Folks, it is NOT Google calling you!

Hello fellow therapists,

So I was talking to a wonderful colleague in another state today, who told me that "Google called her to offer paid placement on page 1 for a particular phrase".

She seemed confused by my fervent reply, that it was certainly not Google calling her. Folks, there are a lot of not-so-ethical SEO companies out there who will drop Google's name as they explain who they are. But trust me - THEY ARE NOT GOOGLE.

How do I know? Well, first the ethical issue of Google selling results space (this was *not* Adwords, according to the caller) - sort of like the NY Times selling you the ability to get an article written about you. Secondly, our advertising budgets as therapists are not even a drop in Google's bucket (they took in $2.2 billion last quarter). Finally, this ones been known in my world for some time (we SEOs talk).

Anyways folks, if someone calls and offers you something to good to be true - it is. And if they say they are from Google, ask them to send you an email to prove it. They won't be able to.

Stay safe! Best, Peter

Join Me @ PBC2010 - October 25th-30th

Hi!

I'm excited to announce I'll be presenting at the Practice Building Virtual Conference 2010 - put on by The International Therapist Leadership Institute. It's virtual - so no travel costs - all done by teleconference and webinar.

It's humbling to be on faculty with the likes of Bill O'Hanlon & Lynn Grodzki! It all goes on between October 25th and the 30th. Prices varies (depending on student, pre-licensed, etc.) from $197 to $297.

My talk will be The State of Web Marketing Today & Predictions for 2011. I sure hope you can join me. I think it will be worth your while.

Seattle Class coming up on Friday 9/17

Hey!

If you're around Seattle, you may want to drop in at the Seattle Counselors Associations monthly meeting - next Friday, 9/17/10, from 9 to noon.

I'll be presenting "Web Marketing for Therapists - in Plain English". The goal is to both increase real understanding of the aspects of web marketing, and to send therapists away with some concrete to-do's to increase the effectiveness of their web marketing efforts.

Hope to see you there! Best, Peter

PS - contact SCA to sign up - http://www.seattlecounselors.org/meetings.php

So this is how the PT Phone # thing works....

Well, folks, the PT thing works.

Today, I saw someone had called and left a message. I was busy with something so I let it go to voicemail. A couple minutes later I get an email from PsychologyToday. It goes like this:

Hi Peter Hannah,

At 11:21 AM PDT you received a missed phone call. This caller found you on PsychologyToday.com.

Call to (206) 799-6566
Call from (206) xxx-xxxx/Seattle WA
(Note - The actual incoming number was listed here - nice for security.)
Date: August 9, 2010
Call Duration: 00:00:00 (missed call)

To view a record of this call, please log into your profile at
https://secure.sussexdirectories.com/rms-sec/mem_sign.php?u=phannah
and click on the Contact History tab.


FAQs:-

WHY AM I GETTING THIS CALL CONFIRMATION?

Psychology Today has recently introduced call tracking and call security
for your profile. People who find you on Psychology Today see a unique
local phone number for you that, when they call it, automatically
connects to your private number.

WHY DO I BENEFIT?

1: It's a simple way to tell who found your profile on the Therapy
Directory.

2: You get a record of the people who have called you (Check 'Contact
History' when you log in).

3: Spam phone calls from telemarketers are filtered out - about 99% such
calls can be screened.

To opt out of receiving these call confirmation emails, log into your
account and click the option in 'Contact History'.


---
The folks at PsychologyToday.com
---


*Don't reply to this email*

Pretty nice tracking, I have to say. I wouldn't have pegged this caller as coming from PT otherwise. Nice job, PT.

Psychology Today Directory's New Call Feature

Hi, if you're listed in the PT directory (I still am, though rather ambivalently), you have probably seen this email (here's the heart of it):

The phone number on your profile is replaced by a unique local number
that connects seamlessly to your existing line. Each time you receive a
phone call from a client who found your details in the Therapy
Directory, we'll send you an email that tells you who called and when.
The details are stored in your account member area.

This is an interesting move. I can guess some of the motivations of it. I've often brainstormed how I would run a different kind of therapist directory - one that ONLY charged per lead generated or per client who successfully comes in. This is in many ways a great idea, but the main problem is TRACKING where the lead comes from, that it comes from a certain directory.

I'd guess that 5 years ago, a majority of PT therapists did not have websites, so people would mainly be going off the PT listing, and using the PT form to contact the therapist. (You'll notice the stats they email you list searches, views of your profile, and emails to you.)

Now, I would guess that most potential clients who actually use PT go off to the therapist's website, from the link in the profile, before contacting the therapist directly. This can hide the true source of the referral.

From hearing other therapists complain that PT doesn't drive as much traffic as it used to, I think this is a way to prove their worth to the therapists in the directory. I once did some "napkin math" about the directory - $29.95/month x 10,000 members (guesstimate) = $300,000/month = $3,600,000 a year. The directory may make more $ than the magazine does! So, they have a pretty darn vested interest in keeping it up to date.

I'll be interested in hearing people's experiences with the new call feature (oh yes, you can opt out of it, too).

Best, Peter

Will Adwords Spending Help My Organic Results?

I was just browsing Google's own Adwords blog, and came across this. Since this is a question (and a misconception) of a lot of the therapists I work with - I thought I'd post it as is.

Myth # 1: Spending money on Google AdWords will influence my website’s ranking in Google's free search results.

Fact: Google AdWords and Google’s free search results are entirely independent of one another. Spending money on AdWords won’t impact your ranking in Google's free search results. Similarly, cancelling your AdWords account won’t lead to your website being banned from Google’s search results

I usually try to explain this as the way the NY Times treats editorial (news) and advertisements - they keep a firewall between the two so they don't influence each other. While that may not be the way some local magazines and free weekly newspapers run (where the biggest advertisers mysteriously often are featured in stories, too) it is the gold standard for ethical publications. I should know, I was on my college newspaper :-)

New Therapy Directory - Free Til 7/30!

Hey folks,

Hope you are having a good summer.

A new therapist directory has shown up - and it's free for a year if you get in before July 30th.

It's at http://clinicalpsychotherapists.com - I signed up today. Not sure if it will be gangbusters, but every link helps your SEO a little bit, and the price is right!

Best, Peter