The Complete SEO Glossary for Therapists

Simple explanations for building your therapy practice online

Core SEO Fundamentals

Boolean Search Using words like "AND," "OR," and "NOT" to make searches more specific. It's like giving Google very precise instructions.

Crawling Think of Google as having tiny robots that visit websites to see what's there. These "crawlers" are like window shoppers checking out your therapy practice to understand what services you offer.

Featured Snippets The special box that sometimes appears at the top of Google results with a direct answer. It's like being the expert Google quotes first.

Indexing This is Google's way of filing your website in their massive library. If your site isn't indexed, it's like having a beautiful brochure that's stuck in a drawer - nobody can find it.

Keyword Clustering Grouping similar keywords together, like putting all anxiety-related terms in one group and all relationship terms in another.

Keyword Mapping Matching specific keywords to specific pages on your website. Like making sure your anxiety page targets "anxiety therapy" and your couples page targets "marriage counseling."

Keyword Research The process of figuring out what words your potential clients are actually using to search for therapy. It's like eavesdropping on the questions people ask most often.

Keywords These are the words and phrases people type into Google when looking for a therapist. Like "anxiety therapist near me" or "couples counseling." Think of them as the questions your ideal clients are asking.

Knowledge Panel The information box that appears on the right side of search results, often for businesses or well-known people.

Long-Tail Keywords These are longer, more specific phrases like "therapist for working moms with postpartum depression in Denver." They're like having a very specific conversation starter that attracts exactly the right people.

Organic Search/Traffic These are people who find your website naturally through Google searches, not through paid ads. It's like word-of-mouth referrals, but from search engines.

People Also Ask (PAA) Those expandable questions that appear in search results. They're like the follow-up questions your clients often have.

Ranking Where your website appears in search results. Being #1 is like having the first listing in the phone book - you get the most calls.

Rich Snippets Enhanced search results that show extra information like star ratings or prices. They make your listing stand out like a highlighted phone book ad.

Search Algorithm This is Google's secret recipe for deciding which websites to show first. It's like having a very smart librarian who knows exactly which book will best answer your question.

Search Engine Google, Bing, Yahoo - these are like digital librarians that help people find exactly what they're looking for online.

Search Intent This is what someone really wants when they search. Are they looking for information ("What is CBT?"), trying to find a therapist ("therapist near me"), or comparing options ("best anxiety treatment methods")? It's like understanding the real reason someone called your office.

Search Operators Special commands you can use in Google to search more precisely, like putting quotes around phrases or using the minus sign to exclude words.

Search Query The exact words someone types into Google. It's their way of asking the internet a question.

Search Volume How many people search for a specific term each month. It's like knowing how many people ask about anxiety therapy versus depression therapy in your area.

Semantic Keywords/LSI Keywords Related words that help Google understand your content better. If you write about "depression," related words might be "mood," "sadness," or "mental health."

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) Think of SEO like decorating your office window so people walking by can easily see what kind of therapy you offer. It's all the things you do to help potential clients find your website when they search Google for therapy services.

SERP (Search Engine Results Page) This is the page of results you see after typing something into Google. It's like the yellow pages, but digital and much more competitive.

Analytics + Metrics

Acquisition Channel How people found your website - through Google, social media, direct visits, or referrals. It's like asking new clients "How did you hear about me?"

Attribution Understanding which marketing efforts led to new clients. It's like tracing back the path that led someone to your practice.

Average Position Where your website typically appears in search results for your keywords. Position 3.2 means you usually show up between the 3rd and 4th results.

Bounce Rate The percentage of people who visit just one page of your website and leave immediately. It's like someone walking into your waiting room and leaving right away - you want to understand why.

Click-Through Rate (CTR) The percentage of people who saw your listing and clicked on it. If 100 people saw your listing and 5 clicked, your CTR is 5%. It's like measuring how appealing your storefront window is.

Clicks How many people actually clicked on your website from search results. It's like counting how many people walked through your front door.

