Squarespace SEO for Therapists: Get Found in Your Local Area
If you're a therapist trying to grow your private practice, here's the reality: your clients aren’t flipping through the Yellow Pages. They're typing "therapist near me" into Google—and if your site isn’t showing up, you’re leaving a lot of impact (and income) on the table. And if you're using Squarespace? Good news. You’ve already got a sleek, functional website builder in your corner. But beautiful alone doesn’t cut it. It’s time to optimize. Let's talk strategy—local SEO strategy—tailored for mental health therapists, counselors, psychotherapists, and holistic therapy practitioners using Squarespace in 2025. This guide is going to walk you through exactly how to get found online by the people who need you, using what you’ve already got.
Why SEO Matters for Mental Health Professionals
Let’s be real: your clients are anxious enough without having to click through page 7 of Google. Whether you're a trauma-informed psychotherapist or a holistic counselor specializing in mind-body practices, you need to show up early in search results—ideally right after someone types in, “best therapist in [your city].” And that’s where SEO (Search Engine Optimization) comes in. Done right, it tells Google:
“Hey, I’m here, I help people, and I’m right down the road.”
But most therapists didn’t get into this work to worry about headings, meta descriptions, and keywords. That’s why Squarespace SEO is so powerful—it simplifies a lot of the hard stuff without making you sacrifice visibility.
Can Squarespace Work for SEO in 2025?
Yes. Absolutely. But it doesn’t work by magic. Squarespace has made steady improvements to its SEO capabilities, and it’s absolutely possible to build a site that ranks well—especially for local search. The platform is mobile-optimized by default, gives you control over titles, descriptions, and URLs, and makes it easy for search engines to crawl your pages. That said, simply launching your site isn’t enough. To show up in search results, you need to be intentional with how your content is structured, what keywords you’re using, and how you guide visitors (and Google) through your pages. If you're just getting started, it’s worth taking the time to lay a strong foundation before diving into more advanced SEO strategies.
Understanding Local SEO (and Why It’s Your Best Friend)
Local SEO is what gets you found by people in your area. So instead of ranking for broad terms like “licensed counselor,” you’ll be optimizing for things like:
Grief therapist in Denver
Couples counseling Brooklyn NY
LGBTQ+ affirming psychotherapist near me
Searches with local intent are gold for therapists. They’re high-converting and time-sensitive. People aren’t browsing for fun—they’re searching because they need help now. That’s why local SEO is your shortcut to a fully booked practice.
Start with the Right Template (It Actually Matters)
If you’re still at the design stage—or you’re overdue for a refresh—your choice of website template can impact your SEO success. Clean layouts, fast load speeds, and clear navigation are all things Google (and visitors) care about. Squarespace templates aren’t all created equal. If you want a design that’s actually built for a therapy practice, check out these best Squarespace templates for therapists. Each one is built with SEO in mind and includes pages you’ll need—like services, FAQ, booking, and a blog.
Know Your Keywords (and Where to Put Them)
Okay, deep breath—because this is the part that trips people up. But it doesn’t have to be complicated. Keywords are just the phrases people type into Google to find help. For a therapist, that might include:
anxiety therapist Chicago
trauma counseling near me
online psychotherapist for teens
holistic therapy for burnout
You want to make sure those phrases appear naturally throughout your site—especially in the following places:
Page titles
Headings (H1, H2)
Page URLs
Meta titles and descriptions
Image alt text
First paragraph of each page
There’s no need to stuff. In fact, Google will penalize you for it. Use variations of your core keywords, speak like your clients do, and always keep local relevance in mind. Not sure where to begin? This Squarespace SEO checklist offers a therapist-friendly step-by-step breakdown.
Optimize Your Homepage for Local Clients
Most therapists’ homepages read like a soft whisper: “Hi, I’m so-and-so, I help people.” That’s lovely—but it’s not SEO. Your homepage should tell Google:
✅ Who you are
✅ What you offer
✅ Where you are located
✅ Who you serve
Here’s an SEO-friendly headline example:
“Licensed Anxiety Therapist in Austin, TX | Trauma & EMDR Counseling for Adults”
Notice how it includes a keyword (anxiety therapist), a location (Austin, TX), and even specialties (trauma, EMDR)? This helps search engines, and potential clients - understand your services instantly. Need inspiration? We’ve got plenty of real-world Squarespace website examples for therapists that use this strategy well.
Pages You Actually Need (For SEO & Clients)
Let’s clear something up: more pages aren’t always better. But you do need the right ones. At a minimum, you should have:
Services Page - Outline your therapy specialties clearly. List each with its own section (or separate page) so you can optimize for specific keywords like “EMDR therapy in Portland” or “online couples counseling.”
About Page - Introduce yourself with warmth and credentials. This page builds trust—and search engines love a well-optimized About page with your name, profession, and location.
