The document discusses the importance of online visibility for marriage and family therapists, highlighting how potential clients utilize search engines to find services. It provides an overview of optimizing websites and social media profiles to improve discoverability, including search engine optimization (SEO) techniques and social media engagement strategies. Additionally, it emphasizes the necessity of understanding target audiences, relevant keywords, and effective marketing channels to boost online presence.

1. Optimize Your Practice for Online Visibility
SAC-CAMFT
Dana Lookadoo . @YoYoSEO . YoYoSEO.com
November 19, 2010

2. Introduction
 Online visibility means people can find you online
when they search.
 People use various forms of “search” to look for marriage
& family therapy help.
 You’ll learn basics about optimizing your website and
social profiles to be “visible” and be found.
 Poll:
 Who has a website?
 Social profiles?
 Google Profile?
 LinkedIn?
 Twitter?
 Facebook?

3. Outcomes
 Understand people go to “search” to find information
that meets their needs and questions.
 Understand search as a business process that
may redefine your marketing efforts (and possibly
your “messaging”).
 Engage online, when possible, given confidentiality
and licensing requirements.
 Know the basics of website optimization.
 Know how and where to set up social profiles & list
your business in directory listings.

4. Agenda
 Defining Search
 How To Get Found In Search
 Social Media Overview
 Defining Online Visibility
 Social Profiles
 Marketing Channels
 Exercises
 Website Content Worksheet
 Online Visibility Worksheet
 Review: Social Profile Information

5. Defining Search
What is Search?
Local Results & Google Places
Google, Bing & Yahoo! Search Results

6. What is Search?
 Search Engines
 Google
 Yahoo!
 Bing
 Links
 Other Websites
 Directory Listings
 Social Profiles
 Word-of-Mouth Marketing
 In-person, Email, Phone Referrals
 Reviews, LinkedIn Recommendations, Facebook
“Likes”

7. What is Search?
 Search Engines
 Google
 Yahoo!
 Bing
 Facebook
 Twitter
 LinkedIn
 Directories
Search is anywhere there are search bars
where people can look for information.

8. Search Bars
 Facebook Search
http://www.facebook.com/srch.php/

9. Search Bars
 Search Social Conversations
http://search.twitter.com/
http://socialmention.com/
http://topysy.com/

10. Search Bars
 LinkedIn Search http://www.linkedin.com/
 Why show up in search on
LinkedIn? LinkedIn Profiles
& Events
also show up in
Search Results
such as Google.

11. Facebook Search – Marriage Family Therapy

12. Twitter Search – Marriage Family Therapy

13. Twitter Search – Marriage Family Counseling

14. Twitter Search – Marriage Family Therapist

15. LinkedIn Search – Marriage Family Therapist

16. Citysearch – Marriage Family Therapist

17. Best of the Web – Marriage Family Therapist

18. Yahoo! Search – Marriage Family Therapist
Reviews
Rank

19. Bing Search – Marriage Family Therapist
Local results above
organic, 1st below paid

20. Search Results
Pages of “results” displayed by search engines,
when a person searches, are called…

21. Search Results Snippets
Each listing in the search results is called a…
3 non-paid (organic) snippets:

22. SERPs – Universal Results
SERPs, especially in Google, are a mixture of
snippets from website pages that rank in addition
to Local, News, Video, Images, and more.
“Mixed SERPs” are known as:

23. Google SERPSs – Marriage Family Therapist
Paid
Organic
News
Places
ISP Location

24. Google Suggest – Marriage…
# of results
for “marriage”
Google “suggests” phrases based off how people
search.

25. Google Suggest– Marriage F…
# of results
for “marriage f*”

26. Google Suggest – Marriage Family C…

27. How To Get Found In Search
SEO, Search Snippets & Website Optimization
Defining Keywords to Get Found
Type & Number of Results
Local Directories
Keyword Research

28. How to Get Found – Organic & Social Search
 Put target keyword phrases into your content,
conversations, and digital assets:
 Website (body copy, page titles, file names, meta
tags)
 Social Profiles
 Directory Listings
 Images (file names, ALT tags, captions)
 Video (titles, description, file names, etc.)
 Get reviews in search and directory listings
 Social signals can rank above well-optimized
websites.
 Use keyword phrased in textual links within
your website & incoming links to site.

