The Therapy Business Podcast
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The Therapy Business Podcast
Marketing for Therapists 101 with Darcy Sullivan
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Your next client is searching right now, and they’re deciding in seconds whether your practice feels trustworthy, easy to reach, and worth booking. We sit down with Darcy from Propel Marketing and Design to unpack what actually moves the needle for local SEO in therapy practices and wellness clinics, without the jargon and without the gimmicks.
Darcy is the founder of Propel Marketing & Design, where she helps clinics strengthen their online visibility with smart SEO, website strategy, and local marketing. She is also the host of The Clinic Marketing Podcast and is known for making marketing topics feel clear, practical, and much less overwhelming.
Work with Darcy Sullivan:
Propel Marketing & Design
Free Clinic SEO Workshop
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*Intro/outro song credit:
King Around Here by Alex Grohl
Welcome And Show Mission
SPEAKER_01My name is Craig, and I'm the owner of Daisy Financial Coaching. Our team is on a mission to make your therapy practice permanently profitable. If you own a solo or group practice, we're here to help you build a business that creates more time, makes more money, and serves more people. This is the Therapy Business Podcast. All right, Darcy, how are you doing?
SPEAKER_00I'm doing great. I'm so excited to be here.
SPEAKER_01Oh, I'm glad to have you. You know, last name Daisy. So everyone calls me Mr. Darcy. I used to be a teacher, and it was Mr. all the teachers would call me Mr. Darcy. Um, and I just never corrected anybody. I was like, yes.
SPEAKER_00Perfect.
SPEAKER_01Yes. The kids were Daisy. I got Daisy from the kids and Darcy from the adults. Yes.
SPEAKER_00That makes sense.
SPEAKER_01Yes. But I'm I'm pumped to talk to you because marketing is really one of the most popular topics. Anytime we have somebody come in to speak on marketing and SEO and all those things, uh, those episodes are always just incredibly popular. And uh you're unique in that you specialize in this industry. And so tell me a little bit about yourself and your business.
SPEAKER_00Sure. So my name is Darcy. Not to be confused with any other variations. Um I run Propel Marketing and Design, and our core focus is helping wellness practitioners, whether it's physical therapists, chiropractors, acupuncturists, therapist, med spas, you name it, helping them rank locally and now also in our friendly AI searches, along with improving their websites to make sure that they're targeting the right audience and getting that audience to convert.
AI As Tool Not Strategy
SPEAKER_01I love that. That's um it's it's a scary, I'll say scary, intimidating atmosphere out there when it comes to SEO, especially if it's not just our natural craft. You hear all these tips and tricks, and we just don't even know where to begin.
SPEAKER_00Well, I can tell you where not to begin, and that's not to go to Chat GPT and ask it to do it for you.
SPEAKER_01Okay, so what's what's the uh which I'm sure many have. Um, and you know, I might there's probably some website copy on my site that's chat GPT uh inspired, we'll say. Inspired. Yes, inspired. So uh what's what's the downside of of leaning on Chat B GPT to help write some SEO copy?
SPEAKER_00So there's no downside to use it as a tool. There's a downside to use it as a strategy. So what we're seeing a lot of is this generic, vague content. And I don't know how much you've worked with ChatGPT or any of the others, but and this goes like across the board, even if you have the premium packages, they start getting very repetitive in the content that they deliver. And if you train your AI system, you know, you can leverage it to help you and assist you with content. But when it comes to an overall strategy, they don't know you. They don't know your business, they don't know your competition, they don't have the resources at hand like SEO specialists do that have the software or the SaaS, the software as a service that really dives into keyword research numbers and what people, what's trending now and what your competition is doing and why your competition is outranking you. All it's gonna do is make its best guess. And even then we see it sometimes making really bad suggestions. So you have to be very careful if you decide to use it.
