Aesthetic & elective
SEO & AEO for Mental Health Practices
Get found by patients searching for therapy, psychiatry, and mental health treatment.
Mental health patients often search privately and extensively before reaching out – nearly 60% of US adults search for health information online.[1] They need to trust a provider before making contact. Your online presence shapes whether they choose to call you or move on to another option.
Mental health care stands apart from other healthcare specialties in patient acquisition. People seeking therapy or psychiatric care often feel vulnerable, uncertain, and anxious about reaching out. They search privately – often in incognito mode – and may research for 3-4 weeks before contacting a provider. The decision to seek help is deeply personal, and your digital presence is often the first step in building trust.
The mental health landscape has also been transformed by telehealth. National platforms like BetterHelp and Talkspace spend millions on digital marketing, competing for the same patients you're trying to reach. Research shows negative reviews significantly decrease physician selection intention,[2] making reputation management increasingly important. Local practices must find ways to differentiate and compete effectively without matching these advertising budgets.
Why mental health practices struggle with search visibility
Understanding these challenges is the first step to solving them.
Patients research in private browsing
Mental health searches often happen in incognito mode, making retargeting impossible. Your content needs to convert on the first visit.
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Empathy and trust are essential
Generic clinical content feels cold. Mental health patients need to feel understood and welcomed before they'll reach out.
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Telehealth has changed the competitive landscape
You're no longer just competing with local providers. National telehealth platforms are spending millions on SEO and advertising.
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Our approach for mental health practices
We build SEO and AEO infrastructure that addresses the unique challenges of mental health marketing. Our platform creates empathetic, condition-focused content that builds trust with patients who are researching privately, implements structured data for visibility, and positions your practice to compete effectively against national telehealth platforms.
We understand that mental health marketing requires a different approach – one that prioritizes trust-building and addresses the real concerns patients have when seeking care.
- Create warm, empathetic content that communicates your approach and builds trust.
- Build comprehensive pages for every condition and treatment modality you offer.
- Optimize for condition-specific searches like "anxiety therapist near me" and "psychiatrist for depression."
- Structure your site so AI tools can accurately represent your services and approach.
Live in one day
Unlike agencies that take months to show results, our AI-powered system deploys optimized content for your practice in days. You review, we publish.
Frequently asked questions
Common questions mental health practices ask about SEO and AEO.
Most begin with condition-specific searches ("anxiety therapist near me," "psychiatrist for depression") conducted in private browsing. They research extensively – often for weeks – before reaching out. This journey requires content that builds trust quickly, as retargeting won't bring them back. Every page should assume it's the patient's first and only visit.
Key takeaways
- Mental health patients often search privately – retargeting won't reach them
- Content must build trust and convert in a single session
- Empathy and warmth are as important as clinical expertise
- National telehealth platforms changed the competitive landscape
- Differentiate on continuity, relationships, and specialized expertise
Sources
Learn more
Explore these concepts to understand how we help mental health practices get found.
Guide
E-E-A-T for healthcare websites
E-E-A-T stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness – the criteria Google uses to evaluate content quality.[google-qrg] Healthcare websites fall under "Your Money or Your Life" (YMYL) categories, meaning Google holds medical content to the highest quality standards because inaccurate health information can directly harm people.[google-qrg]
Guide
How patients search for doctors
Understanding how patients search for healthcare providers helps you meet them where they are. Patient search behavior has evolved significantly – with nearly 60% of US adults searching for health information online[cdc-health-it-2023] – driven by the rise of AI tools, mobile search, and changing expectations.
Guide
What is Answer Engine Optimization (AEO)?
When a patient asks ChatGPT "best orthopedic surgeon in Boston," is your practice among the sources it cites? With nearly 60% of US adults searching for health information online,[cdc-health-it-2023] and AI tools rapidly becoming part of that journey, practices that aren't optimized for answer engines are invisible to a growing segment of patients.
Common challenges
Problems that practices in this specialty commonly face.
Common Problem
Why Your Practice Doesn't Appear When Patients Ask ChatGPT
Patients are telling you they "asked ChatGPT" or "checked with AI" before booking. When you try the same queries, your practice doesn't come up. Meanwhile, competitors – sometimes with fewer credentials or worse reviews – are getting mentioned. This isn't random, and understanding why is the first step to fixing it.
Common Problem
Why Your Website Traffic Is Up But Phone Calls Are Flat
Your analytics show website traffic growing – month over month, you're getting more visitors. But your phone isn't ringing any more than before. New patient inquiries remain stubbornly flat. This disconnect between traffic and results is increasingly common, and it signals a shift in how patients are using search.
Related specialties
Explore how we help practices in related specialties.
Aesthetic & elective
Acupuncture
Acupuncture has grown from a niche therapy to a mainstream healthcare option – over 7 million Americans now receive acupuncture treatment annually. Patients increasingly search online for alternative and complementary therapies, with nearly 60% of US adults researching health information online. If your practice isn't visible in Google and AI search results, you're losing patients to competitors who are.
Aesthetic & elective
Chiropractic
With approximately 50% of US adults having visited a chiropractor at some point, and a $13.75 billion US market, chiropractic care has significant patient demand. Patients increasingly search online for pain relief solutions – nearly 60% of US adults look for health information online. Your search visibility determines whether pain sufferers find your practice.
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