How to Use Google Search Console to Grow Your Therapy Practice
Quick Summary: If you're a therapist, coach, or wellness provider, your website serves as your online front door, and Google Search Console (GSC) is the key to understanding how people discover you. This free tool shows how potential clients discover your practice, helping you reach those who are most ready to work with you.
What is Google Search Console?
Think of Google Search Console as your practice's digital receptionist report. It's a practical tool that shows you exactly how potential clients are finding your website, so you can better connect online with more people seeking support.
With GSC, you can:
Learn which search engines and social media channels are bringing you the most traffic
See which therapy topics, wellness services, or coaching specialties bring visitors to your site
Understand what questions and concerns potential clients are searching for
Know which pages visitors find the most helpful
Track whether your blog posts about mental health, wellness tips, or coaching insights are reaching your audience
Catch technical issues that might prevent clients from finding or booking with you
Ultimately, Google Search Console is a free tool from Google that helps you understand your clients' needs and assess your online presence. Using insights from GSC, you can make more informed decisions to help grow your practice, whether it's creating content that resonates with your audience or making your services easier to find online.
Why Your Practice Absolutely Needs This
Whether you're a solo practitioner or part of a wellness center, GSC gives you invaluable insights into your potential clients' journey to finding you:
Client Discovery Insights: GSC can reveal specific mental health topics, wellness concerns, or life coaching queries that bring people to your site. For instance, are they searching for 'anxiety therapy near me,' 'life coach for career transitions,' or 'holistic wellness approaches'? This level of detail can guide your content creation and service offerings.
Community Connection: Understand what your local community is searching for and ensure your services appear when they need support most.
Professional Growth: Utilize real data to create content that addresses your clients' actual concerns, ranging from blog posts on coping strategies to resources about your therapeutic approach.
Accessibility Assurance: Quickly identify if technical issues are preventing potential clients from accessing your services or booking appointments.
Trust Building: A well-functioning website that consistently appears in search results builds credibility with potential clients, who are often taking a vulnerable step in seeking help.
Domain Property vs URL-Prefix Property: What's Right for Your Practice?
Most people don’t realize this, but Google sees different versions of your website as separate things.
For example:
http://yourpractice.com
https://yourpractice.com
http://www.yourpractice.com
https://www.yourpractice.com
To us, these may all feel the same. They load the same homepage. But to Google, unless you tell it otherwise, these are four different web addresses. That’s why how you set up Google Search Console really matters. When setting up your practice's GSC, you'll first choose between two options:
Domain Property: Covers your entire online presence—whether clients find you through any of the four examples above. This provides a comprehensive view of how people discover your services. Domain property is entered as yourpractice.com. There is no https, www, or other versions of it.
URL-Prefix Property: This option tracks only one specific version of the four examples above for your site. This might miss valuable data about how clients are finding you.
Pro tips: Choose the Domain Property option to ensure you're not missing any insights about potential clients who may be searching for your practice.
Step-by-Step GSC Setup for Your Practice
Setting up GSC is easier than it might sound. Here's your roadmap:
Sign in to Google Search Console using your Google account (you will need a Gmail address to complete the sign-in process).
Add your website: Click the dropdown in the top left and select "Add Property."
Choose Domain Property: Enter your domain name without http or https (e.g., yourpractice.com).
Verify ownership: Add the DNS record from Google to wherever your website’s domain DNS records are managed. If you’re not sure how to do it, your web developer can help—it’s a quick 15-minute task!
Submit your sitemap: Help Google understand all your pages—from your services and about page to your blog posts about mental health resources.
Review after 72 hours: Ensure your key pages (services, about, contact, blog posts) are indexed. If not, manually request indexing of any missing key pages.
Use Google Search Console to Grow Your Practice
Google Search Console (GSC) can show you what people are searching for and how they find your website. Use it to reach more clients and serve your community better:
✓ Monitor what brings visitors – Check which keywords and phrases, like names, locations, services, or topics, attract traffic.
✓ Track local searches – See if you appear for searches like "therapist in [your city]" and adjust your online presence accordingly.
✓ Learn where traffic comes from – Understand whether visitors come from search engines, social media, directories, or other sites.
✓ Create content your audience needs – Write blog posts, make YouTube videos, or post on social media about the questions and topics people are actually searching for.
✓ Optimize services – Notice which specialties or offerings attract interest online and highlight them on your site.
✓ Understand your community – Use search insights to better understand and customize services to your community’s mental health and wellness needs.
Final Thoughts
Google Search Console isn't just about SEO. It's about understanding the people who need your help and making sure they can find you when they're ready. For therapists, coaches, and wellness providers, this means being accessible when someone seeks support, guidance, or healing.
Setting up Domain Property gives you the complete picture of how your practice appears online, helping you serve your community more effectively. Even if technology isn't your strength, dedicating 30 minutes to this can significantly enhance your ability to reach and help more people.
Ready to expand your practice's reach? Set up your Google Search Console and start gaining insights that help you connect with more people who can benefit from your expertise and care.
Remember: The goal isn't just more website traffic—it's about reaching the right people at the right time with the support and guidance they're seeking.
About Dreamtime Marketing
Dreamtime Marketing specializes in Squarespace website design and branding for health and wellness professionals, counselors, and coaches. Founded by Hope Himel-Benson, a certified digital marketing strategist with over 20 years of experience and a background in clinical social work, mental health, senior care, and healthcare communications, Dreamtime Marketing helps solo and small group practices to create a professional online presence that attracts the right clients.
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