Contact Page - Make it easy. Include a form, email, phone, and clickable map. Bonus points if you also list your business hours and nearby neighborhoods you serve.
Blog - Don’t groan! A blog doesn’t have to be a chore. You can write short, helpful posts answering common client questions, like:
“What to Expect at Your First Therapy Session”
“How to Know If You’re Experiencing Burnout”
“What Is Inner Child Work?”
Google loves fresh content, and this is your chance to answer the exact questions your clients are searching for.
Pro Tip: Use Internal Links Wisely
Internal linking isn’t just good UX—it’s excellent SEO. Let’s say you write a blog post on “Understanding Panic Attacks.” You can link that phrase to your anxiety services page. Or if you’re highlighting design features in your blog, link to your post on the best website builder for therapists. It helps your visitors move around your site and tells Google how your pages relate to one another. It’s subtle, powerful, and simple.
Show Up on Google Maps with a Google Business Profile
Here’s the harsh truth: if you’re not on Google Maps, you might as well be invisible. Setting up a Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business) is non-negotiable for local SEO. It’s what allows your practice to show up in the map pack—that little box of therapist listings people see first when they search “anxiety therapist near me.” You don’t need to be a tech genius to do this. Just:
Go to Google Business Profile
Add your practice name, address, phone, website, and hours
Choose your categories (e.g., “Mental Health Service” or “Counselor”)
Upload professional photos of your office or logo
Add services (this is where you drop in all your keywords naturally!)
Start collecting client reviews (more on that in a sec)
And yes—you can do this even if you work virtually. Just indicate you don’t serve clients at your business location, and Google will still list you in your service area.
Get Reviews That (Actually) Help Your Rankings
Let’s talk trust signals. In therapy, referrals rule. But online? Reviews are your digital word-of-mouth. When potential clients compare listings in their area, they’re looking for phrases like:
“She made me feel safe from the first session”
“My anxiety is finally manageable”
“A compassionate psychotherapist with real tools”
These aren’t just nice-to-haves—they're ranking factors. The more positive, keyword-rich reviews you have on your Google Business Profile, the more likely Google is to push your listing to the top. Here’s a script you can tweak and send after a few sessions:
“Hi [Name], I’m so glad our work together has been helpful. If you’d be comfortable leaving a short Google review, it really helps others find support when they need it most.”
That’s it. No pressure, no weird energy. Just a gentle nudge.
Use Squarespace’s Built-In SEO Tools (Yes, They’re Good!)
Squarespace isn’t perfect (no platform is), but it gives you everything you need to optimize your website—if you know where to look. Head to Pages → Settings for each of your site’s pages. You’ll see fields like:
SEO Title – This appears in search results. Example: “Trauma Therapist in Austin | EMDR, Inner Child Work”
SEO Description – A 1–2 sentence summary that invites someone to click. Example: “Licensed psychotherapist offering trauma therapy, anxiety treatment, and inner child healing in Austin, TX. In-person and virtual sessions available.”
Fill these out for every page on your site. Don’t copy and paste. Each should be unique and descriptive. (Need inspiration? This Squarespace website design for therapists service page breaks down what works.)
Optimize Your Images Like a Pro (Without Being a Pro)
You know what most therapists forget to optimize? Their images. And yes—Google sees them. More specifically, it sees the file name and the alt text (the hidden description that helps with accessibility). Before you upload a photo, rename the file to include a keyword. Instead of:
IMG_3749.jpg Try: licensed-therapist-office-brooklyn.jpg
Then, in Squarespace:
Click on the image block
Open “Image Settings”
Add a short but clear alt description like:
“Therapist office for anxiety and trauma counseling in Brooklyn, NY”
This tells Google what the image is about—and gives your local keywords one more place to shine.
Use Structured Data to Stand Out in Search
Okay, this one’s a little techy, but stick with me—it’s powerful. Structured data (aka schema markup) is behind-the-scenes code that helps Google better understand what your page is. For therapists, it can help you show up with:
Star ratings
Location pins
Appointment availability
Direct phone links
Squarespace doesn’t let you fully customize schema without code, but there’s a workaround: use the built-in page types wisely.
Blog posts = Article schema
Events = Event schema
Product pages = Product schema (great if you sell workshops or courses!)
And if you're really serious? Tools like JSON-LD Schema Generator can help you create therapist-specific schema to embed via Code Injection (in Settings → Advanced → Code Injection).
Blogging: Your Secret SEO Weapon (Even if You Hate Writing)
If there’s one thing that consistently boosts therapist websites, it’s blogging. Not because you’re trying to become the next Brene Brown—but because:
Fresh content = SEO boost
You naturally include local keywords
Clients find answers before booking
Still not sold? Here are five post ideas you could write this week:
“How to Know If Therapy Is Right for You”
“5 Grounding Techniques for Anxiety You Can Try Today”
“What to Expect from Your First Therapy Session in [Your City]”
“Why Trauma Responses Aren’t Always Obvious”
“What Is Holistic Therapy? (And Is It Right for You?)”
