What the Ask Me Anything with Searchlight Digital Confirmed About Standing Out Online as a Group Practice
Recently, I hosted an Ask Me Anything with Tedi Bezna from Searchlight Digital, and I left the conversation feeling deeply validated.
Not because there was flashy new advice or a brand-new algorithm to chase—but because so much of what Tedi shared echoed what I regularly tell group practice owners when we’re working together.
If you’ve been feeling like the market is saturated, like standing out online feels harder than it used to, or like you should be doing more but aren’t sure where to focus, this conversation offered clarity. Not overwhelm. Clarity and next steps.
Below are some of the biggest takeaways from the AMA, along with why they matter for group practice owners right now.
Your Website Is Still the Foundation (Everything Else Builds on It)
One of the strongest themes in the conversation was this: nothing works in isolation.
Social media, blogs, SEO, Google Ads—they all work together. But with limited time, energy, and resources, the smartest place to start (and return to) is your website.
Your website is the one space you actually own. It’s where referrals land. It’s where social media points. It’s where Google Ads send traffic. And increasingly, it’s where AI tools pull information to decide whether you’re a good match for someone searching.
If your website isn’t clear, specific, and reflective of who you actually serve, every other marketing effort becomes harder.
At a minimum, your site should clearly include:
A strong homepage that speaks to your ideal client
A clear services overview
Individual team member pages as you grow
Clear next steps (contact forms, booking links, or both)
Even offline referrals will Google you. Your website should feel like a natural extension of the experience you offer in your practice and provide clear next steps on how to work with you and your associates.
AI Is Making Search More Human (Not More Robotic)
AI came up often—and not in the way many people fear. Tedi shared that AI isn’t replacing the need for clarity. It’s rewarding it.
Search behaviour is shifting from short phrases in a Google search like “counselling near me” to nuanced, human questions as they chat with their ChatGPT such as:
“I’m looking for a counsellor near me who specializes in recovering from infidelity, will hold us both accountable, and help me decide whether to stay in this marriage.”
AI tools like ChatGPT, Google’s AI Overviews, and other search platforms are designed to understand context, tone, and specificity, and provide the individual with the best match for them.
This means your website and clinician profile pages need to clearly say:
Who you help
What your group practice and your individual therapists specialize in
How you and each of your therapists work
Where and how you offer services
Not vaguely. Not broadly. Clearly.
Group practices actually have an advantage here. With multiple clinicians, you can highlight specific areas of expertise at both the practice level and the individual therapist level—making it easier for AI (and humans) to match the right client to the right support.
Consistency Builds Trust (For Humans and Search Engines)
One technical piece that still matters a great deal is consistency—specifically your NAP:
Name, Address, and Phone number
These details should match exactly across your website, Google Business Profile, Psychology Today, social media profiles, and directories.
When naming conventions vary across platforms, search engines can interpret them as different businesses entirely. Consistency helps build credibility, local visibility, and trust over time.
Blogs Matter More Than Many Practice Owners Want Them To
This is one of the topics that I was excited to have Tedi talk about, because it is an area where I often get resistance on, and where the AMA offered strong confirmation.
Blogs are not optional fluff if your goal is sustainable visibility. They are an essential component to your marketing efforts.
They help:
Demonstrate expertise and specialization
Support SEO and AI visibility
Guide potential clients toward next steps
Strengthen your existing service pages
Your niche service pages and blog content should work together. Service pages should link to relevant blogs. Blogs should link back to service pages. And blogs should never end at “thanks for reading.”
A strong blog includes:
Helpful, client-centred content
Internal links using meaningful language (e.g., “trauma therapy in Ontario” instead of “click here”)
Clear next steps (booking, contacting, or exploring services)
Google and AI tools read blogs the same way people do. Relevant, thoughtful content builds long-term credibility and helps your practice show up for the right searches.
Before You Run Google Ads, Your Website Must Be Ready
Google Ads can work—but only if your website is doing its job.
Ads bring traffic quickly. If your site isn’t clear, client-centred, and conversion-ready, you’re essentially opening the firehose without a bucket.
Before running ads, it’s important to:
Ensure your website copy clearly walks clients through the experience
Set up proper conversion tracking (forms, bookings)
Install Google Search Console (free) to understand what keywords you’re already showing up for
Specificity matters here too. Ads for broad terms like “therapy” are expensive and competitive. More specific searches—like infidelity recovery or couples counselling—tend to convert better and attract more aligned clients.
Longevity and Freshness Both Matter
Google considers how long your business has existed—but it also values signs that you’re still active.
Consistent blogging, meaningful updates to older posts, and relevant new content all signal that your practice is current, engaged, and trustworthy.
Updating older blogs with new sections or expanded content (not just changing dates) can significantly improve performance and visibility.
Identifying Your Ideal Client Is Non‑Negotiable
If you have ever heard me talk about how to start, build and grow your practice, you will know that I keep coming back to “who is your ideal client”. That key information guides so many things from who your website is speaking to, to who you network with, and where you put your marketing efforts. Everything discussed in the AMA came back to one core truth: clarity drives visibility.
Group practice owners need to identify their ideal client at the practice level, not just for individual clinicians. This doesn’t mean everyone does the same work—it means your messaging has a clear through‑line.
If your messaging is vague, your visibility will be too.
If you’re unsure how to define your ideal client or niche for your group practice, you’re welcome to email me and I can share a resource to help you get started.
What’s Coming Next
Based on the questions and themes that came up during the AMA, we’re putting together future webinars to help group practice owners:
Strengthen their website foundations
Understand blogging and SEO more clearly
Make sense of AI and search trends
Stand out in a saturated market without burning out
You can view upcoming webinars and register here:
https://www.grouppracticenetwork.ca/webinars
Many of these sessions will feature expert perspectives like Tedi’s—paired with practical, grounded guidance rooted in what I see working every day with group practice owners.
Want More Support as You Grow?
If you’re wanting specific support as you grow your group practice—and you’re facing unique challenges that don’t quite fit into a webinar or a general strategy—I offer individual coaching.
I get it. I’ve been there.
Coaching gives you a space to talk through what’s happening in your practice right now, so you can walk away with clear next steps and a bird’s-eye view that helps you gain perspective, make confident decisions, and move forward with momentum.
If that sounds supportive, you’re welcome to learn more about what individual coaching would look like, or book your free consultation today.