Cohort Analysis Grouping website visitors by when they first visited to see patterns in behavior over time.

Conversion Rate The percentage of website visitors who take a desired action, like filling out a contact form or booking a consultation. It's your website's success rate at turning browsers into potential clients.

Cost Per Click (CPC) How much you'd pay for each click if you were running paid ads. It helps you understand the value of organic traffic.

Direct Traffic People who typed your website address directly into their browser or had it bookmarked. These are often existing clients or referrals.

Funnel Analysis Tracking the steps people take on your website from first visit to becoming a client. It's like mapping the journey from walking in your door to scheduling an appointment.

Google Analytics (GA4) A free tool that tells you everything about who visits your website - it's like having a receptionist who remembers every person who walked through your door and what they were interested in.

Google Search Console (GSC) Google's free tool that shows you how your website appears in search results. It's like getting a report card from Google about your website's performance.

Impressions How many times your website appeared in search results, even if nobody clicked. It's like how many people saw your business listing while flipping through the phone book.

Keyword Rankings Where your website appears in search results for specific keywords. Tracking this helps you see if your SEO efforts are working.

Organic Traffic Visitors who found you through unpaid search results. These are people who found you naturally, not through ads.

Pageviews The total number of pages people look at on your website. It's like counting how many brochures someone picks up in your waiting room.

Rank Tracking Monitoring how your search rankings change over time for important keywords.

Referral Traffic Visitors who came from other websites that linked to yours. It's like getting a referral from another professional.

Return on Investment (ROI) How much money you make compared to what you spend on SEO. If you spend $500 on SEO and gain $2000 in new clients, your ROI is 300%.

Search Visibility How often your website appears in search results for your target keywords. It's like measuring how visible your practice is in your community.

Session Duration How long people spend on your website during a visit. It's like measuring how long people stay in your waiting room reading your brochures.

Technical SEO + Site Structure

Alt Text (Alternative Text) Text that describes images for people who can't see them (and for Google). It's like having captions for all your photos that explain what's happening.

AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages) A Google technology for making web pages load super fast on mobile devices.

Anchor Text The clickable text in a link. Instead of "click here," good anchor text might be "learn about anxiety therapy." It's like having descriptive signs instead of just arrows.

Breadcrumbs Navigation that shows people where they are on your website. Like "Home > Services > Anxiety Therapy" - it's like having a "You Are Here" map.

Caching Storing copies of your website content to make it load faster for repeat visitors. It's like having forms pre-filled for returning clients.

Canonical Tag/Canonical URL A way to tell Google which version of a page is the "official" one when you have similar content. It's like having a main phone number even if you have multiple extensions.

CDN (Content Delivery Network) A network of servers that helps your website load faster by serving content from locations closer to your visitors.

Compression (Gzip) A way to make your website files smaller so they load faster. Like vacuum-sealing clothes to fit more in a suitcase.

Crawl Errors Problems that prevent Google from accessing your pages. It's like having a broken doorbell - people can't get in to see what you offer.

DNS (Domain Name System) The system that translates your domain name into an IP address. It's like the phone system that connects your business name to your actual phone number.

Faceted Navigation Navigation that lets people filter content by different categories. Common on e-commerce sites but less relevant for most therapy websites.

Header Tags (H1, H2, H3) These organize your content like an outline. H1 is your main title, H2s are your chapter headings, and H3s are subheadings. They help both readers and Google understand your content structure.

Hreflang Code that tells Google which language or country a page is for. Important if you serve clients in different languages or locations.

Image Optimization Making your images load faster without losing quality. It's like having professional photos that don't take forever to develop.

Index Coverage A report showing which of your pages Google has successfully indexed and which ones have problems.

Internal Links/Internal Linking Links from one page of your website to another. It's like having clear signs in your office pointing to different rooms - it helps people navigate and tells Google which pages are important.

JavaScript SEO Making sure that content created by JavaScript can still be seen by search engines.

Lazy Loading A technique that only loads images when people scroll to them, making your website faster.