29. SEO Defined
 SEO is an acronym for Search Engine
Optimization.
 The “art and science” of SEO involves:
 Understanding your target audience (searcher persona);
 Researching terms your audience “speak” - keywords
they search for and use in conversation;
 Researching your market and your competition;
 Knowing the search results space - number and type
(organic, local, news, video);
 Planning website structure, design, code, and copy
that’s “attractive” to people and “accessible” to search
spiders;
 Creating content that captures attention, meets audience
needs - content people want to talk about, share and
link to;
 Optimizing titles, tags, text and links.

30. On-Page SEO
 Optimizing content
both on & off your
website:
 Digital Assets:
Body content (text) &
assets (images, videos,
PDFs)
 Internal Links:
Navigation, text linked to
other site pages in your
site (anchor text)
 Titles, Tags, URLs:
(HTML code, meta tags,
page names)
 Structure &
Accessibility:
Spiders & Speech
Readers
 External Links (not
Title: Primary Keyword Phrase – Key Message for Page
LOGO (916) 555-1212 . About . Contact
tagline: Marriage & Family Therapy serving Sacramento Area
Sidebar
Call to
Action
Download
Tips for a
Healthy
Marriage
PDF (## K)
Subscribe to
Newsletter
Link to Map
Footer: Links to key pages
City & maybe County location, (916) 555-1212
NAV Menu
Licensed Therapist . Marriage & Family Resources . Location
<h1>Headline – Primary Message
Provide key message to primary
target audience above the fold
in text. Summarize using your
primary keywords - what you
want them to understand about
your practice. Link to a page about
marriage and family therapy
in Sacramento, California.
Write including at least one more instance of
keyword modifiers or related words. Answer
primary audience questions and needs.
This copy is critical and will be used by various
properties & search engines, often as your practice
description.
Image w
keyword-rich
–file-name.jpg
ALT tag
Caption
http://domain-name.com/marriage-therapy.html

31. How HTML Elements & Keywords Show in Snippets
 Results for “licensed marriage family therapist
sacramento”
 Title of each page is MOST IMPORTANT to have keywords.
 Meta Description convinces searcher this is THE result they
want to “click through” because page is relevant to their search.
 URL: Page name or hierarchy displays. Keywords increase
CTR (click through rate).
Title Tag
Meta
Description
URL:
Domain Name
+ Page Name

32. Website Optimization: On-Page SEO
Title Tag:
Tells search
engines
page is
about
“Home.”
<h1>
Headline

33. Website Optimization: On-Page SEO
Title Tag:
Tells search
engines
page is
about
“Serviced
Provided.”
URL
<h1>
Headline
Body copy:
1st paragraph
is most
important to
have targeted
keywords.
Bold &
italicize
words send
signals .
3 paragraphs start out with “I”
– doesn’t tell visitor what
they’ll get.
“I” is not their search term.

34. HTML Code Shows in Search Snippet
<html>
<head>
<title>Home</title>
<meta name="description" content="Introduction to Kari Lloyd-Fisher, MFT ">
<meta name="keywords" content=" Sacramento, Kari Fisher, Carrie Fisher, Carrie
Lloyd-Fisher, Loyd-Fisher, Kari Lloyd-Fisher, Counseling, Therapy, MFT, Marriage and
Family Therapist, Therapist, couples, individuals, family, families, adults, teens, children,
kids, adolescents. ">
HOME PAGE: http://www.fishertherapy.com/index.html
<html>
<head>
<title>Services Provided</title>
<meta name="description" content="marriage and family therapy for couples,
individuals, families, children and teens, adolescents">
<meta name="keywords" content="therapy, counseling, couples,
individuals, families, family, children, kids, teens, adolescents, treatment">
SERVICES PAGE: http://www.fishertherapy.com/services.html
keyword
s tag not
used for
ranking
– don’t
stuff

35. Microformats –hCard (Advanced On-Page SEO)
 hCard is a type of HTML markup that sends “signals” about people,
companies, and locations.
 Tells search engines which blocks of code represent your contact
information.
 Where to use?
 Use hCard to “mark up” your “About” and “Contact” pages.
 Resources:
 http://microformats.org/wiki/hcard
 http://microformats.org/code/hcard/creator
 Example: http://transitionsmft.org/contact.php
 <p class="vcard"><span class="fn">Sean Slevin</span> can be reached
directly at: <span class="ns_me no_print"><br/>
<a class="org url" href="http://transitionsmft.org">Transitions Marriage
and Family Therapy and Counseling</a><br/><span class="adr">
<span class="street-address">250 East Market Street, Suite
D</span><br/>
<span class="locality">Harrisonburg</span>, <span
class="region">Virginia</span> <span class="postal-
code">22801</span> </span><br/></span><b class="tel">(540) 908-
2792</b>.<br/>
Download <a href="http://transitionsmft.org/vcard-sean-slevin.vcf"
title="This is a vCard file that can be imported into your address book

