Digital Marketing Tips to Boost Your ABA Practice's Visibility
- Ashleigh
- 2 days ago
- 5 min read
In the ever-increasing digital age, having a strong online presence is necessary across almost every field. ABA is no exception. Whether your marketing goals are to reach potential staff, clients, or both, establishing your organization as a trusted provider requires improved online visibility.
Marketing your ABA practice is never a one-and-done task. It requires ongoing effort and agility. However, the good news is that even small, consistent actions can drive enhanced visibility. This article will cover a few simple steps to help you optimize your digital marketing strategy.
Claim & Optimize Your Google Business Profile (GBP)
Creating and optimizing your Google Business Profile is a non-negotiable way to boost local visibility. It's a relatively simple step that many practices skip or don't fully complete. Consider the following steps for completing and optimizing your GBP.
Create your Google Business Profile. It's free and easy to get started!
Choose the right category. Select the most relevant category, such as 'Applied Behavior Analysis Therapist.' Consider looking at the categories your top competitors are listed under when choosing which categories to list your practice under.
Create dedicated service area pages. If you have multiple locations, create a dedicated page for each location.
Use consistent and accurate information. Double-check your business name, address, phone number, and service area for accuracy and consistency across online listings.
Use keywords in your description. Add a business description that leverages relevant keywords, like ABA therapy, autism services, or anything else applicable to your services. Make sure to do this naturally so it doesn't get flagged for keyword-stuffing.
Add pictures! Upload several quality photos to your GBP. Skip the AI-generated and stock images. Instead, use real pictures, like your clinic building, your team, your logo, and community events. A good rule of thumb is to meet or beat the number of pictures your primary competitors have—so if they have six pictures, try to upload seven or more.
Link to the right page on your website. Rather than linking your GBP to your home page, link it to a local services page. Make sure your local services page has relevant local keywords, like "ABA therapy in City, State."
Ensure Your Website is Optimized for Local SEO
For most ABA practices, the primary goal is to increase visibility in your geographic area. When BCBAs and RBTs are looking for a new job, you want them to find your open positions. When families search for "ABA therapy near me," you want them to come across your company. This is where local SEO comes in. Local SEO optimization helps your website populate at the top of searches for ABA providers in your area, enabling job seekers and families to locate you more easily.
Here are a few steps to achieve strong local SEO:
Use relevant keywords. Use Google Ads Keyword Planner or SEObility to identify relevant keywords to include throughout your website, including in title tags, meta descriptions, headers, and body text. Think about which terms your desired audience is most likely to search, like "autism services near me," "ABA in [City]," or "BCBA jobs in [location]." Include keywords naturally throughout your content.
Create location-specific service pages. If you have multiple locations, create separate landing pages for each location. For example, if you have a clinic in San Diego and Los Angeles, you'd create two separate location pages on your website—ABA Therapy in San Diego' and 'ABA Therapy in Los Angeles.' Make sure to include both a service (e.g., autism care) and a location (e.g., Madison, WI) keyword in your headers.
Gain backlinks. When other reputable websites link to yours, your site's credibility and rankings increase. You can gain backlinks by adding your practice to local directories and resource listings, like ABA Finder, Operation Autism (if you take Tricare), and Beaming Health. Another common way to gain backlinks is by publishing blogs and other content that resonate with readers who share your content. Note: When you add an open position to ABA Resource Center's ABA Job Board, we create a dedicated provider page with a permanent backlink to your website.
Regularly Publish Fresh Content
On average, websites that have a blog generate 55% more traffic than those without one. Create a blog or resource center on your website and regularly publish content. Aim to post at least once per month. However, 2-4x/month is ideal for growth, especially in competitive markets.
Conduct keyword research to identify the most relevant and high-traffic topics for your blogs. Be sure to optimize the content for local SEO so those in your area are more likely to come across your content.
Here are a few ideas for ABA blog content:
Answer common questions from families seeking care. Cover topics like general information about ABA, insurance coverage, what therapy sessions look like, therapy benefits, parent involvement in treatment, etc.
Share company news. Highlight new center openings and staff spotlights, celebrate milestones, or promote upcoming events.
Create content geared toward ABA professionals. Offer career tips, day-in-the-life articles, and topics related to common experiences RBTs and BCBAs face in the field.
Support families navigating an autism diagnosis. Write articles on topics related to better understanding autism, such as what to do after receiving an autism diagnosis.
Share local community events and resources. Share information about sensory-friendly activities or local support groups to help families locate resources in your area. This also helps boost local SEO!
If you don't have time to publish quality, SEO-optimized articles, you're certainly not alone. Practice leaders are balancing countless other responsibilities. Finding the time to add website content into the mix is difficult. Do you have anyone on your team with exceptional writing skills who would enjoy a break from clinical work? Consider having them contribute to the blog. Another option is to outsource your blog content to a freelance writer. For the highest quality content, look for someone with SEO knowledge, strong writing skills, and personal experience in the ABA field.
Get Active on Social Media
If you're not active on social media, now is the time to start getting your name out there. Different platforms offer different benefits, depending on your marketing goals and where your target audience is most active. For example, Facebook and Instagram may be great for reaching families, while LinkedIn is more beneficial for networking and attracting staff.
Similar to publishing blog content, establishing a consistent content schedule is beneficial to increase brand awareness and ultimately drive more traffic to your website. Aim to post on social media at least weekly.
Run Targeted Ads
If you have the budget for advertising, combining ads with local SEO and organic content strategies can significantly boost your visibility.
Consider advertising on:
Google for targeted keywords like 'ABA therapy in [city, state]'
Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn to reach families
ABA Job Boards to gain visibility on job postings
Additional ABA Digital Marketing Resources
ABA Digital Marketing: A marketing agency operated by a BCBA, offering a data-based approach to digital marketing.
Freelance Blog Writer: The owner of ABA Resource Center, Ashleigh Evans, MS, BCBA, offers expertly crafted blogs for time-strapped ABA organizations.
Advertise on ABA Resource Center: We offer ad space! If your primary audience is ABA professionals or clinical leaders, boost your visibility by advertising with us.
ABA Digital Success: 3PieSquared offers a business refresh package to give your website a full redesign, ensuring it's modern and user-friendly. Check out their podcast as well for episodes on digital marketing tips!
SEObility: Analyze and optimize your website for better search rankings.
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