Meta Description The short description under your title in search results. Think of it as your elevator pitch - a compelling summary that makes people want to click.

Meta Title (Title Tag) The clickable headline that appears in search results. It's like the sign on your office door - it should clearly say what you do and make people want to come in.

Minification Removing unnecessary code to make your website load faster. It's like organizing your filing cabinet to find things quicker.

Noindex Tag A tag that tells Google not to include a page in search results. It's like having a private office that's not listed in the building directory.

Open Graph (OG) Tags Code that controls how your pages look when shared on social media. It's like having a nice business card that represents you well when someone hands it out.

Pagination How you handle multiple pages of content, like a blog with many posts. It helps both users and search engines navigate through all your content.

PWA (Progressive Web App) A website that works like a mobile app, with features like offline access and push notifications.

Robots.txt A file that tells search engines which parts of your website they can and can't look at. It's like having "Staff Only" signs on certain doors.

Sitemap/Sitemap.xml A file that lists all the pages on your website for search engines. It's like giving Google a map of your entire office building.

Structured Data/Schema Markup Special code that helps Google understand your content better. It's like labeling everything in your office so visitors know exactly what they're looking at.

URL Structure/Slug The web address of your pages. A good URL is like a clear street address - easy to read and understand. "yoursite.com/anxiety-therapy" is better than "yoursite.com/page123."

Performance + Technical Issues

301 Redirect A permanent redirect from one page to another. If you moved offices, this would automatically direct people to your new location.

302 Redirect A temporary redirect. Like putting up a sign saying "temporarily meeting in conference room B" while your office is being painted.

404 Error The "page not found" error. It's like someone looking for a room that doesn't exist in your building.

410 Gone Tells search engines that a page has been permanently removed and won't be coming back.

500 Error A server error that means something's wrong with your website. It's like your phone system being down - nobody can reach you.

Broken Links Links that don't work anymore. It's like having wrong directions to your office - frustrating and unprofessional.

Core Web Vitals Google's measurements of user experience: how fast your page loads, how quickly people can interact with it, and how stable it is while loading.

Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) Measures how much your page content moves around while loading. Nobody likes clicking a button just to have it jump somewhere else.

First Contentful Paint (FCP) When the first piece of content appears on screen. It's the moment visitors know your page is actually loading.

First Input Delay (FID) Measures how quickly your page responds when someone tries to click or tap something. It should be less than 100 milliseconds.

HTTPS/SSL Certificate Security that encrypts information between your website and visitors. It's like having private consultation rooms instead of talking in the hallway.

Image Formats (WebP, AVIF) Newer image formats that provide better quality at smaller file sizes, making your website load faster.

Interaction to Next Paint (INP) A newer metric that measures how quickly your page responds to user interactions throughout their entire visit.

Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) Measures how long it takes for the main content of your page to load. It should happen within 2.5 seconds.

Lighthouse Score Google's tool that grades your website on performance, accessibility, SEO, and best practices. It's like a report card for your website.

Mobile Usability/Responsive Design How well your website works on smartphones and tablets. It's like making sure your office is accessible to everyone, regardless of how they arrive.

Page Speed/Load Time How quickly your website loads. In our impatient world, this is like how quickly you answer your phone - too slow and people hang up.

Response Codes Numbers that tell browsers and search engines what happened when they tried to access a page. 200 means "success," 404 means "not found," etc.

Server Response Time How quickly your web server responds to requests. A slow server is like having a receptionist who takes forever to answer the phone.

Time to First Byte (TTFB) How long it takes for your server to start responding to a request. It's like how quickly you pick up the phone when it rings.

Web Vitals Google's broader set of metrics for measuring user experience on websites.

Local SEO

App Store Optimization (ASO) If you have a therapy app, this is how you optimize it to be found in app stores. Like SEO, but for apps.

Citations Mentions of your business name, address, and phone number on other websites. It's like having your practice listed in multiple professional directories.

Geotargeting Showing different content or ads to people based on their location. Like having different brochures for different neighborhoods you serve.

