“It was amazing. The site is everything we had hoped it to be and more. I loved the look of my site before, but the content wasn’t driving enough people to it; people didn’t really know what we did. Now it’s very clear, very concrete and easy to find information about exactly what it is we do.”
Lisa Orbé-Austin, Ph.D.
When Richard and Lisa Orbé-Austin decided to open their private coaching practice in New York City in 2007, they knew they were entering a market already saturated with therapists, counselors and coaches. They recognized how important a strong online presence would be in building a sustainable coaching practice and rising above their competition. After spending several years in the market, they knew that they needed to make a major change to enhance their online presence. So, in 2014 they built a beautiful new website. Unfortunately, not enough people were seeing it, and Rich and Lisa hadn’t experienced the surge in consult calls they were expecting.
After nearly a year of struggling to attract new clients to their new website, the two coaches decided to contact CounselingWise for an extensive marketing analysis. We were able to identify a variety of steps Lisa and Richard could take to boost their online presence, including new and updated content, streamlined site navigation and an extension of the modern design and interactivity they had loved about their previous site. And, less than four months after launching their strategic and optimized new site, the pair of career coaches are now receiving four times as many consultation calls every week.
The Challenge We Faced: Increase the Number of Consultation Calls and Create a Sustainable Client Base for Both Richard and Lisa Within 6 Months
After nearly one year of paying for disappointing SEO results, Richard and Lisa wanted to start generating significant traffic for their website quickly. They knew their approach and experience could help professionals manage transitions, learn new skills and reach career goals, but their website wasn’t showing up in any searches. Despite joining mental health directories such as Psychology Today, creating social media pages and running a Google AdWords campaign, clients still weren’t visiting Rich and Lisa’s site with the frequency they had hoped to achieve.
Lisa and Richard had poured time, energy and money into a stunning and modern site, and they were committed to establishing a strong online presence. Then, early in 2015, a friend told them that she saw a significant increase in her Google search rankings, consultation calls and new clients after launching a new, optimized therapy website. So, anxious to achieve the same results for their coaching practice, they took her recommendation and contacted CounselingWise.
The Solution We Provided: Update SEO and Improve Site Navigation and Interactivity While Retaining the Look of the Existing Website
“My project manager was amazing and she was just a genius at managing the timeline and all aspects of the project. She’s the best project manager I’ve ever worked with by far.”
Lisa Orbé-Austin, Ph.D.
Lisa and Richard approached us with a clear picture of how they wanted their website to look, feel and operate. They were confident that CounselingWise understood how to develop content and marketing strategies that could reach their potential clients. But, they had also worked extremely hard on the initial launch of their 2014 website, and they didn’t want to lose that time and energy by starting over from scratch. The two coaches recognized that they needed better SEO if they wished to experience rapid growth in the crowded NYC market. So, they came to CounselingWise in search of practical steps they could take an active role in, managing details and collaborating on strategy rather than following a template.
“Having the writer assist us was magical. We had always developed the content for our sites before, and we didn’t want to relinquish control – it felt like they were taking away our baby… But CounselingWise captured our beliefs about our practice and always kept a positive and hopeful vibe which was different from many therapist sites.”
Lisa Orbé-Austin, Ph.D.
Rich and Lisa wanted long-term sustainability and a website they could build on as their practice continued to grow. After completing a thorough analysis of their online presence, we presented a marketing strategy that could help them attract, build rapport with and convert potential clients. Each recommendation was tailored to their particular specialties, location and desired clients. We began by updating SEO, improving navigation and incorporating our 7-Point Marketing Message into interactive client quizzes and updated specialty pages. And, with access to hundreds of hours of training videos, blog posts and written resources available in the members only CounselingWise University, the two coaches could choose to prepare their own content or work with our team of expert writers, designers and developers.
“We felt like you taught us along the way and we felt like we could manage it. It wasn’t a dependent relationship, but a very strategic relationship.”
Lisa Orbé-Austin, Ph.D.
In addition to executing our agreed-upon updates and marketing strategy, we helped Rich and Lisa set up a new Google AdWords campaign to further increase their consultation calls and new clients. The campaign served as a way for the two to stand out from the crowd in web searches while contributing to rapid growth in their organic rankings and traffic. We also provided recommendations and support as Lisa and Richard worked to address growing pains in their practice. They were receiving four times the consultation calls now, so we clarified their message and pricing structure to help ensure they were finding the right clients and scheduling value-added consults.
Summary of Results: In Under a Year, Lisa’s Practice Was Full, and Richard Had Enough Clients to Quit His Other Full-Time Job
Richard and Lisa had approached us with a goal to boost their website’s SEO and attract new clients. Two months after taking their new site live, we launched their AdWords campaign in a bid to accelerate their growth and stand out in a market flooded with coaches, counselors and therapists. And, just over four weeks after beginning paid advertising, traffic to their website more than doubled. On top of increased traffic, visitors were viewing eight times as many pages and staying on the website more than three times as long as they were before the relaunch. Richard and Lisa’s bounce rate dropped dramatically, and one of every four visitors ended up on a contact or scheduling page. From this point on, they kept building the healthy client base they’d been hoping for.
Less than a year later, Lisa and Richard were both receiving a regular number of referrals each week. Lisa’s schedule was completely full, and Richard was so close to full that he quit his full-time job to focus on his practice. Both were able to spend more time with their kids and feel more completely engaged with their clients, without worries about filling their schedules.
Today, both Lisa and Richard are full, with a thriving NYC practice. Supported by a reliable client base, they now have the freedom to try out new offerings, including coaching groups. Most importantly, they can dedicate their energy to the work they really love.
“It’s important to think about your site not only from your own perspective, but from a search perspective, which we don’t think about at all. Thinking about our potential clients and what they look for and how to appeal to them in another way… We really wish we had done this when we were starting out a year ago. It was a great win for us.”
Lisa Orbé-Austin, Ph.D.
Are you interested in learning more about how you can improve your online presence and search results to help you attract and convert clients for your coaching practice? We invite you to contact us today at 303-209-1832 x5. Or you can schedule a 30-minute free consult using the “Contact” tab on the lower right-hand side of this window and selecting “Set Time to Discuss”.