How to rank on Google as a Weight-Inclusive Private Practice

How the heck do I rank as a weight-inclusive provider on Google when everyone seems to be searching for the latest weight-loss solutions??

As a weight-inclusive dietitian and website designer, I feel your pain. It’s like we’re fighting an uphill battle against the constant messaging to lose weight or get on a weight-loss drug. The good news? Marketing your private practice isn’t about making yourself known in a room full of weight-loss providers. It’s about bringing your ideal client to you.

Quick Answer: How Do I Rank on Google as a Weight-Inclusive Provider?

Instead of competing for broad terms like “dietitian” or “therapist,” you target long-tail keywords specific to your niche, like “weight-inclusive therapist in [city, state].” Assign a different keyword to each page of your site, and Google’s semantic search will help you rank for related terms too, so you don’t have to choose just one.

Let’s talk about how to rank on Google as a weight-inclusive private practice.

Why Can’t I Rank for Generic Terms Like “Dietitian” or “Therapist”?

You probably won’t rank for a single, broad term like “dietitian” or “therapist” because it’s far too competitive. Big companies like Nourish or Headway will outrank you, since they have bigger budgets and see all types of clients.

As a business owner, you’ve probably heard the phrase “if you’re talking to everyone, you’re talking to no one.” It’s especially true for SEO. But as a weight-inclusive business owner, you don’t want to see any and all clients anyway. You have a specific clientele that speaks to you: people interested in a weight-inclusive, HAES, intuitive eating, or non-diet approach to health. You can use this to your advantage.

What Are Long-Tail Keywords, and Why Do They Matter for SEO?

Long-tail keywords are longer, more specific search phrases. For example: “weight-inclusive therapist in [city, state]” instead of just “therapist.” They matter because they have less competition and align much more closely with what your ideal client is actually searching for.

People aren’t searching for single words like “dietitian.” If you were looking to hire a carpenter to redo your kitchen, you’re probably not typing just “carpenter” into Google. You’d try something like “carpenters for kitchen renovations near me.” This is how your ideal clients are searching for you too. Some examples of how a broad term narrows into a long-tail keyword:

• “therapist” → “weight-inclusive therapist” → “weight-inclusive therapist in city, state”
• “dietitian” → “dietitian for PCOS” → “intuitive eating dietitian for PCOS”
• “nutrition counseling” → “virtual nutrition counseling for eating disorders”

The more specific the search, the more ready that person likely is to buy. Someone doing a broad, generic search is probably in the early stages of deciding, while someone searching “an eating disorder dietitian who takes United near me” already knows what they’re looking for.

Do I Need to Pick Just One Keyword to Rank For?

No! Google ranks individual pages, not your website as a whole, so you can (and should) target a different keyword on your home, about, and service pages rather than repeating the same one everywhere.

It actually hurts your chances of ranking if you use the same keyword on every page. If you title each page “eating disorder therapist in [state],” Google gets confused about which page you actually want to rank for that search. A better approach is picking a distinct keyword for your home, about, and service page(s). For example, a weight-inclusive therapy website with a standard home, about, and service page might use:

• Home: “Eating disorder therapist in Nashville, TN”
• About: “Weight-Inclusive Therapist | Your Name”
• Service: “Trauma-informed therapy for eating disorders”

How Does Google’s Semantic Search Help Me Rank for Related Terms?

Google’s semantic search understands related terms, so choosing one primary keyword doesn’t shut the door on ranking for related phrases too. Someone searching “eating disorder dietitian near me” may also find you for “nutrition counseling for eating disorders.”

When you sprinkle similar keywords throughout your website pages and blog posts, and create high-quality content related to these topics, it increases your authority on Google. This increases your chances of ranking for both your primary keyword and related keywords. As an example: search “intuitive eating dietitian near me” and then “HAES dietitian near me” – you’ll typically see the same providers show up for both, because Google recognizes how closely related those searches are.

Common questions when trying to rank on Google:

The Bottom Line

Ranking as a weight-inclusive provider isn’t about competing for the biggest, broadest search terms. It’s about targeting the specific, long-tail keywords your ideal client is actually searching for, giving each page of your site its own focus, and letting Google’s semantic search do the rest.