When Tricia Wright founded Arnica Counselling in November 2020, she did what many new clinic owners do: she hired a web developer and told them what she wanted.

“I thought, okay, well, that’s one and done. Your website is created,” she said. “I did not understand that a website is a moving, breathing machine that must always be tweaked and worked on.”

Arnica Counselling has grown to a 14-counsellor clinic, and Tricia attributes some of that growth to changes in her website, the support of Jane’s website builder, Jane Websites, and an investment in learning about SEO.

Check out this webinar to learn more about Tricia’s practice

A website process holding a practice back

Before switching to Jane Websites in spring 2024, Tricia was managing a site with the help of an outside developer. In the beginning it worked, but as her practice evolved, she felt her website slowing her down.

Every time she wanted to add a new team member, update a service, or make a change to her site, she had to submit a request and wait for an invoice. “Sometimes it was a bit of a surprise how much that invoice would be,” she said. There was also the duplication problem. If she updated a service inside Jane, she had to update the website too. “I had to do everything twice.”

Tip: The process Tricia describes isn’t just inefficient, but it was actually holding her back from keeping her website current, which has consequences for how Google sees you. The more up-to-date your website, the better your relationship with Google.

A tech change

Jane Websites is a website builder that’s built with a direct sync with Jane. This simplifies the process of building and maintaining a website.

When Tricia started using Jane Websites, the first thing she noticed was improved control. “I now have control over my own site, and I understand it,” she said. “If I want to change a graphic, if I want to change a service, I know how to do it, because the platform is so easy.”

Jane Websites also helped eliminate the duplication issue. Now when a new counsellor joins Arnica Counselling, their profile syncs to the website automatically. If Tricia adds a service in Jane, it shows up on the site right away.

Tip: This is convenient for Tricia, but it’s also beneficial for clients. When your website is current, it builds trust and reduces admin. Accurate information means fewer phone calls to clarify questions your website might not answer, and a greater chance of a client booking in to see you.

Tricia built her website with Jane Websites and added the SEO Booster, an add-on where the Jane Websites team works alongside you on things like keyword research. For Tricia, that support made a real difference in growing her practice.

How your Google ranking can support your practice growth

From 2020 to 2024, years that included building a new clinic through a pandemic, Tricia says her year-over-year client growth ranged from about 5% to 15%.

The year she joined Jane Websites and invested in SEO she says she saw a 55% increase in clients. “None of it would have been possible if I wasn’t working on my Google ranking, my Jane booking page, and my website,” she said.

Improvements Tricia noticed from an investment in SEO:

• An improved ranking in her local Google results. “I went from being number eight to number one in key Google searches, and that’s without running a single Google ad,” says Tricia.
• People found her when they searched terms like ‘anxiety therapy in Prince George’ and ‘child counselling’, which is a perfect match for what her practice offers.
• New practitioners she hired were filling their schedules in six weeks instead of the expected six months.

How to set strong SEO foundations

Strong SEO can help your business be found by the right people. When someone searches for a specific service or practitioner in their area, if you’re ranking for the terms they search, you’re more likely to be found. Especially when it comes to disciplines like behavioral and mental health, many searches for a new practitioner begin online.

Here are some tips for getting started:

Start with your Jane online booking page. Make sure it’s clear, organized, and that the patient journey actually works. Walk through it yourself. Have a friend try to book into your practice, starting from Google, and see if there’s any improvements you can make to their experience.

Then get your website up, even if it’s simple. The longer you wait to launch a site, the longer you’re missing out on Google building a relationship with it. A basic site today is worth more than a perfect site in six months.

Once those are in place, look at your Google Business Profile. Are all your services listed? Is your booking link connected? Connecting these dots makes for a smooth client experience.

Tip: In mental and behavioral health practices many appointments are booked in the evening. By offering online booking, you’re making sure clients are able to book when they’re ready.

The longer game

SEO takes time, Tricia knows this well. She spent over a year slowly building before things started to noticeably shift. “For a while, as you’re building this, and you’re just trying to make it look great, and you have no idea if it’s helping, but you just keep going and keep building, and it will slowly start to work.”

What made the difference wasn’t a single change or a single page but the accumulation of her efforts. A well-maintained site that stayed current, a booking experience that worked, a Google presence that reflected the full picture of what Arnica offers, and support from the Jane Websites team that helped her find specific keywords all added up to big change.

When you’re growing your business online, there’s rarely one thing that makes the difference. It’s more of a system, and when all the parts are actually working together, the whole thing starts to improve.

To learn more about the features Jane has to offer, you can book a demo. And if you’d like to chat with the Jane Websites team about their website builder or additional SEO support, you can reach them here.

FAQ

Q: Our clinic does not offer online booking. Do I still need a Jane Website?

A: Jane Websites are still helpful even without an online booking page. While we recommend that clinics take advantage of online booking, even without it, a website will help you tell the story of your clinic, introduce yourself, and share helpful information like contact details and hours.

Q: To help improve SEO, how much time should you spend building, changing, and updating your website?

A: There’s no magic number, and once your core pages are in place, keeping things fresh doesn’t have to be burdensome. Consistency matters more than perfection. A simple, accurate, regularly updated site will serve you better than one that’s never touched.

Q: For a solo practitioner with a vision of expanding, what SEO suggestions would you recommend?

A: The good news is that even small SEO wins can make a big difference when you’re building toward growth. Here are a few spots to focus your efforts:

• Your Google Business Profile is a great first move. Complete your profile, list your services with descriptions under the right categories, and actively collect reviews. That listing is often what drives new clients to reach out.
• Start creating pages for each service you offer. More relevant pages means more chances to show up when clients are searching for support.
• If you have a niche, lean into it. Specific, targeted content outperforms generic pages and attracts the exact clients you’re looking for.