Google Business Profile (GBP) Your free business listing on Google that appears in maps and local searches. It's like your listing in the local business directory, but much more powerful.

Google Maps The mapping service where your business can appear when people search for local services.

Local Keywords Search terms that include location, like "therapist in Portland" or "anxiety counselor near me."

Local Pack The map and list of local businesses that appears at the top of local search results. Getting in here is like being featured in the front window of the town newspaper.

Local SEO Optimizing your website to appear in local searches. It's like making sure people in your city can easily find your practice when they need therapy.

Location Extensions Additional information in ads that shows your business address and phone number.

Map Pack Another name for the local pack - the map results that show local businesses.

Mobile-First Indexing Google primarily uses the mobile version of your website for ranking. Since most people search on phones, your mobile site needs to be perfect.

NAP (Name, Address, Phone) Your business name, address, and phone number. These should be exactly the same everywhere online - consistency is key for local SEO.

Near Me Searches When people search for "therapist near me" or "counseling near me." These are goldmine searches for local practices.

Review Management Actively managing your online reviews across platforms like Google, Yelp, and Facebook. Good reviews are like word-of-mouth referrals on steroids.

Service Area Business A business that serves clients in specific areas rather than having a physical location clients visit. Important if you do home visits or online therapy.

Voice Search When people ask Siri, Alexa, or Google Assistant to find something. People often use more conversational language: "Where's the best therapist near me?" that appears in maps and local searches. It's like your listing in the local business directory, but much more powerful.

NAP (Name, Address, Phone) Your business name, address, and phone number. These should be exactly the same everywhere online - consistency is key for local SEO.

Local SEO Optimizing your website to appear in local searches. It's like making sure people in your city can easily find your practice when they need therapy.

Service Area Business A business that serves clients in specific areas rather than having a physical location clients visit. Important if you do home visits or online therapy.

Citations Mentions of your business name, address, and phone number on other websites. It's like having your practice listed in multiple professional directories.

Local Keywords Search terms that include location, like "therapist in Portland" or "anxiety counselor near me."

Google Maps The mapping service where your business can appear when people search for local services.

Mobile-First Indexing Google primarily uses the mobile version of your website for ranking. Since most people search on phones, your mobile site needs to be perfect.

App Store Optimization (ASO) If you have a therapy app, this is how you optimize it to be found in app stores. Like SEO, but for apps.

Voice Search When people ask Siri, Alexa, or Google Assistant to find something. People often use more conversational language: "Where's the best therapist near me?"

Near Me Searches When people search for "therapist near me" or "counseling near me." These are goldmine searches for local practices.

Local Pack The map and list of local businesses that appears at the top of local search results. Getting in here is like being featured in the front window of the town newspaper.

Map Pack Another name for the local pack - the map results that show local businesses.

Review Management Actively managing your online reviews across platforms like Google, Yelp, and Facebook. Good reviews are like word-of-mouth referrals on steroids.

Geotargeting Showing different content or ads to people based on their location. Like having different brochures for different neighborhoods you serve.

Location Extensions Additional information in ads that shows your business address and phone number.

Authority + Link Building

Backlinks Links from other websites to yours. Think of them as professional referrals - the more quality websites that link to you, the more Google trusts you as an authority.

Domain Authority A score (1-100) that predicts how well your website will rank in search results. It's like your professional reputation score in the therapy community.

Link Building The process of getting other websites to link to yours. It's like networking to build professional relationships and referrals.

Nofollow/Dofollow Links Dofollow links pass authority to your site (like a strong referral), while nofollow links don't (but can still bring traffic). Most links are dofollow by default.

Referring Domains The number of different websites that link to yours. Having links from 50 different sites is better than having 100 links from the same site.

Link Equity/Link Juice The authority and ranking power that passes from one page to another through links. It's like reputation flowing from one professional to another through referrals.

Page Authority Similar to domain authority, but for individual pages rather than entire websites.

Trust Flow A metric that measures the quality of links pointing to your website based on how trustworthy the linking sites are.

