Martin
Founder, strategy and audits
Writes every audit and takes every first call. On your account from day one, running growth for SMEs since 2010.
SEM for Therapists and Counselors
Google Ads for Therapists in Australia
A person who searches for a couples therapist on a Tuesday night has often waited weeks to do it. Paid search puts your practice at the top of that moment, if the ad is honest, the page is quiet and the first step is small. We build and run it, and we do not promise client numbers.
For therapy practices with open slots who want paid search that brings matched requests, with a sensible budget, careful wording and clear tracking.
Why paid search suits a therapy practice
Context from how your customers search, compare and book.
A caseload has a ceiling, so paid search is about fit, not volume. A practice with room for two more anxiety clients does not need a flood of clicks. It needs a few well-matched calls. That means narrow campaigns around the work you want, in the places you can see people, switched down when your calendar fills.
The searches that matter are specific. Therapist near me is broad and expensive. Couples therapist for communication problems, therapy for work burnout or a therapist who sees teens is narrower and closer to a decision. Insurance terms also act as filters, since someone who types in their plan name is already checking whether they can afford a first session.
Many searches should be kept out. Crisis searches belong with emergency services, not an ad. Job seekers, students, people wanting free worksheets and people looking for medication prescribers waste budget and need to be excluded. We build a long exclusion list and review search terms often so money goes to real prospective clients.
Wording matters more than usual. Ads should not suggest that you know someone's condition, promise relief or use fear. They state the specialty, the area, the format and how to book. Ad platforms also restrict some health claims, and we write inside those limits. You approve every ad before it runs.
Who this paid search is for
groups Customer segments
- person Practices with open weekday or evening slots that need filling quickly
- person Specialists, for example in couples or teen work, whose ideal clients are rarely found by general listings
- person Group practices adding a new clinician who needs a starting caseload
- person Online-only therapists reaching clients across a wide set of towns
psychology What drives their decision
- check_circle A clear match between search and specialty
- check_circle A page that shows fees, format and next step
- check_circle Fast, kind replies to first messages
- check_circle A budget that follows your real capacity
How we deliver SEM
A clear, repeatable process built around how therapists and counselors customers search and decide.
1
Capacity and specialty brief
We begin with your calendar: how many new clients you can see, on which days, in which formats. We list the concerns you want and the ones you refuse. This sets how many campaigns exist and how much they spend, and it tells us when to ease off.
2
Keyword groups by specialty
We build separate groups for each specialty, such as anxiety, couples, teens, grief or work stress, plus groups for insurance terms and online sessions. Keeping them apart lets an ad and a page speak to one need, and lets you switch off one group without touching the rest.
3
Ads and landing pages
We write short ads that name the specialty, area and format, and send each one to a matching page with fees, openings and a simple way to ask. Pages carry no client stories and no promises. A visible note points anyone in crisis to emergency help.
4
Conversion tracking
We count calls, form messages and booking clicks as results, not clicks. Where you tell us which requests became intakes, we report on that. Tracking is set to avoid capturing anything typed into a message, so client privacy stays intact.
5
Weekly search-term review
Each week we read the real searches that triggered ads and add exclusions. Each month we meet briefly to adjust the budget by specialty, pause groups when you are full and restart them when slots open. You get a written summary after every review.
query_stats
What Therapists and Counselors SEM includes
Reach people who are ready to book on Google, without paying for clicks that never turn into customers in Australia
- check_circle Capacity-based campaign plan
- check_circle Ads written and approved with you
- check_circle Landing pages for each specialty
- check_circle Exclusion lists and weekly reviews
- check_circle Plain monthly reporting
What you can expect
- verified Ads appear only for the concerns and formats you want to treat
- verified Budget follows your open slots and eases off when you are full
- verified Visitors land on a page about their situation, not a general homepage
- verified Wrong searches are blocked before they spend money
- verified Every call and message is linked to the ad that produced it
- verified You see cost per request and, with your data, per intake
Deliverables you receive
inventory_2 Campaigns split by specialty, format and insurance terms, each with its own budget
inventory_2 Exclusion lists covering crisis, job, student, free-resource and prescriber searches
inventory_2 Ad text for every campaign, approved by you before launch
inventory_2 Landing pages with fees, openings and a short contact step
inventory_2 Call, form and booking tracking with a view of cost per request
inventory_2 A monthly review with budget advice tied to your caseload
Technical approach
The mechanics behind SEM for therapists and counselors, explained plainly.
