: “Book a consultation in my North London practice.”
✨ Bonus: collaborate with other local professionals — yoga studios, wellness spaces, or community organizations — and exchange backlinks. Those local links boost your authority faster than generic SEO tricks.
Step 5: Get Ethical Reviews and Citations
Reviews and citations are trust signals. For local SEO, they’re like word-of-mouth for Google — proving that your practice exists, is active, and is valued by real people. But because therapy is a confidential field, this part needs to be handled thoughtfully and ethically.
Even if direct client reviews aren’t appropriate, you can still gather legitimate trust signals from colleagues, supervisors, and community collaborations. Each mention or listing strengthens your online footprint.
What to do
1. Encourage ethical reviews:
Workshop participants, supervision clients, or colleagues can leave general feedback about your professionalism or space.
You can say: “If you’ve attended one of my workshops or know my work, I’d appreciate your feedback on Google.”
2. List on directories:
Psychology Today, TherapyDen, GoodTherapy, or UK-specific sites like Counselling Directory.
Make sure your name, address, and phone number (NAP) match exactly across every platform.
3. Get local mentions:
Collaborate with wellness collectives, yoga studios, or community newsletters.
Sponsor a local event or share mental health tips in local blogs — it earns backlinks and reputation.
These are what we call “local citations.” They quietly tell Google, “This practice is real, trusted, and active in this area.”
Step 6: Make Your Site Technically Local-SEO Ready
You can have perfect keywords and strong backlinks, but if your site is slow, clunky, or unreadable on mobile, Google will push it down the list. Technical SEO is like the nervous system of your website — invisible when it works, but impossible to ignore when it doesn’t.
Search engines (and clients) prioritize websites that load fast, work beautifully on mobile, and are easy to navigate. And since most local searches happen on phones, mobile-first design is essential.
What to do
✅ Mobile-friendly layout: Test your site on mobile devices regularly.
✅ Fast load time: Compress images, remove old scripts, and use lazy loading.
✅ Accessibility: Clear fonts, alt text, and contrast for all text and buttons.
✅ Local schema markup: Add structured data like:
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "LocalBusiness",
"name": "Your Therapy Practice",
"address": {
"@type": "PostalAddress",
"streetAddress": "123 High Street",
"addressLocality": "London",
"postalCode": "NW1",
"addressCountry": "UK"
},
"geo": {
"@type": "GeoCoordinates",
"latitude": 51.5072,
"longitude": -0.1276
},
"url": "https://yourdomain.com",
"telephone": "+44 1234 567 890"
}✅ Internal linking: Link from blog posts to service pages using location-based anchor text:
“Learn more about CBT Therapy in London.”
Step 7: Track Your Progress and Refine
SEO isn’t a one-time project — it’s a living system. Tracking what’s working (and what’s not) helps you refine your strategy and steadily climb in local search results. Even small tweaks can make a noticeable difference in visibility and bookings over time.
Think of it like therapy itself — awareness leads to change. When you know which pages people visit and what they search before finding you, you can meet them exactly where they are.
What to do
Google Search Console: See which local keywords get impressions and clicks (e.g. “trauma therapy London Bridge”).
Google Business Insights: Check calls, map views, and direction requests.
Analytics: Track which service pages bring in the most traffic.
As you grow, you can expand to nearby neighborhoods — “therapy in Islington”, “EMDR Camden”, “anxiety counseling Chelsea.” These micro-location pages build a powerful web of relevance that Google loves.
From Invisible to Findable
When I searched for my first therapist all those years ago, I wasn’t looking for the “top” expert in the country. I was looking for someone nearby — someone kind, trustworthy, and close enough that the journey there wouldn’t spike my anxiety.
Your future clients feel the same way. They don’t want to scroll endlessly; they want someone local, safe, and real.
Local SEO helps them find you.
✨ Want to skip the technical setup? My Therapist Website Templates are built with SEO and local structure already baked in — so you can focus on your clients, not algorithms. Or explore my Squarespace SEO Services if you’d like hands-on optimization done for you.
Because the right people are already searching. Let’s make sure they find you first.
FAQs About Local SEO for Therapists
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Local SEO helps your website appear in Google searches made by people in your area — like “therapist near me” or “CBT therapist in North London.” It’s essential because most clients want someone close by. When your site and Google Business Profile are optimized, you show up on maps and local results instead of being buried under directories or competitors.
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Regular SEO helps you rank nationally or globally, while local SEO focuses on your city or neighborhood. For a therapy practice, that means optimizing for searches like “anxiety therapy in Chicago” instead of just “anxiety therapy.” Local SEO relies heavily on your address, Google Business Profile, reviews, and neighborhood keywords — all things that signal to Google where you are and who you serve.
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Most therapists start noticing results in about 2–3 months if they’re consistent — faster if they’re in smaller towns or specific niches. You’ll see your profile impressions, map views, and website clicks slowly rise. The key is consistency: update your Google Business Profile monthly, write new blog posts, and track keywords in Google Search Console.
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Absolutely. Even if you work online, you can target your main city or region so that people searching for “online therapist in London” or “virtual counseling in Chicago” can still find you. Google prefers clarity, so mention your location and say something like:
“I offer online therapy to clients based in London and across the UK.” -
Reviews are powerful for local SEO, but you must always respect client confidentiality. Instead of asking therapy clients directly, you can:
Invite workshop participants, supervision clients, or colleagues to leave feedback.
Share a general invitation on your website or social media (“If you’ve worked with me professionally, you’re welcome to leave a Google review”).
Collect written testimonials for your site with explicit consent.
Even a few thoughtful reviews build trust with both Google and future clients.
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You can still do local SEO — just list a “service area” instead of an address in your Google Business Profile. For example, “Serving clients in North London, Camden, and Islington.” This keeps your home private while still helping you appear in “near me” searches.
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A complete and optimized Google Business Profile
Consistent name, address, and phone number (NAP) across all directories
High-quality, keyword-optimized service pages (one per modality or issue)
A few local backlinks or mentions from community sites
Positive (and ethical) reviews
Fast, mobile-friendly website design
Do these consistently and you’ll outperform most competitors.
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You can absolutely start on your own — especially with guides like this. But if you want faster results, hiring someone who specializes in therapist SEO (like me 👋) can save you months of trial and error. A professional setup can help you appear in Google Maps faster, structure your content correctly, and prevent costly mistakes like keyword overlap or poor schema.
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You’ll know it’s working when:
You start showing up on Google Maps for your target keywords.
You get calls or inquiries saying “I found you on Google.”
Your Google Business Insights show growth in profile visits and direction requests.
You see new keyword impressions (like “therapist near me” or “CBT in London”) in Google Search Console.
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If you do one thing today, make it this: claim and optimize your Google Business Profile.
It’s free, fast, and it’s where most local searches happen. Add your photo, services, and a location-optimized description — and you’re already ahead of 70% of therapists in your city.