Citation Flow A metric that measures the quantity of links pointing to your website, regardless of quality.

Toxic Links Low-quality or spammy links that could hurt your search rankings. It's like having bad professional references that damage your reputation.

Link Velocity How quickly you're gaining new backlinks. A sudden spike in links can look suspicious to Google.

Link Profile The overall collection of links pointing to your website. A healthy profile has links from diverse, relevant sources.

Anchor Text Distribution The variety of text used in links pointing to your site. You want a natural mix, not all links using the same phrase.

Guest Posting Writing articles for other websites in exchange for a link back to your site. Like writing for professional journals to build your reputation.

Broken Link Building Finding broken links on other websites and suggesting your content as a replacement. It's helpful to the site owner and gets you a link.

Resource Page Link Building Getting your website listed on pages that compile helpful resources. Like being included in a "Best Therapists in the Area" list.

Internal Link Equity How you distribute authority throughout your own website through internal links. It's like deciding which of your services to highlight most prominently.

PageRank Google's original algorithm for measuring the importance of web pages based on the links pointing to them.

Content + Strategy

Content Marketing Creating valuable content to attract and engage potential clients. It's like writing helpful articles for a community newsletter to establish yourself as the go-to expert.

E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trust) Google's criteria for evaluating content quality. As a therapist, you naturally have expertise and experience - you just need to demonstrate it online.

Keyword Difficulty/SEO Difficulty How hard it is to rank for a specific keyword. "Therapy" might be very difficult, while "trauma therapy in small town name" might be easier.

Keyword Density What percentage of your content is made up of your target keyword. You want it to feel natural, not stuffed in awkwardly.

Keyword Stuffing Using your target keyword so many times that it becomes annoying to read. Google penalizes this, and it drives away potential clients.

Duplicate Content Having the same or very similar content on multiple pages. It confuses Google and can hurt your rankings.

Thin Content Pages with very little useful information. Like having a brochure that only says "We do therapy" - not very helpful for potential clients.

Cornerstone Content Your most important, comprehensive pages that cover your main topics thoroughly. These are like your signature treatment approaches.

Content Intent Understanding what people really want when they search for something, then creating content that satisfies that need.

Content Gap Analysis Finding topics your competitors cover that you don't, or areas where you could provide better information.

Content Audit Reviewing all your existing content to see what's working, what needs improvement, and what should be removed.

Content Cluster/Topic Cluster A strategy where you create one comprehensive "pillar" page about a broad topic, then link to it from several related pages. Like having a main anxiety page that connects to pages about specific anxiety treatments.

Pillar Pages Comprehensive pages that cover broad topics in depth and serve as the foundation for your content clusters.

Content Freshness How recently content was created or updated. Google often prefers fresh content, especially for current topics.

Content Decay When your content becomes outdated or starts losing traffic over time. Regular updates help prevent this.

Content Cannibalization When multiple pages on your site compete for the same keywords, potentially hurting each other's rankings.

User-Generated Content (UGC) Content created by your users, like testimonials, reviews, or comments. This adds authenticity and fresh content to your site.

Content Calendar A schedule planning what content you'll create and when. It helps maintain consistency and ensures you cover important topics.

Editorial Calendar Similar to a content calendar, but more focused on the publishing and promotion schedule.

Content Optimization Improving your content to rank better in search results while still being valuable to readers.

Topical Authority Being recognized as an expert on specific topics by consistently creating high-quality content about them.

Content Depth How thoroughly you cover a topic. In-depth content often performs better than surface-level articles.

Content Breadth How many different aspects of a topic you cover across your website.

AI + Modern Search

AI Overviews (Google's AI Snapshot) Google's AI-generated answers that appear at the top of some search results. They pull information from various sources to answer questions directly.

AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) Optimizing your content to appear in AI-generated answers and voice search results. It's like making sure you're quoted when AI assistants answer questions about therapy.

NLP (Natural Language Processing) How computers understand human language. Google uses this to better understand what people are really asking when they search.