SPEAKER_01Okay, that makes a lot of sense. And you know, I think even as business owners, we're starting to uh be able to tell when we're reading something and it's from AI or it's not from AI, uh, which is can be a turnoff when I'm looking for, you know, somebody to hire and I can tell it's the M dashes, isn't it? It's uh you know, I have to train mine to stop putting them in, and they still do. Uh it still does, yes. Um, and so I love that you're talking about using as a tool, and that's you know, I'm currently writing a book right now, and everyone's going, so are you using AI to help you write it? I'm like, not to write it, but I'm very clear what I'm like, can you help me with the research? And even beyond that, I don't trust it enough to just give me the the data. I'm like, send me links to studies or to these things so that I can do the research or fact check you or whatever it is. But um, it's been really helpful in at least providing some tools there, but not doing the work for me. And that sounds like it's the same for the SEO side.
SPEAKER_00Absolutely. Now, do you do like the dueling robots? Like, I like to have two different AIs set up, one on one screen and one on the other, and ask them the same thing and then like say, Oh, well, this one said this, and say that to the other one, and have them like combine and rework and and just fact check and do all the things.
The Most Common SEO Mistakes
SPEAKER_01That's a good idea because I'm uh, you know, I just started using Claude and I've been I have Chat GPT and then uh Gemini comes with our Google Workspace, which is my least favorite of the three for whatever reason. But um, yeah, I haven't tried, you know, trying them all out and seeing what they all say, and that's a great idea to see how close we can get. Yeah, love it. Okay, so SEO, if somebody's jumping into um what I let me hear some common mistakes. So we talked about the AI, but I know you probably see just the common things that are popping up over and over again. What do you notice uh with this industry and SEO mistakes?
SPEAKER_00So, first off, we have to make sure that we understand exactly who our target audience is, what key phrases, you know, which we call keywords, what what words they're using when they're searching. And make sure that our content, whether it's our Google Business Profile listing, which is what controls your Google Maps listing, or your website content, that it reflects what they're actually searching for. And now that we're seeing this increase in AI searches as well, we have to make sure that we feed the AI solutions all of the information that it needs, which means including that information on your website. So even down to some of those basics like the FAQs, do you accept insurance? If so, which insurances do you accept? What's parking like? You know, these things that sometimes people don't think about, but we want to make sure that people have the information. What exact services do you offer? Who do you work with? How do you work with them? All of these things really need to be laid out in detail and not just a bullet point of like, this is my service, or well, I mentioned it somewhere on the website. So it's a combination of all of those things, and then also making sure that we're keeping the website fresh, adding new content to it, and making sure that there isn't an entreat barrier when it comes to actually scheduling an appointment. So people need to know when they get to your website. Do you have to fill out a form? Like what is the process? Do you need to call to make an appointment? You don't want to make them have to search around and look and try to figure out how to make an appointment with you. And if they do have to fill out a form, you've got to be able to get back to them promptly so that you're not playing the phone tag game later on.
Finding Keywords People Actually Use
SPEAKER_01Absolutely. You said so many things uh I think are just great takeaways. And so um, I want to ask some questions about a few of them. And one of them is you're talking about the keywords that target clients are using. So knowing your target market and what are they searching for, and how how can a practice owner find that out? Um, what what can they do?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, so typically what I suggest, especially if you don't have any of the paid advanced tools that most people don't have, right? So make a make a list. Make a list of what you think these basic keyword phrases are that people are searching for. Do some searches. You'll see like Google will try to auto-populate with what people commonly search when it comes to other people searching those terms or people often ask. Those are gonna give you longer question, longer tail keywords that are topics that are related to your specific services. Um, so you know, beyond branding, because everybody should be able to find your brand by searching your brand name, but the services that you offer, the conditions that you treat, the hot topics that surround those. And then from there you can determine which ones do you think are going to be the most helpful. Now, there are a ton of free keyword tools that are myth. Um, and there's always the freemium or the, you know, the ones that you can get a free test run from if you really want to dive into it. You can use all of those. Now, none of them are perfect, which is why I hate to say use this one, because unless you're paying kind of top dollar, you're gonna get some mixed stuff. So, and when it comes to using AI, AI is gonna give you the most basic of all lists, which is why sometimes that's another reason people fall flat is they just go to AI and they're like, hey, how do I improve SEO on my website? Or what keywords should I target? And AI is like, let me think of the most basic answer to give you. Here you go.