Match types and exclusions
We use close-match keywords for the specialties you want and exclude broad terms that bring wrong visitors. Searches such as free therapy, therapist jobs or crisis chat are blocked from the start. The weekly review catches new wrong terms before they eat the budget.
Location and format controls
In-person work uses a tight area around your office. Online work uses the places where you can see clients, which you confirm. We exclude areas outside those limits so an ad never invites someone you cannot legally or practically help.
Call handling and response time
A call tracking number shows which ad produced each call. Calls go to your phone or a message service, with a calm voicemail that names the practice. Slow replies waste ad money, so we set a target for first response and flag when it slips.
Marketing from $500 USD a month
Month to month, no commitment. One fee covers the pages, the search and ad work and the tracking. Ad spend is separate and stays in your own accounts.
Starting at
$500 USD per month
Free to cancel with 1 month's notice. Tell us what you sell and where. We come back with what the first month would fix.
Get a Free AuditWhat $500 a month covers
Pages
IncludedPages built around the searches your buyers actually type.
Search and ads
IncludedSearch and ads aimed at people ready to enquire.
Tracking
IncludedCalls, forms and bookings tagged to the search, ad or page behind them.
What to expect from Google Ads
Paid search can start quickly, but the first weeks are for learning which searches suit your practice.
Days 1 to 14
Campaigns are built, ads and pages are approved and tracking is tested with real calls. Budget starts modestly while we watch which searches appear and add exclusions daily.
Weeks 3 to 8
First requests arrive and patterns show: which specialty brings fit, which time of day brings calls, which page keeps visitors reading. We shift money toward groups that bring matched requests and trim the rest.
Months 3 to 6 and beyond
The account settles into a steady rhythm tied to your caseload. We expand to new specialties when you are ready. Results depend on competition and your response speed, and we do not promise client numbers.
Other Therapists and Counselors marketing services
search SEO for Therapists and Counselors in Australia arrow_forward ads_click Meta Ads for Therapists and Counselors in Australia arrow_forward web Web Design for Therapists and Counselors in Australia arrow_forward monitoring Analytics for Therapists and Counselors in Australia arrow_forward handshake CRM Integration for Therapists and Counselors in Australia arrow_forward psychology AI Optimisation for Therapists and Counselors in Australia arrow_forward
Our team
The same people on the audit and on the work
Martin writes every audit and takes the first call. The same team stays on the account. 160+ businesses since 2010.
Yoana
Social and app development
Shapes social strategy and builds practical app experiences that turn attention into action.
Mike
SEO
Owns technical, local and content SEO so the right buyers find you when demand is highest.
Robert
Paid media
Plans and manages paid search and social campaigns around qualified leads.
Elmer
Analytics
Connects tracking, attribution and reporting so decisions are based on revenue-quality data.
Dino
Design
Creates clear brand and conversion-focused design across landing pages, campaigns and product experiences.
Certified and experienced
Certified where it matters. Accountable for the outcome.
Verified platform knowledge, 25+ years of hands-on experience, and an operating track record since 2010.
Google AdsCertified
✓Google AnalyticsCertified
✓Google Tag ManagerCertified
✓Operating since 2010Proven experience
✓Frequently Asked Questions
How much should a therapy practice spend on Google Ads? expand_more
For therapists it depends on your area, your specialties and how many clients you can take. We start small, watch real searches and raise spend only when requests are matched and you have room. We do not set a number in advance.
Will ads for therapists appear for people in crisis? expand_more
Therapists are not an emergency service. We exclude crisis terms and add a visible pointer to emergency help on landing pages. Ads should never look like an emergency line. You approve the wording.
Can I advertise one specialty and not others? expand_more
Yes, and we recommend it. Therapists usually do better with narrow campaigns for the work they want most. When one specialty fills up, we pause it and move budget to another.
What about insurance searches? expand_more
If you take insurance, searches that name a plan or ask which therapists are covered can be a strong match. We build a group for those and send them to a page listing the plans you accept. If you are private pay, we frame fees and value instead.
Do you handle the calls and emails that come in? expand_more
No. Your team or your message service answers, as with most therapists, because clinical and booking decisions stay with you. We set up tracking, recommend a response target and show where slow replies cost you requests.
Can the same ads work for couples and individual therapy? expand_more
Not well, and good therapists know why. Couples searches and individual searches ask different things, so each gets its own ad group and page. Mixing them wastes clicks and confuses visitors.
How do you report results without client details? expand_more
Reports show counts of calls, forms and bookings by campaign and cost, never names or message text. If you tell us how many requests became intakes, we add that number. Clinical information never enters the reports.
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