Quick Answer
Yes. Research shows 77% of patients search online before booking a healthcare appointment. When a potential client Googles your name, they see a combination of your Google Business Profile, directory listings, website, reviews, and sometimes social media. They make a credibility judgment in roughly 3 seconds based on page 1 results.
The moment a potential client Googles your name
You have probably done it yourself. A colleague recommends a specialist. You pull out your phone and type their name into Google before you even think about calling them.
Your clients do the same thing. Whether they found you on Psychology Today, got your name from a friend, saw you on a directory, or had you recommended by their insurance company, most of them Google you before they reach out. Many do it again after the first call, before they commit to a first session.
The question is not whether they search for you. It is what they find.
The data: A 2023 Pew Research study found that 77% of patients use search engines as their first step before booking a healthcare appointment. For therapy, where the relationship is especially personal, the percentage is likely higher. People want to know who they are about to be vulnerable with.
This guide walks through exactly what a potential client sees when they search for your name, what they do with that information, and how to improve what shows up. It takes about 30 minutes to complete the self-audit at the end.
What they typically find (and what is missing)
Quick Answer
Typically: a Psychology Today profile, sometimes a Google Business Profile panel, maybe a personal website, directory listings (GoodTherapy, Healthgrades), and occasionally social media. What is often missing: a professional website, Google reviews, and any indication of what makes this therapist different from the 50 others in their area.
Open an incognito browser window right now and type your full name plus "therapist." What you see falls into one of four scenarios:
The strong result
Your professional website appears first. A Google Business Profile panel shows on the right with your photo, hours, phone number, and reviews. Below that, your Psychology Today profile and one or two other directory listings. The client sees a consistent, professional presence across multiple sources.
About 10 to 15% of therapists
The directory-only result
Your Psychology Today profile appears first. Maybe Healthgrades or GoodTherapy. No personal website. No Google Business Profile. No reviews. The client sees a generic directory listing that looks identical to every other therapist in the directory.
About 50 to 60% of therapists
The confusing result
Multiple people with your name appear. Old social media posts surface. An outdated listing from a previous practice shows up. A RateMD or Vitals profile you never created has incorrect information. The client is not sure which results are actually you.
About 20 to 25% of therapists
The empty result
Almost nothing shows up. Maybe a licensing board listing. Maybe a group practice page that mentions your name in a list of 20 clinicians. The client literally cannot verify that you exist as a practicing therapist.
About 10 to 15% of therapists
Most therapists fall into category B or C. They are not invisible, but they are not in control of what clients see. The result is that every potential client is making a judgment based on information the therapist did not choose.
The 3-second judgment from page 1
Quick Answer
Research on web behavior shows users form an impression within 3 to 5 seconds of seeing a search result page. For therapists, clients scan for three things almost instantly: a professional photo, evidence of specialization, and social proof (reviews or mentions). If these are missing, many clients move on without clicking.
Before a client clicks a single link, they have already made a judgment based on what Google shows on page 1. Here is what they scan for:
A professional photo
If your Google Business Profile or website shows a professional headshot, clients immediately feel more comfortable. If the only photo of you is a tiny PT thumbnail or nothing at all, the uncertainty creates friction. People want to see who they are about to share their inner world with.
Evidence of specialization
The meta descriptions (the text below each link on Google) matter enormously. If every result says "I work with anxiety, depression, trauma, relationships, life transitions, self-esteem, grief, stress, and more," the client sees a generalist. If one result says "Specializing in anxiety therapy for adults using CBT and exposure techniques," that therapist stands out.
Social proof (reviews or mentions)
Star ratings from Google reviews show up directly in search results. A therapist with 15 reviews and a 4.9 rating looks fundamentally different from one with no reviews at all. Even if the client does not read the reviews, the presence of social proof creates trust.
The uncomfortable math: If a client is choosing between two referrals and one has a professional website, 12 Google reviews, and a clear specialty listed, while the other has only a Psychology Today profile with no reviews, who do you think gets the call? This has nothing to do with clinical skill. It is about perceived credibility from a search result.
Your Google Business Profile (the most underused tool)
Quick Answer
Yes. A Google Business Profile is free and controls the right-hand information panel that appears when someone searches your name. It includes your photo, hours, phone number, reviews, website link, and a description. Without one, Google assembles this information from whatever it finds, which may be inaccurate or incomplete.
When someone searches your name, the right side of the Google results page shows a "Knowledge Panel" or "Business Profile." This is the single most prominent piece of real estate in your search results. It includes:
Your practice name, address, and phone number
Hours of operation
A link to your website
Your photo
Star rating and number of reviews
A description of your practice (that you can write)
A "Questions & Answers" section
A link to request an appointment or call
If you have not claimed your Google Business Profile, Google either shows nothing in this space or assembles information from other sources. That means your hours might be wrong, your phone number might be outdated, or your description might say something pulled from a random directory.
Claiming it takes 15 minutes
Go to business.google.com, search for your practice, and either claim an existing listing or create a new one. Google will verify your identity (usually by phone or mail). Once claimed, fill in every field. Do not leave anything blank.