SPEAKER_01Yes, absolutely. So uh I think that's great. And there's, you know, truthfully, it sounds like even just you're leaning back on what you already know. If people have been doing this for a while, you probably, these business owners probably know best uh the pain points that people are looking for, who their client is, uh the terminology. And so maybe even just starting there and doing some just self-research seems like one of the best ways to go about it.
Service Pages That Win Local Search
SPEAKER_00Yeah, and even let's just take a physical therapist as an example. Having a dedicated physical therapy page is key. And sometimes that's just like a it's just a an oversight, especially if you're in a hurry, if you built out your own website, or if you had somebody do it for you, or if you bought one of those websites that looks just like everybody else's and they just switch out the names um and location, then you're you're in an uphill battle, and we don't want that. We want to make sure that you have like what I call your general services page, which highlights all the services or modalities that you offer, and then specific pages when it comes to each of those services. So, you know, if it's exercise rehabilitation, if it's post-surgical rehabilitation, whatever those core pages are. And if you're like, oh, that sounds like a lot to do at all, well, then start with your most profitable, right? Like bring in the money.
SPEAKER_01I that's a great idea, and I haven't heard of that. And but it makes so much sense. And you know, I mean, we do that for our website with our consulting because we do profit and personal coaching. And so we have a full page dedicated to profit coaching and a full page to personal finance. But I hadn't made that translation to the individual services that that PTs offer, but it makes a lot of sense to do that. And it's a landing page specifically speaking to that pain point, which I'm sure even on a sales tech like side is really, really beneficial as well.
SPEAKER_00Really beneficial, really beneficial for ranking, especially, you know, if you're sprinkling in your location keywords throughout there, whether it's physical therapy in Nashville or wherever you're located, so that you're you're speaking to the right audience and you're showcasing that local aspect without doing it the wrong way, in which sometimes people decide to make a location page. And basically they come off as like a visitor guide to the location where you're like, no, no, no, no, no, let's back up and let's focus on what you offer and make sure that you're standing out in your area, defining what makes you different, what a first visit looks like. You know, again, do you accept insurance? What should somebody wear the first time they're coming? All of that helpful information. And then when people come to see you, they're already in a better mood, right? Like because they've got the proper intel. It's some of those small things, even like with your Google Business Profile listing, which is what controls your Google Maps listing, making sure that you have great shots of the outside of the building from multiple angles, and even including a couple of those photos on your website so that when somebody's headed to find you, they can find you and they don't get lost. Like uh, I live in South Florida and I was going to a doctor's appointment down in Miami. So I already driven an hour and they did had no photos of the outside of their building or any information about where to park. So I already didn't feel good. And I had to drive around for like 30 minutes to figure out exactly where it was, where to park, all the things. So the more information you can give somebody up front, the easier you can make it for them to make an appointment, for them to find your location, the happier they're gonna be, the better review they're gonna leave for your business, and just an overall better experience and more likely they're gonna be to recommend you to their friends and family.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, that's that's great. And, you know, and I'm sure too, even just the let removing any anxieties they may have on the first time they're coming, maybe it's the first time they're going to PT or for the mental health side, the first time they're working with a therapist. And so being able to visualize what does the building look like, what does the inside look like, what is all of this, uh, what am I walking into can probably take away that unknown can be part of that anxiety.
SPEAKER_00Absolutely. And including some great shots inside and friendly staff members, making sure that you're not just using those generic stock photos that every other clinic is using really helps set you out and makes you look more personable.
