The 2026 Therapist SEO Checklist
Everything a UK therapist or counsellor needs to be found on Google — without hiring an agency. 84 actionable checks, 8 sections, written by an SEO who only works with therapists.
See what's insideThe 2026 Therapist SEO Checklist
Everything a UK therapist needs to be found on Google.
- Google Business Profile
- Therapy Directories
- Keyword Research
- On-Page Essentials
- Local SEO
- Content Strategy
- Technical Basics
- Tracking & Measuring
Inside the checklist
8 sections. 84 checks. Built for UK private practice.
You don't have to do every check. Most therapists who finish sections 1, 2, 7, and 8 — Google Business Profile, directories, the technical basics, and tracking — see a measurable lift in enquiries within 60 days. The rest is the slow, durable work.
Google Business Profile
The single biggest local-SEO lever a therapist has. Claiming, categories, photos, reviews, and the small mistakes that get profiles suspended.
12 checksTherapy Directories
Counselling Directory, Psychology Today UK, your professional body's register, and the niche directories that actually send clients.
10 checksKeyword Research
How to find what real clients are searching for — not what you think they should be searching for. Free tools only.
8 checksOn-Page Essentials
Page titles, meta descriptions, headings, URLs. The boring basics that ninety per cent of therapy sites still get wrong.
12 checksLocal SEO Beyond GBP
Address signals, embedded maps, location pages, schema. How to tell Google where you work on your website — not just on Google.
8 checksContent That Earns Clients
Service pages, fees pages, blog posts that answer the questions clients actually ask. Including what not to write about.
12 checksTechnical Basics
HTTPS, mobile, speed, sitemaps, schema, UK GDPR, ICO registration. The plumbing. None of it requires a developer.
10 checksTracking & Measuring
Google Search Console, GA4, Bing Webmaster Tools, conversion tracking. All free. Set up once and run for years.
8 checksA few from the PDF
Sample checks — so you know what you're getting.
Four pulled straight from the PDF. There are 80 more like these inside.
Section 01 · Google Business Profile
Use your exact practice name — no keywords.
"Sarah Hughes Counselling" is fine. "Sarah Hughes Counselling – Anxiety Therapist Bristol" is keyword stuffing and will get you suspended.
Section 04 · On-Page Essentials
Page title: 50–60 characters, primary keyword first, practice name last.
Example: "Anxiety Therapy Bristol | Sarah Hughes Counselling". Edit in your site's SEO settings, not in the page heading.
Section 06 · Content That Earns Clients
Blog one to two times a month — questions, not topics.
Not "Understanding anxiety" — too generic. "Should I see a therapist or counsellor for anxiety?" — specific, searchable, useful.
Section 07 · Technical Basics
ICO data-controller registration.
If you process client information digitally — even just enquiry emails — you need to be registered. £40–£60 a year. Most therapists don't know this.
Ben Nuttall
Founder, SEO for Therapists
Who built this checklist
Plain-English SEO, written for therapists.
This checklist is the same one I run through with every new private-practice client in their first 30 days. Every check inside has been tested on real therapy websites — solo BACP counsellors through to multi-clinician psychology groups across the UK.
I started SEO for Therapists after watching too many practice owners spend months on agency retainers chasing rankings that never came. The work itself isn't complicated; it's just specific, ordered, and almost never written down for therapy in plain English.
"If you do the work in this checklist properly, you don't need an agency."
Everything I publish — this PDF included — is built around one principle: tell therapists exactly what to do, in the order that produces results. No jargon. No upsell. No hidden chapter at the end pushing you toward a discovery call.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions.
The questions therapists ask before downloading.
Yes. No upsell, no paywall, no bait-and-switch. The PDF arrives in your inbox a few seconds after you sign up. The only thing I ask is your email — which you can unsubscribe from with one click.
Yes. The checklist covers both in-person and online practices, and several sections are specifically about online-friendly local SEO (service-area Google profiles, location-targeted content without a physical address).
No. The whole thing is written for therapists who built their own site on Squarespace, Wix, or WordPress. The few technical bits — schema markup, sitemaps, ICO registration — are explained in plain English with links to free tools.
About four hours for the foundational sections (Google Business Profile, directories, technical basics, tracking). Then about thirty minutes a week for content and reviews. Most therapists see their first lift in enquiries inside 60 days.
Yes. Everything is compatible with BACP, UKCP, BABCP, NCPS, BPS, and COSCA ethical frameworks. Nothing in here asks you to post identifying client information or pressure clients for testimonials.
Fine. I run free 30-minute audits for UK therapists — I open your website, your Google profile, and your directories live and tell you what I'd fix first. No obligation, no sales pitch.
Ready to be findable on Google?
Download the checklist. Work through it. Or book a free audit and I'll do the diagnostic with you.
Past results
What clients have said about working with Ben.
These reviews are from local-SEO and website projects across the UK. They're not therapy practices — those case studies are launching with the 2026 cohort — but they speak to how I work.
"Ben helped us launch our new business from scratch — website, Google Business Profile, and a fully integrated booking system. We've been very busy since and continue to work with Ben to improve our local SEO and get more customers."
"Ben completely redesigned our website and what a difference it has made. We consistently come in as the #1 option on search engines across the UK. The amount of new business our website is now generating is quite phenomenal."
"Ben and the team built our new website and carried out all the SEO work to get us more customers through Google. We've already received several leads resulting in new sales and an increase in revenue. Easy to work with — highly recommended."
Therapy-specific case studies launching with the 2026 client cohort.
Want me to walk through it with you?
Got the checklist but unsure where to start? I run free 30-minute audits for UK therapists — we open your website, your Google profile, and your directory listings together, and I tell you the three things I'd fix this month. No sales pitch.
Audit booking received.
I'll be in touch within 24 hours to confirm a time. I'll review your site, rankings, and directory profile before the call — so we can dive straight into what matters.
Thanks for your interest.
Free audits are reserved for therapists ready to invest when the time is right — paid packages start at £750/mo. Keep working through the checklist for now, and feel free to come back when you're ready to talk about paid support.
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