36. Defining Keywords to Get Found
 Know the number of search results and who
ranks for target phrase. THEY are your
competition!
 Are there a few thousand or a few million results?
 What modifiers can you add to your target
search terms to narrow competition and
results?
 “marriage family therapist folsom ca”
 “christian marriage family therapist”
 “marriage counselor yolo county”
 Know types of content SERPs show for your
terms,

37. “Marriage Family Therapist Folsom CA”
Places
is now
above
Organi
c
Review
s

38. “Marriage Family Therapist” w/o City Modifier
Paid
Organic
News
Places

39. Google Places: Place Page Ranks w/o Website
Website Down!!
Google Place
page
ranks #1
because of
11 reviews.

40. Local Directories
 Google Places – puts your business in Google Maps
 http://www.google.com/local/add/businessCenter
 Help Guide: http://www.google.com/support/places/?hl=en&rd=1
 Yahoo! Local
 http://local.yahoo.com
 Bing Local
 http://ssl.bing.com/listings/ListingCenter.aspx
 Best of the Web (Directory)
 http://local.botw.org
 Citysearch (Directory)
 http://citysearch.com
 GetListed.org (Service to list across directories)
 http://getlisted.org
 Therapist Locator (Niche Directory)
 www.therapistlocator.net

41. GetListed.org – How Is Your Business Listed?

42. Research Keywords People Search & Say
 Google Suggest results
 Phrases that appear as you search in
www.google.com
 Google AdWords Keyword Tool
 https://adwords.google.com/
 WordTracker Free Keyword Tool
 https://freekeywords.wordtracker.com/
 WordStream Free Keyword Tool
 http://www.wordstream.com/keywords/
 Listen to clients, making notes of words they use!

43. Google AdWords Keyword Tool

44. WordStream Keyword Tool

45. Website Content Worksheet – Exercise
 Tips & best
practices for
applying
keywords,
writing copy and
optimizing key
aspects of your
website pages.
 Use one
worksheet for
every page of
website.

46. Social Media Overview
Social Media Properties
Engagement Opportunities
Search & Social Web
Search & Social Footprint
Online Visibility Venn Diagram

47. Social Media Properties
 Social Media is engaging on
sites that enable
discussions, sharing &
voting.
• Sharing (Facebook, Twitter)
• Networking (LinkedIn)
• Bookmarking (Delicious)
• Video (YouTube, Vimeo)
• Images (Flickr)
• Reviews (Yelp)
• Forums (Yahoo! Answers)
• Music (BLIP.fm)
• Blogging (WordPress,
Blogger)
• News (StumbleUpon, Digg)

48. Social Media Engagement Opportunities
 Blogging (Blogger,
WordPress)
 Personal Journal, Interests,
Hobbies
 Marketing & Promotion
 Thought Leadership
 Forums & Discussion
Boards
 Birds-of-a-Feather Sharing
 Meet others with same
interests
 Answer questions,
demonstrate expertise
 Branding
 MicroBlogging
 Connect with other
therapists
 Connect with local
businesses
 Offer promotions
 Share relationship tips
 Become a thought leader
 Share local news, becoming
part of community
 Provide feedback
 Establish your brand
 Visibility
 Friendships

49. The Search & Social Web
 Social media
“signals” are
growing in
importance to
search engines.
 Most social media
profiles rank well
in search engines.
 Social profiles can
lead visitors back to
your site.
 Social “presence”
helps you be found!
Image credit: Garret Pierson

50. Search & Social Footprint
 Search: Your website’s search footprint
increases by developing quality content and
getting incoming links to your pages.
 Social Media: Your social footprint increases
your exposure in the SERPs and other forms of
search.
 Friends on Twitter
 Fans on Facebook
 Connections in LinkedIn
 Reviews in directory listings

51. Search & Social Footprint
 People exposed to you, your practice and your
website content will, if they like it, share it on
Twitter, write a review on LinkedIn, bookmark it
on Delicious, vote on it (thumbs up) in
StumbleUpon.
 The key to building visibility through your search
and social footprint is to offer something of
value:
QUALITY CONTENT
 Combining “search & social” means more
results about you are indexed in search. You get
more incoming links, more traffic, and more
social media conversations & votes - resulting
in higher visibility.