Core Content Before Blogging
SPEAKER_01Yes. Okay, that's so good. Now you talked about content on your website and creating content. What kind of content do you recommend?
SPEAKER_00So starting with the core content, which is again your general service, your specific services, uh, general conditions page if that fits what you're offering along with some specific conditions. Um, again, you know, like we talked about, maybe it's post-surgical rehabilitation, maybe it's fall prevention, you know, depending on what it is that you specifically offer. We always like to focus on those core pages on your website. And now that we're seeing these AI systems that are going in and scanning your website, because oftentimes people are like, oh, well, I feel like I have a lot of information on my website. Great. That's great. We always like to front load it with like the top of the page being like the big items and the big takeaways. But you have to realize that everybody scans your website differently. So having really nice navigation structure where they can get to the information they need to, whether it's patient forms that they need to fill out ahead of time, the frequently asked questions that goes into details about insurance or what they should wear, all of that is being scanned by these AI systems. So we sit here and we say, okay, obviously your homepage, obviously your core services pages, your conditions, your contact page, your easy-to-book situation on your website, if at all possible. Then you can focus on blog content and creating supporting content that really targets the services that you offer and the conditions that you treat are the people that you work with. But you don't want to just jump into blogging for the sake of blogging before you get your core website in order.
SPEAKER_01That that makes a lot of sense. And so it sounds like if, you know, having a page for sports rehabilitation and even if you start blogging on that, uh, when somebody who is maybe an athlete goes into AI and is going, you know, I'm looking for a PT around here who works with athletes or sports rehab, yeah, AI is gonna, that's gonna make it more likely they're gonna recommend your practice.
SPEAKER_00Absolutely. And we're seeing this time and time again. Now, it's interesting because we had mentioned and talked before about how you need to really hone in on who your target audience is. And once you've honed in on your target audience, you have to identify, depending on what age range they're in, is they're gonna search differently. Right? Because the younger generation is more apt to search via AI, older generations are more apt to go to good old Google. So even though we're seeing this uptick in AI searches, for the vast majority, their audience is still using good old Google. So, and when you do SEO right, you're ranking in Google, you're ranking in Google Maps, you're ranking in these AI searches. So you're cash, you know, you're casting a bigger net. And when you come up with this really great quality content, then you have content to use via social media posts and email blasts. So it's not like a the cheese stands alone situation. It's a it ties everything together. And there's a lot more that we're seeing too now with people diving into video, video marketing, video marketing, video marketing. And you can either go one of two ways. If you love video marketing, you can take your videos and then use them to generate text quality content that you put on your website and embed the video with it, or you can go the other way, depending on if you really like content driven first, text driven first, and then turning it into video content. So you really start to, if you put SEO at the center of your marketing plan, it just makes things work better.
SPEAKER_01Yes. So it's just being intentional too. It sounds like it's uh whenever you're whatever you're creating, there's intent behind it to uh attract more people who need help with the specific thing that you're speaking to.
SPEAKER_00Absolutely.
Make Booking Ridiculously Easy
SPEAKER_01Love that. And so when they get to the website, the third thing you had alluded to earlier that I that really resonated was just that barrier to schedule. So uh, because I I've I've talked to a lot of our clients, and that's one of the first when we're looking at maybe if there's a a lead flow issue, uh, when we're looking at their site, sometimes it's overly complicated to get in touch with them. Uh, what do you see? What do you recommend on that front?
SPEAKER_00So, header menu, recommend all the way to the right that you have a book now button. Even if that goes to just a page that has the form that says you have to schedule an appointment this way, or if it has the wording, um, call to book an appointment with a clickable phone number. If you want somebody to call you, make sure that that phone number is clickable so that if they're on a cell phone searching, they can click to call. Um, and the reason that we suggest a book now page over just the contact page is then you can see, okay, well, I put together this really great blog post. And when I look at my Google Analytics, people go to this really great blog post and then they end up clicking book now. This this piece of content is is tied to revenue. Then you really can get the full sense versus contact. Everybody and their mother that's trying to tell sell you something is gonna go to your contact us page.
