What Is SEO Copywriting? A Simple Guide for Ottawa Therapists
“I found you online,” ahh, music to my ears. Isn’t that the dream for so many small business owners? Even better? “I found you online, read through your website, and KNEW you were who I wanted to work with!”
You are sitting at home on your back porch, the spring birds are flitting and chirping, you take a sip of your perfectly brewed morning coffee, and there it is: a booking request in your inbox.
You’ve probably heard of SEO by now with all the Tic Toking and Instagram Reeling out there, and like many of the folks who end up in my inbox, you may already have a website, but you’re pretty sure it’s not working the way you hoped.
You’ve got a great business, but not enough bookings, and it’s time to see if SEO is really a thing…not just an allergy that makes you run the other way.
If you want more backyard, bird-watching lattes, and time off the ol’ social media - SEO Copywriting may very well be your next step.
What is SEO?
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. How do we make our website understandable to the ol’ robots out there reading it and to the humans who come across it (or on social media)?
When someone searches “Ottawa Therapist”, “Ottawa Psychotherapist”, or “Support for anxiety in Ottawa”, will your website be served to the searcher?
Well, that depends on SEO (and copywriting, but that’s coming next).
SEO includes (but is not limited to) page titles, image file names and descriptions, page descriptions, page speed (how fast your website loads), accessibility (whether people using screen readers can use your website), section titles, website layout, and much more.
The robots (crawlers, spiders - pick your creepy insect) crawl (read) your website and decide if it’s helpful to searchers. Google’s goal is to organize the world’s information and to give people the best answer for their query.
The better your website communicates what you do, who you do it for, where you are, and how you help, the greater your chance of showing up in front of the right people.
What is Copywriting?
One of my favorite copywriting inspirations is Ashlyn Carter, who defines copywriting as “The art and science of your brand’s voice on purpose.”
Pause on that for a moment - if you are a pauser like me. Let it sink in. Art. Science. Purpose. Oh, Ashlyn nails it again with her excellent words. (Words and writing have been one of my deep loves since I was a child, so when I came upon Ashlyn’s YouTube channel many years ago, I knew I’d found a fellow word-nerd - she’s SO.GOOD.)
Elle’s simple definition of copywriting: the words you choose for your website and social media. The goal of every word is to keep the reader reading. I think Ashlyn’s definition is better, though.
Your website and socials are replete, teeming, abound with copywriting:
Your page titles (see the SEO overlap that’s about to happen?)
Your about page
Your service descriptions
Your website footer
The words you choose for your buttons: “Book now!” or “I want this.”
The words on your page descriptions (oh! more SEO overlap!)
The silly expressions you choose to share (or not) on your website
Blogs, newsletters, emails, any correspondence with potential clients…
Good copywriting sounds like you. I can skim a website in 20 seconds and know why it’s not reaching anyone - let alone the right people.
If your website copy is just like every other Ottawa Therapist, how does Google know who to serve it to?
THIS IS WHERE SEO AND COPYWRITING COME TOGETHER LIKE PEANUT-FREE PEANUT BUTTER AND JAM, LIKE MASLOW AND A HIERARCHY, LIKE COFFEE AND A GOOD BOOK, LIKE A SYNAPSE & MYELIN, LIKE SWEATERS & FALLING LEAVES, LIKE A JOURNAL AND A LIST OF NEVER-SEEN-AGAIN MARKETING IDEAS.
See what I did there? You chuckled a little bit, right? Or you rolled your eyes, and you’ve already stopped reading - that’s the point. This is how copywriting works. Either you see yourself in my business, or you don’t…or you are questioning but curious? (I’ve exaggerated for the purpose of defining copywriting…but hopefully this is clear)
Notice the copy here, “and keeping your house-plants alive…” is unique, speaks to Leigh truly “getting” the stage of life that most of her clients are in, because she has been there too, and keep plants alive speaks to the plant lovers AND it adds a little personality.
What is SEO Copywriting?
SEO Copywriting is what happens when your true voice meets a search engine strategy. It's the words on your website, written in a way that sounds like you AND help Google understand exactly what you do, who you help, and where you are.
And here’s the key thing (not keyword thing), write for humans first. Great SEO Copywriting is for humans first and is written with the SEO strategy in mind second. Those robots are getting so smart that they can pick up more nuance than even a few years ago. R2-D2 has evolved.
What Does SEO Copywriting Look Like in Practice?
An Ottawa therapist who specializes in anxiety (we will follow the CRPO Advertising Standards, the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers Standards, etc.) has a homepage that reads “Offering Psychotherapy.” Simple, true, but it also uses the same words as every other therapy website, and also, where are you? Do you work with teens, adults, families, or children?
How can we apply SEO Copywriting to improve this?