LLM (Large Language Model) AI systems like ChatGPT that can understand and generate human-like text. They're changing how people search for and consume information.

Vector Search/Semantic Search Search technology that understands the meaning behind words, not just the exact words themselves. It knows that "sad" and "depressed" are related concepts.

Custom GPT/GPT Agent Specialized AI assistants trained for specific purposes. You might create one to help people understand different therapy approaches.

Entity SEO Optimizing for "entities" - people, places, things, and concepts that Google recognizes and understands. As a therapist, you're an entity, and so are the conditions you treat.

Knowledge Graph Google's database of entities and how they relate to each other. It helps Google understand that you're a therapist who treats anxiety, which is a mental health condition.

Topic Modeling How search engines understand what topics your content covers and how they relate to each other.

Passage Ranking Google's ability to rank specific passages from long articles, even if the overall page isn't the best match for a query.

BERT (Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers) A Google algorithm update that helps understand the context and nuance in search queries.

RankBrain Google's machine learning algorithm that helps process search results, especially for new or unusual queries.

Machine Learning Computer systems that improve automatically through experience. Google uses this to get better at understanding what people want.

Search Generative Experience (SGE) Google's experimental feature that provides AI-generated responses to search queries.

User Experience + Conversion

User Experience (UX) How easy and pleasant it is for people to use your website. Good UX is like having a comfortable, welcoming office that makes people want to stay and learn more.

Call to Action (CTA) Buttons or links that tell people what to do next, like "Schedule a Consultation" or "Download Our Guide." They're like gentle invitations to take the next step.

Conversion When a website visitor takes a desired action, like filling out a contact form or booking an appointment. It's the ultimate goal of your website.

Landing Page A page designed specifically for people coming from ads or specific campaigns. It's focused on one goal, like getting people to book their first session.

Search Experience The overall experience someone has when searching for and finding information. You want this to be smooth and helpful.

Dwell Time How long people spend on your page before returning to search results. Longer dwell time usually indicates your content is valuable.

Pogo Sticking When someone clicks on your site from search results but immediately goes back to search again. This suggests your content didn't meet their needs.

User Signals Behaviors that indicate how users interact with your site - time spent, pages viewed, bounce rate, etc. These help Google understand if your site is valuable.

Behavioral Metrics Data about how people behave on your website - what they click, how they scroll, where they spend time.

Heat Maps Visual representations of where people click, move their mouse, and look on your web pages. Like tracking foot traffic patterns in your office.

A/B Testing Comparing two versions of a webpage to see which performs better. Like testing two different waiting room layouts to see which makes people more comfortable.

Conversion Funnel The path people take from first discovering your website to becoming a client. Understanding this helps you improve each step.

Lead Magnet Free valuable content (like an ebook or guide) that you offer in exchange for someone's contact information.

Exit Rate The percentage of people who leave your website from a specific page. High exit rates might indicate problems with that page.

Scroll Depth How far down a page people scroll before leaving. This helps you understand if people are reading your entire content.

Crawling + Indexing

Googlebot Google's web crawler - the robot that visits your website to understand what it's about. Think of it as Google's scout that checks out your practice.

Crawl Budget How much time and resources Google allocates to crawling your website. Larger, more important sites get bigger budgets.

Indexability Whether your pages can be included in Google's search results. Some pages might be crawlable but not indexable.

Orphan Pages Pages on your website that aren't linked to from any other pages. Like having a great service that nobody knows about because it's not mentioned anywhere.

Click Depth How many clicks it takes to reach a page from your homepage. Pages that are too "deep" might not get found or ranked as well.

Rendering How search engines process and display your web pages, especially if they use JavaScript or other complex technologies.

Crawl Rate How often Google visits your website to check for new or updated content.

Crawl Frequency How regularly search engines come back to crawl your site. More important sites get crawled more frequently.

Index Bloat Having too many low-quality or unnecessary pages indexed. It's like having a filing cabinet full of useless documents.