SPEAKER_01Yes.
SPEAKER_00So it's better to have a like book now page, and then if you can make it as simple as possible. I understand with different systems people are using, or if they're just getting started, or if they just have to actually talk to, speak to a person before they can book an appointment, that you want to make that filter on that page. But then on all your other pages, you want it very easy, especially when as people scroll down the page for there to be book now buttons throughout.
SPEAKER_01Love it. So just as simple and uh straightforward. And it, you know, I think depending on where people are in their practice too, if they're hurting for leads, the simpler you make it to get them on a call, and you can vet them on a call. Uh, and then if you're not hurting for leads, maybe you're trying, you're saying we're getting too many calls and not all of them are good fits, then you could probably add a barrier of like fill out this form uh to get a schedule or something to that extent. So just it sounds like it can be case dependent, but the point being make it simple for people to find out how to schedule with you.
SPEAKER_00Absolutely.
SPEAKER_01Yes.
SPEAKER_00And and another thing that I want to mention, because I I just like I said, video is so all the rage right now. I that people really want to add video to their website. And you have to remember that people aren't just gonna push play. So if there's really important information in there, you better have it as text as well so that AI can scan it, so people can read it. Um, I was speaking to one clinic that's like, okay, we have this really complicated process and they have to get approval. And this is like the whole approval process, and they just have to push play and watch it. And I'm like, but they're not.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_00You have to actually have that text on there so that people can read it. What if they're at work and they're not supposed to be online? Like you just you got to take that extra step.
Google Business Profile Done Right
SPEAKER_01100%. Yeah, that makes perfect sense. Of just, yeah. If you're in I've been in doctor's office waiting rooms before reading, and uh, of course you can't watch a video. Uh well, some people do anyway, but you know they do. That's a conversation for another day. Uh all right, Google business profiles. You talked a little bit about that. Too. So that's separate from the website, but it sounds like equally as important.
SPEAKER_00So important. So a couple of things there. One people get hung up on it being like, oh, well, you're 85% complete with filling out your profile. Don't pay any attention to that. All I want you to do is try your best to fill out all the information that you can. That includes a description of the services that you like the business description you have right now, as we're recording this, 750 characters. You want to state what you serve, if there's room for you to work in any conditions that you serve, you can work it in there. And then we gave the example, Nashville, like proudly serving the Nashville area, Greater Nashville area. Something so you've got services, conditions, location, complete sentences. Very important there. Then you either you select a category, you have a primary category, and then you can select a couple other categories. Under the categories, you can then add services. And so even if your category is physical therapy or physical therapist, you still need to add the service, physical therapy with a description. And when you're adding services, they need to be services, not conditions. We don't write physical therapy for back pain, physical therapy for neck pain, physical therapy for arm pain. We don't do that. We just say physical therapy with a description. And also under the business information tab, it's really important, even though it sounds so trivial, that to fill out all the information about accessibility, about parking. Very important to include your social media links. And here's why it will assume Google will assume things. So for instance, there was a clinic that we were talking to that needed help because Google, the Google Business Profile listing, was pulling another company's Facebook information. Same company name, but very different locations, very different information, and showcasing that company's reviews. So the more information you can give them, again, parking, payments, appointments, hours, all of those basics, exterior photos, interior photos, happy smiling staff photos, all of those core elements, properly responding to reviews in a way that's still HIPAA compliant, all of that stuff's very important.
A Better Way To Ask Reviews
SPEAKER_01That is super, super helpful. Cause I think, yeah, Google business profiles probably a lot of people just set it up and then uh it's great, it's done. There it is. Um, I know uh from the consumer side, typically the one thing, number one thing they're looking at when it comes to those profiles is the reviews. And so any recommendations there for getting more reviews, good reviews. Uh, how I know business we don't like to ask for them, so we just hope that people are gonna go do it.