With SEO Copywriting, that same therapist's homepage might read "Ottawa Anxiety Therapy for Teens” as the H1 (biggest heading at the top of the website page). This tells me where you are, what you do, and some specifics. Below that, there may be a paragraph elaborating more on what that service is about. (I’m avoiding writing more here because I want to be sure we are within the standards, and right now I don’t have a therapist in front of me - but I hope this is getting clearer).
Another really important area where SEO Copywriting comes in is the SEO page title; you might read “Home” right now. After you apply SEO Copywriting, or after we work together, your page title will read, “Your Name | Counsellor and Psychotherapist Ottawa.”
A page title that includes what you do and where you do it. A homepage that says clearly who you help and how. Service descriptions that use the words your clients actually use when they search. Blog posts that answer the real questions your people are asking.
Then there is the tech stuff behind the scenes of your website, which is also SEO Copywriting; heading structure, meta descriptions, file names, alt text on images. All of those work together so Google can read your site and know who to share it with.
SEO Copywriting makes you findable (and bookable!).
Who is SEO Copywriting For?
If you have a new or established business and you want the right people to find you online, SEO Copywriting is for you. If you already have enough clients and word-of-mouth is working well for you, you may not choose to invest in SEO Copywriting.
If you have a website (or you need one because you are just opening your practice or business) and it’s outdated, your work has evolved, and you want to reach more of the right people, then SEO Copywriting may be a huge help.
More specifically, I work with therapists, psychotherapists, counsellors, coaches, doulas, photographers, healers, creatives, and other service providers in Ottawa (and within Canada), particularly those who identify as highly sensitive or neurodivergent, and who want to grow their business in a way that feels sustainable and true to who they are. Often, folks come to me because they want to get away from social media and set up their websites for success - many of us are burned out from that scene.
You might be here because:
You built a beautiful website, and nobody is finding it. You've been told you need SEO but have no idea where to start. You know your work is good, but your copy sounds like everyone else's. You're tired of social media and want a visibility strategy that doesn't require you to perform every day. You can’t find the words to express what you do. You want to work with more of the right people and fewer of the wrong ones.
If any of that sounds familiar — you're in the right place.
SEO Copywriting is not just for big businesses with big budgets. It's for the Ottawa therapist with a private practice, the doula growing her services or adding another one, the photographer whose work is beautiful but she doesn’t have enough bookings, and the coach who finally knows what she offers and wants the world to know.
FAQs about SEO Copywriting for Therapists
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SEO copywriting is the words on your website written in a way that sounds like you AND helps Google understand exactly what you do, who you help, and where you are. It's writing for humans first, with a search engine strategy woven in second.
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Regular copywriting focuses on your words and your voice. SEO copywriting does that too, but it also makes sure those words are structured, titled and organized in a way that search engines can read and index. Think of it as copywriting with a visibility strategy built in.
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If you want the right clients to find you online without relying on social media or word of mouth alone, then yes. If your practice is full and referrals are steady, you may not need it right now. But if you want more of the right people finding you through Google, SEO copywriting is one of the most sustainable ways to make that happen.
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You can absolutely learn to do it yourself. That's exactly why the free resources on this blog exist. If you want more guided support, workshops and VIP Days are available. Some people DIY it beautifully. Others prefer to work with someone who can see their business from the outside.
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Yes. When working with counselors and psychotherapists, we always work within the Advertising Standards and the Ethics of your profession. Your professional standing matters, and the copy we create together will always reflect that.
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SEO is the broader practice of optimizing your website for search engines, it includes technical elements like site speed, crawlability and structured data. SEO copywriting is specifically about the words; writing your titles, headings, page copy and blog posts in a way that is both human and search-engine friendly. They work together.
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It depends on the scope of work. A VIP Day starts at $650 CAD and includes a full day of focused work plus a report with next steps. Workshops are available at lower price points for those who want to learn and implement themselves. The free blog is always a no-cost starting point.
How Do I Get Started with SEO Copywriting?
If you're a DIYer and you want to learn at your own pace, start with the free resources on this blog. There are step-by-step posts on everything from image optimization to Google Business Profile setup to homepage fixes. Start wherever feels most relevant to where you are right now.
If you want guided support in a small-group setting, my Get Found Locally workshops are designed exactly for that. Each workshop stands alone, so you can start with the topic that feels most urgent. Available online across Canada and in person in the Ottawa region.
If you want focused, one-on-one support where we work through your specific website, your copy, and your SEO strategy together in a single day, a VIP Day might be the right fit. You'll leave with real progress and a clear report of next steps.
Not sure where to start? Take the free 5-minute quiz, and I'll point you in the right direction.
Let’s get you outside with your latte and the birds, with a search-engine-optimized, well copywritten website (and socials!)!
