We're introducing a new segment called 'On The Trail' aimed at providing short, meaty, and to-the-point tips for online marketing!!

In this episode, we’re diving into a question I’m hearing from a lot of therapists lately: Is it just me, or has my website traffic and inquiries dropped off a cliff? I’ll walk you through what’s happening behind the scenes in SEO and online marketing, and what you can do about it.

Therapists are seeing fewer website visitors, fewer calls, and wondering if something’s broken. It can feel isolating, like maybe your practice is doing something wrong. But you’re not alone — this is a trend we’re seeing industry-wide.

You might think the solution is just to post more on Instagram or start a blog. While those can help, they won’t fix the core issue. The truth is, search engine behavior and how people find therapists online is changing... fast.

1. What’s Changed in SEO Over the Last Year

• Google’s algorithm updates have prioritized helpful, original, and authoritative content.
• AI-generated content has flooded the web, so Google’s gotten stricter on quality signals.
• Local SEO results are more competitive — especially in saturated markets.
  

2. How AI is Changing the Game

• More people are using ChatGPT or AI tools to ask questions instead of searching Google.
• Google's AI snapshots (Search Generative Experience) are pulling answers right into results pages — meaning fewer clicks to websites.
  

3. It’s Not Just You — It’s a Landscape Shift

• Even well-optimized therapy websites are seeing fluctuations.
• Less organic traffic doesn’t always mean fewer clients — but it does mean we need to be more strategic.

So what can you do about it?...

Before you start making changes, it's essential to understand why traffic has dropped. An SEO assessment can reveal:

• Technical issues (like slow load times, broken links, poor mobile experience)
• On-page optimization gaps (are your keywords still relevant?)
• Local SEO visibility (are you showing up in Google Maps for your city?)
  

This gives you a clear baseline and prioritizes what to fix — instead of guessing. (This is exactly what we do with our SEO assessments at Private Practice Elevation.)

Choose one key service (like EMDR therapy or couples counseling) and ask:

• Does your website have a page that clearly explains what this is, who it helps, and how someone can get started?
• Is that page optimized for local search terms (e.g. "EMDR therapy in Denver")?
  

Focus on creating or refreshing one solid, helpful page — rather than trying to write 10 blog posts.

Google is still the #1 way most people find a therapist. Make sure your Google Business Profile:

• Is verified
• Has current photos, hours, and contact info
• Includes detailed services (with keywords!)
• Has recent reviews from happy clients
  

This one step can often help you get found more often without having to touch your website.

In this week's episode of the Private Practice Elevation Podcast, you're going to learn the 5 essentials for marketing an online therapy practice.

Now, I know a lot of you have added or thought about adding online counseling to your private practice.

The problem with online counseling is that there are some nuances to marketing a practice that is different from the typical, in the room type of therapy, your clients may be used to.

That's why I've brought in online therapy expert, Clay Cockrell, to share what he's learned from years of marketing and growing a successful online practice.

Clay is the founder of Onlinecounseling.com – a listing directory with the mission of helping clients all over the world to find the therapist or life coach that will best meet their needs.

In episode 3 of this podcast, I interviewed Paul Thomas, my friend from down under who created his own private practice website and was able to get it ranking #1 in Google for a number of keywords.

A lot of our conversation focused on the type of content he created on in order to pull that off.

And the strategy he used is one that I often talk about...

It's about creating specific pages for each and every service or specialty you have within your practice.

In this episode, I want to break down this strategy to give you an outline of the type of content you should be creating for these types of pages.

In this episode of The Private Practice Elevation Podcast, you're going to learn about the difference between a group practice owner with a 6-figure business and one with a 7-figure business.

Most therapists begin in private practice without much training in business development. What are the things you should think about or do when you're just starting to build your group practice?

My special guest this week is Maureen Werrbach from The Group Practice Exchange, where she helps healthcare owners learn how to successfully start and scale their businesses, so that they can have a larger impact on their communities.

If you want some key lessons to help you can start and continue to grow your own group practice, listen up!

In this week's episode you'll learn how you can leverage content marketing for your private practice to increase your authority and reach more of your ideal clients.

Many therapists and private practice owners have heard of content marketing.

To help us answer all of our questions and unpack all things content marketing, we're going to chat with Michael Fulwiler.

Michael is the former CMO of the Gottman Institute and brings over 10 years of content marketing experience to the table.

Now he's helping therapists level up their marketing and become more educated about how to market a private practice successfully!

In this episode you're going to learn how it's actually possible to know exactly what will make the biggest impact in growing your private practice.

You didn't go to business school (probably) and it can feel nearly impossible to know what you need to focus on to grow your therapy practice.

But the truth is, your skills as a therapist is exactly what makes you qualified (even more than others!) to run and grow a successful private practice.

That's what Kasey Compton, author of the book Fix This Next for Healthcare Providers, wants you to know.

Join me in our conversation as we unpack the why behind her book and how it's going to help you gain more business confidence and create a plan for growth.

In this episode of The Private Practice Elevation Podcast we're talking with Uriah Guilford all about how busy therapists and private practice owners can get the help they need.

Uriah Guilford is a group practice owner and the creator of Productive Therapist, a virtual assistant company that serves private practice therapists.

If you find yourself overwhelmed, wearing every hat in your business, and struggling to keep up with all those administrative tasks, this one's for you.

If you've ever thought about hiring a virtual assistant in your private practice and what that would look like, this one's for you too!

Either way, this episode is all about scaling your business to hit those big goals!

In this episode of the Private Practice Elevation podcast, I'm going to share with you the 5 most common reasons why your website doesn't rank for your keywords.

Many therapists believe if they just have a few pages on their website with a few keywords on those pages that you should show up in search results.

Unfortunately, SEO just isn't that simple. There are many factors that impact how well or how poorly your private practice website ranks.

So give a listen or read on if you're wondering why your website isn't getting you any traffic from Google.