SPEAKER_00So a couple of things, depending on what system you have. Some people's systems that allow for bookings also allow for reaching out automatically to ask for reviews. In an ideal world, and I know you have to be very careful about this if you're a therapist, but in an ideal world, you want to ask the question worded this way What brought you in today and how was your experience? The reason we do this is when you just ask for a review, people are just usually like friendly staff, nice clean environment. Google takes these words and then they make what they see being repetitive, they make them bold and assume that those are the keywords that are associated with your business. So you'll see like clean, family, friendly. And, you know, if you're a physical therapist where you want physical therapy, the name of the pain, what brought them in. Those kinds of keywords sprinkled throughout the reviews in a very natural way. Um, also it's usually more ideal if they leave the review when they're not standing in your office building.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, is that there is a there's just pressure to do it or are they rushed?
SPEAKER_00Um Well, it also it's it sometimes I can signal to Google that you're incentivizing them. And also, let's just say there's a a targeted area three to four miles away from your location, and that's where the people live that you really want to target. It would be better for them to leave a review when they're at home at their house in that location so that Google sees where they're leaving the review from.
SPEAKER_01Okay. That I would have never thought of that. That's uh that's a great, great point, great idea. Okay, so I love that that one question I wrote it down, the what brought you in today and how was your experience? I think that's just such a succinct way to um to get what you what was the pain point and how how did we solve or was it resolved?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, and it doesn't sound like you're trying to be sleazy in any way.
SPEAKER_01No, no, because you're not.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
Two Low Bar Wins Today
SPEAKER_01Yes, I love that. I love it. Ah, this is such a wealth of information. Um, and so I think it sounds like what are some just simple, if you were to say one or two things people should go do today from everything we talked about, or maybe it's something different. Um, what are some low bar wins that somebody could get if they're overwhelmed by all of this?
SPEAKER_00Okay, one, go to your Google business profile listing, look at it. Crazy notion, log in like a day. Make sure Google isn't trying to make any suggested changes to it, make sure all of your information is accurate and well represents your organization. Two, have somebody who is not you go to your website and look at your website, make sure that they can identify exactly what the services are that you offer, where you're located, and uh that they feel like it would be easy to make an appointment with you. Though those are the basics for for getting started. And none of what we just talked about is very technical.
How To Contact Darcy
SPEAKER_01Great. Okay, I love that. Just very simple. Go look at it, have somebody else look at it. Um, because yeah, we're too close to it sometimes. Um like, how hard is it to figure out? I mean, if you click these three buttons and you fill in a form and you can schedule this. Well, I don't get it. What's so hard to some yeah, so I I'm with you. That's that's perfect. Okay, awesome. Uh, Darcy, this has been so, so great. Uh, how can people get in touch with you? So everything you're talking about, I I personally am a big believer in surrounding yourself with experts. You know, people listening are incredibly talented at their craft, but when it comes to this kind of stuff, it's just lean on the people who know it really well. And so it sounds like you know the industry well and you know how to to do all these things. So, how can somebody get in touch with you if they're looking for that help?
SPEAKER_00Sure. You can visit propelyourcompany.com, and that is Propel with just one L. And also I have a podcast which is called the Clinic Marketing Podcast.
SPEAKER_01Love it. We will link those in the notes below for sure. Uh, please, please go check it out. Um, I like I said, I've I've taken a bunch, I was just gained so much from these conversations. So thank you uh for your time and thank you so much for for sharing everything.
SPEAKER_00Well, thank you for having me. This was so much fun.
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SPEAKER_01Thanks for joining us on the Therapy Business Podcast. Be sure to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a practice owner that you may know. If your practice needs help getting organized with its finances or just growing your practice, head to therapybusinesspod.com to learn how we can help.com.
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