URL Parameters Additional information added to URLs, often for tracking purposes. They can sometimes create duplicate content issues.

Faceted URLs URLs that change based on filters or sorting options. Common on e-commerce sites but can create indexing challenges.

Duplicate URLs Different web addresses that show the same content. This can confuse search engines about which version to show.

URL Canonicalization The process of choosing the preferred version of a URL when duplicates exist.

Crawl Priority Which pages search engines consider most important to crawl first.

SEO Tools + Platforms

Ubersuggest A keyword research and SEO tool that helps you find what terms people are searching for and how difficult they are to rank for.

Ahrefs A comprehensive SEO tool that shows you backlinks, keywords, and competitor information. Like having a detailed map of the SEO landscape.

SEMrush Another all-in-one SEO platform that provides keyword research, site audits, and competitive analysis.

Moz An SEO software company that provides tools for keyword research, link building, and site optimization.

AnswerThePublic A tool that shows you the questions people are asking about your topics. Great for finding content ideas.

AlsoAsked Shows you the "People Also Ask" questions from Google search results, helping you understand what people want to know.

Google Trends Shows you how search interest in topics changes over time and varies by location.

PageSpeed Insights Google's free tool for testing how fast your website loads and getting suggestions for improvement.

Data Studio/Looker Studio Google's free tool for creating custom reports and dashboards from your analytics data.

Tag Manager A tool for managing tracking codes and analytics on your website without needing to edit code.

Event Tracking Monitoring specific actions people take on your website, like downloading a form or watching a video.

Goal Setting Defining what actions you want people to take on your website so you can measure success.

Custom Dimensions Additional data you can track in analytics beyond the standard metrics.

Segments Ways to group your website visitors to analyze different types of users separately.

Cohorts Groups of users who share common characteristics or experiences, tracked over time.

Multi-Channel Funnels Reports that show how different marketing channels work together to create conversions.

Competition + Strategy

Competitor Analysis Studying what other therapists in your area are doing online to identify opportunities and gaps in your own strategy.

SERP Analysis Looking at who's currently ranking for your target keywords to understand what it takes to compete.

Market Share What percentage of the online therapy market in your area you're capturing compared to competitors.

Keyword Gap Analysis Finding keywords your competitors rank for that you don't, representing opportunities for new content.

Content Gap Topics your competitors cover that you don't, or areas where you could provide better information.

Backlink Gap Websites that link to your competitors but not to you, representing potential link-building opportunities.

Competitive Intelligence Gathering information about what your competitors are doing to inform your own strategy.

Market Research Understanding your target audience, their needs, and how they search for therapy services online.

Content Types + Formats

Blog Posts Regular articles that provide helpful information, establish your expertise, and give you opportunities to target different keywords.

Landing Pages Focused pages designed to convert visitors into leads or clients, usually with a single clear call to action.

Service Pages Pages that describe specific therapy services you offer, like anxiety therapy or couples counseling.

About Pages Pages that tell your story, credentials, and approach to therapy. Important for building trust and connection.

FAQ Pages Pages that answer common questions potential clients have. Great for SEO and reducing repetitive phone calls.

Resource Pages Collections of helpful information, tools, or links that provide value to your audience.

Case Studies Detailed examples of how you've helped clients (with permission and anonymization). They demonstrate your expertise and results.

Testimonials Reviews and feedback from satisfied clients that build trust and credibility.

Video SEO Optimizing videos to appear in search results. This includes video titles, descriptions, and sometimes transcripts.

Image SEO Optimizing images with descriptive filenames, alt text, and appropriate sizing for better search visibility.

PDF SEO Optimizing PDF documents (like guides or worksheets) so they can be found in search results.

Security + Compliance

WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) Standards for making websites accessible to people with disabilities. Following these guidelines makes your site usable by everyone and can help with SEO.

This glossary transforms complex SEO concepts into language any therapist can understand and apply to their practice. Each term is explained in the context of building a therapy practice online, making the technical aspects of SEO feel approachable and relevant to your professional goals.