Keep it conversational, not academic. You’re not writing a term paper—you’re starting a conversation with your future client. For layout inspo, browse the clean, SEO-friendly articles inside this Squarespace website example collection for therapists.
Nail Your Navigation and Site Structure
Don’t overlook this: how your site is structured matters. Both for user experience and for Google’s crawlers. Here’s what a solid structure looks like:
Homepage
Services
Individual Therapy
Couples Counseling
EMDR
About
Blog
Contact
Each of those pages should be clickable within 2–3 links from the homepage. This makes your site easy to navigate and easy for search engines to index. Avoid dumping all your content on a single “Services” page. Break it up. Give each specialty its own page so you can rank for more targeted keywords like “EMDR therapist in Dallas” or “grief counseling for teens.”
Internal Linking: The Secret Sauce for SEO Flow
We touched on this earlier, but let’s double down—because most therapists aren’t doing this, and it’s a game-changer. Whenever you publish a new blog post, ask yourself:
Can I link to another post I’ve written?
Can I reference my Services page?
Can I include a CTA (call to action) that leads to my Contact page?
For example, a post about “Managing Holiday Stress” could link to your anxiety treatment page, your blog archive, and your booking link. More internal links = more time on site, better user flow, and stronger signals to Google about what matters on your site.
Common Squarespace SEO Mistakes (And How to Fix Them)
Let’s do a quick gut-check. Are you making any of these sneaky SEO mistakes?
You’re using the same SEO title on every page
Fix it: Make sure each page has a unique meta title and description with different keyword combinations.
You’re burying your location in a contact form
Fix it: Mention your city in multiple places: your homepage, footer, About page, and service pages.
You’re not using headings correctly
Fix it: Use one H1 (main page title) per page, then structure your content with H2s and H3s. Don’t skip heading levels or bold text just for looks.
You’re ignoring mobile design
Fix it: Squarespace templates are mobile-friendly, but still preview your site on mobile to make sure text is readable and links are tappable.
You have no internal links
Fix it: Go back and add links between blog posts, service pages, and contact forms to keep people exploring your site longer.
DIY vs. Hiring SEO Help—What Makes Sense for Therapists?
Let’s be honest. Most therapists don’t want to spend their evenings researching meta descriptions or ALT tags. So, when does it make sense to DIY, and when should you hire help?
Go DIY if:
✅ You have time to learn and implement
✅ You enjoy tinkering with your website
✅ You have a newer practice and want to stay lean
Squarespace is user-friendly, and guides like this one, paired with a solid SEO checklist, can take you far. Especially if you start with a template that’s already built with SEO in mind. You can even pair a done-for-you layout with strategy support. If that sounds like your vibe, check out our Squarespace website design for therapists service to get a professionally built site you can maintain yourself.
Hire SEO support if:
✅ You want to skip the trial and error
✅ You’re rebranding or relaunching
✅ You want someone to handle strategy + implementation
In that case, working with a Squarespace SEO expert who understands therapy-specific language and local marketing can help you show up faster—and save you a lot of headaches.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) – Squarespace SEO for Therapists
Do I need to blog regularly for my therapy site to rank?
Not necessarily. Even one high-quality post per month can boost your SEO significantly, especially if it's answering questions your clients are actually searching for—like “How does EMDR work?” or “What happens in grief counseling?”
Can I still rank locally if I offer only virtual sessions?
Yes! Just make sure you clarify your service areas (e.g., “serving clients across Oregon via teletherapy”) throughout your content, in meta descriptions, and on your contact page.
What keywords should I use on my therapy website?
Focus on service + location phrases your clients would search, like:
“anxiety therapist in Boulder”
“online counselor for trauma”
“EMDR therapy in Chicago”
“grief counselor near me”
Include variations like "mental health therapist," "psychotherapist," or "holistic therapist" depending on what fits your practice.
What’s more important—design or SEO?
They’re both crucial. Your site needs to look trustworthy and feel calm (design), and be discoverable through Google (SEO). That’s why using a therapist-specific template with built-in SEO features—like the ones at Kseniia Design Studio—is such a smart move.
How long does it take for SEO changes to show results on Squarespace?
How long SEO takes depends on many factors—like how competitive your local area is, what other therapists in your niche are doing, how well your internal links are structured, and how established your site already is. Most therapists see results within 3–6 months of consistent SEO work, but in some cases, especially when your Google Business Profile is fully optimized and your Squarespace site is properly indexed, local rankings can improve within just a few weeks.
