Authority

Introduction

Most people launching a website for their therapy practice want the website to perform like an online advert, attracting visitors and thereby generating enquiries and clients.

Unfortunately Google has no interest in such things when it decides how to rank websites in the normal "organic" search. If you want an advert then Google will sell you a promotional spot as illustrated in the example below. The people behind these first two websites with the Ad icon next to them are paying for Google's AdWords.

Of course many people skip over the AdWords as they prefer to look at the websites that have earned a top place without paying for it. This makes the listing positions just below the AdWords on pages one and two highly sought after. So how do websites earn these top places?

They do it by building authority. This guide will explain how you can start to make the transition from a site like all the others that is merely an advert to a website of authority which merits a top place on Google even when there is plenty of competition.

Put yourself in Google's shoes

First and foremost authority is earned through offering valuable content. Google's stated mission is to "organise all the world's information and make it universally accessible". Another way of expressing this is in the evocative words of Wikipedia's Founder Jimmy Wales who set a goal to give free access to the sum of all human knowledge.

Hold that thought for a second and now think whether Google would be furthering its goals by promoting your website to the top of page one. Does your list of services, opening times or contact details enhance the sum of all human knowledge? Sobering isn't it?

You will still get into Google's listings if your website isn't a font of divine wisdom but if you are only thinking about your website as an advert then you will be overtaken by other websites which are going to the next level and offering more.

Competition

Perhaps there aren't so many other websites competing against yours? In this case the need for authority is less important as it all depends on the competition in your area. If it is low then it will be sufficient for you to simply ensure you cover the basics and get green scores on the WebHealer SearchMax page - the one in your Administration Area. These basics ensure your website is relevant to the searches you are focussing on and together with the background work WebHealer carry out for you, you will rank pretty well.

If instead there is competition from other therapists and other websites then it is time for a rethink.

Inspiration and examples

You don't have to be a university research department to produce content that Google will view as valuable and thereby increase the authority of your website. All of us have a rich experience of life and if you share that in a constructive way you can add authority to your website. It might not be completely original either, but more of an amalgamation of your own learning and experience, however do be careful with duplication.

Here are some examples of content that would add authority to your website.

• A list of books you might recommend to clients along with some commentary or a personal review of the content. Ideally these would be related to your therapy or the conditions you often help with, though they may simply be inspirational or self-help books.
• A series of self help pages. The specific content can vary depending on your experience or any areas you wish to do a little research in. Examples are:
  • Tips for coping with stress
  • Advice for getting a good quality night's sleep
  • Nutrition advice
  • Some simple exercise routines
• Blog articles on topical themes
• Feedback from clients. Feedback like "Jane is a great therapist" won't impress Google. Instead you might gather together comments from several clients that describe the experience of choosing to undertake therapy. Describing the therapeutic process from a client's perspective creates something new and of value to others.

One approach is to use the submenus system (see sidebar link) to create a resources section, as shown above, which you can develop over time.

Getting started

Google has unimagineable amounts of data storage and when it periodically scans your website pages it is much happier if it finds a substantial 1,000+ words rather than a brief paragraph.

Don't worry - you don't need to write huge volumes on day one. When you are ready to upgrade your site into a website of authority a good option is to create a Resources section as shown above which includes an initial one or two pages each containing a few paragraphs. Then each month you can add a paragraph or two to one or both pages depending on how much time you can spare. Growing your pages like this over time is the best approach as Google views fresh content as even more authoritative than old content.

A final tip is to summarise the new content in a few sentences and put that on your home page. Homepage freshness as you will know from the SearchMax section of your Administration Area is especially valuable and it will help keep you in the green section on that page.

The multiplier effect

Building authority has a secondary beneficial effect which can act as a powerful multiplier on your efforts to improve your Google rankings. The effect is website linking. If, for example, you add a page called "Recommended Self Help Books", you make it much more likely that people will share your website with others or link to it. Google views links to your website as a very strong indicator of authority and links can make a huge difference to listing positions.

What difference will it make?

This will take a little effort of course and not all of us find writing easy, so you may be wondering how much difference this might make. If you're in a remote location with very little competiton then the answer is that it may not make much difference at all, but if your practice is in a suburb of London or any other busy area of the UK then it can really help you get higher Google placement and correspondingly more enquiries.

A recent analysis by WebHealer of more than 1,500 websites showed that therapists which had 10 or more pages on their website were listed 10 places higher on average than websites with the more typical 4 to 6 pages.

Summary

It is natural for a website to start out as an advert for your services, but over time the more successful websites will evolve beyond this and become websites of authority. You can start this new phase at any time. If you have the budget of course you may seek the assistance of a copywriter but it isn't essential. Just try to find some areas that you can write about easily from your own knowledge and which will improve the value of your website to visitors.

To add pages to your website go to the Style & Design section in your Administration Area, under Site Management on the left. Most clients have spare pages available but if you need more a quick visit to the Upgrade Centre, also under Site Management, will allow you to add more.