52. Online Visibility

53. Social Profiles
Optimizing Your Profiles
Google Profile
Securing Profiles
Getting Started Checklist & Worksheet

54. Optimizing Your Profiles
 How do you want to be
found? Your profile name
will show up in search
results.
 Aim for a consistent user
name across networks.
Decide alternate user
name if primary is not
available.
 Use a photo as your
avatar, a cropped
headshot is best. A graphic
can work for business.
 Create large & small
versions, 300x300 & 80x80
pixels. Most sites will
scaled down larger file, but
some require smaller
image. Avatar must be
square!
lookadoo
but I also use…
danalookadoo
pixelbella
YoYoSEO

55. Optimizing Your Profiles – Twitter
 Your bio & website URL
help friends and
followers know
something about you.
Bio text influences how
you get listed in search
engines.
 Create a bio, approx.
160 characters in length.
Use keyword-rich
descriptions to
summarize your
strengths, career,
interests.
 Link to your site, blog or
your LinkedIn profile.

56. Google Profile http://www.google.com/profiles/lookadoo#

57. Google Profile
 Your Google profile allows you to be found on Google while
increasing visibility for your name & your practice.
 www.google.com/profiles
 Details you can add to your profile:
 A short bio
 Links to your practice website, LinkedIn profile, Twitter profile
 Places you've lived
 Where you've worked
 Where you grew up
 Schools you've attended
 Photos from Flickr & Picasa
 TIPS:
 The more information you add, the easier it will be for people to
find you. (And the more Google will know about you…)
 Set your full name to show publicly.

58. Edit Google Profile

59. Secure Social Profiles - options
 Go to each social media
website to see if your user
name is available.
 Only secure a few sites
and leave others up to
chance.
 Use KnowEm to check
availability of your user
name or vanity URL on
400 Social Media
websites. Secure all for
profiles for
$99 or $249.
http://knowem.com

60. Getting Started Checklist
 First Name & Last Name – Most sites require both.
 User Name – 6-15 characters. Consider alternate User Name?
 Avatar – Square headshot photo or logo preferred over picture of
pet.
 Bio – Use words (keywords) for how you want to be found and show
up in search results. Put most important phrases at front of bio.
 Website URL – Link to site/blog. Format: http://websitename.com
 Website Name – Some sites will ask for name - linked anchor text.
 Password – 6-10 characters, secure, memorable with at least 2 #s.
 Birthday, Gender – Many ask for info. Are companies male/female?
 Address – Some ask for mailing address. Do not display publicly.
 Twitter Backgrounds - http://www.tweetbacks.com/ &
http://twitterbackgroundsgallery.com/
 Vanity URL – Customize your profile URL on LinkedIn & Facebook.

61. Online Visibility Worksheet – Exercise
Social Profile
Information
 Create and
optimize bio.
 Keyword-
rich
 <= 160 char

62. Online Visibility Worksheet – Checklist
Social Profiles &
Directories
Checklist
 Review select
social networks,
email services &
directories.
 Determine
priority for your
practice.
 Google profile
is essential to
claim business
listing in
Google Places.

63. Marketing Channels
Overview of Marketing Channels for Online Visibility
Integrated Marketing

64. Marketing Channels for Getting Found
 Website development and optimization (on-site
SEO)
 Sharing and building links to your website and/or
online profiles (off-site SEO)
 Local SEO (NEW: Google Places)
 Pay-Per-Click Advertising
 Social Media Engagement
 Video Marketing
 Niche Directory Listings
 Ask for Reviews (when appropriate)

65. Integrated Marketing
 Business Cards, Post Card Mailers, Phone Book Ads
 Include your online profiles on all materials:
 Website address, your domain URL
 Twitter profile
 LinkedIn personal or company page
 Facebook URL

66. Summary
 Search is more than Google.
 Know your audience and your target search terms.
 Optimize your website code and content.
 Claim your business listing in Google Places.
 List your practice in local and niche directories.
 Social media signals are growing stronger.
 Increase your search & social footprint.
(Presence builds presence!)
 Optimize your website content.
 Optimize your social profiles.
 Get listed in directories.
 Engage in online conversations.
 It’s Word-of-Mouth SEO!

67. Formula for Being Found in Search

68. Dana Lookadoo
 Dana Lookadoo, SEO Consultant
Yo! Yo! SEO
Word-of-Mouth SEO . Optimize your online conversation
dana@yoyoseo.com . 831.901.5225
http://yoyoseo.com . http://twitter.com/YoYoSEO
 Personal Profiles & Blog
 http://twitter.com/lookadoo
 http://www.linkedin.com/in/lookadoo
 http://www.danalookadoo.com