The telehealth question: If you practice entirely via telehealth and do not have a physical office, you can still create a Google Business Profile as a "service area business" without displaying a street address. You set a service area (e.g., your state) and clients see your practice without a pin on the map. This is important because the Business Profile still shows up when someone searches your name.
What clients read between the lines of your reviews
Quick Answer
Google reviews are increasingly important for therapists. They appear prominently in search results and are read by both potential clients and AI search tools. Even 5 to 10 reviews can significantly increase your visibility. The quality of review text matters as much as star ratings, because clients look for specific descriptions of the therapeutic experience.
Clients reading therapist reviews are not looking for the same things they look for in restaurant reviews. They are not checking if the waiting room has good coffee. They are reading between the lines for something harder to articulate: will I feel safe with this person?
What clients notice in reviews
Language about feeling heard
"She really listened" or "I felt understood from the first session" are the phrases that move potential clients to action. Descriptions of the therapeutic relationship matter more than descriptions of technique.
Specificity about the issue treated
"Helped me with my anxiety about returning to work after leave" is far more persuasive than "Great therapist." Specific descriptions of what therapy addressed help potential clients see themselves in the review.
The total number (not just the rating)
A therapist with 3 reviews at 5.0 stars looks less credible than one with 12 reviews at 4.8 stars. Volume creates confidence. It signals that this therapist has worked with enough people for the reviews to be meaningful.
Recency
Reviews from 2022 are less reassuring than reviews from last month. If your most recent review is over a year old, clients may wonder if you are still actively practicing.
How to ask for reviews ethically
This is a real tension for therapists. Asking for reviews can feel coercive in a therapeutic relationship. Here is an approach that respects the relationship:
At termination or at a natural endpoint, you might say: "If you found our work together helpful, a Google review can help other people who are looking for similar support find it. Completely optional, and it would not affect our work in any way."
This is transparent, non-coercive, and gives clients agency. Most are happy to help when asked respectfully. Aim for 1 to 2 new reviews per month as a sustainable pace.
Free: Google Presence Audit Template
A step-by-step template to audit what appears when someone Googles your name. Covers Google Business Profile, reviews, directory listings, and website. Takes 30 minutes.
Free download. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
AI Overviews: the new wild card in search results
Quick Answer
Google AI Overviews now appear for many therapy-related searches, providing AI-generated summaries above traditional search results. If your website has structured content about your specialties, it may be featured in these summaries. The overviews pull from websites, directories, and reviews, which means your web presence influences what AI tells potential clients about you.
Since 2025, Google has increasingly shown "AI Overviews" at the top of search results. These are AI-generated summaries that pull from multiple sources to answer a query. For therapy-related searches, they appear frequently.
What this means for you: when someone searches "anxiety therapist in [your city]," Google may show an AI summary before any traditional results. That summary is assembled from websites, directories, and reviews. If your website has clear, structured content about your approach to anxiety, you may be quoted or referenced in the summary. If your only online presence is a directory profile, Google will pull from other sources instead.
This is essentially the same dynamic as ChatGPT recommending therapists. AI tools favor structured, content-rich websites with clear specialty information. The therapists who show up in AI Overviews are the same ones who get recommended by ChatGPT: those with real websites, Google reviews, and consistent directory presence.
The takeaway: AI Overviews and ChatGPT recommendations are not two separate things to worry about. They are the same trend. Build your website with clear, structured content about your specialties, and you address both at once.
The 30-minute self-audit
Set aside 30 minutes. Open an incognito browser window. Go through each step below and note what you find.
Google your full name + "therapist" (5 minutes)
Note: What appears on page 1? Is your website first? Your PT profile? Something you did not expect? Is there a Google Business Profile panel on the right? Are there reviews? Is any information incorrect?
Google your practice name (5 minutes)
Same exercise with your practice name instead of your personal name. If you are a solo practitioner, check both. Clients may search for either.
Check your Google Business Profile (5 minutes)
Do you have one? Is it claimed? Is every field filled in? Is the phone number, address, and hours correct? Is there a description? Is there a photo? If you do not have a GBP, this is priority number one.
Read your own reviews (5 minutes)
How many Google reviews do you have? What do they say? When was the most recent one? Are there any on other platforms (Healthgrades, Yelp, Vitals) that you did not know about? Is there anything inaccurate that needs a response?
Ask ChatGPT about yourself (5 minutes)
Open ChatGPT and ask: "Tell me about [your name], therapist in [your city]." Then ask: "Recommend a therapist for [your specialty] in [your city]." Note whether you appear and what it says about you.
For more on what ChatGPT recommends and why, see our ChatGPT therapist recommendations experiment.
Check for consistency (5 minutes)
Compare your name, address, phone number, and listed specialties across every result on page 1. Are they identical? Or does your PT profile say one thing and your website say another? Inconsistency confuses both clients and AI tools.
After the audit: Prioritize fixes in this order: (1) Claim/complete your Google Business Profile, (2) Fix any incorrect information, (3) Ask for reviews if you have fewer than 5, (4) Build a website if you do not have one. Each step is independent. You do not need to do everything at once.
Frequently asked questions
Do clients really Google their therapist?
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Yes. Research shows 77% of patients use search engines before booking healthcare appointments. For therapy, where the relationship is deeply personal, the rate is likely higher. Clients Google your name after referrals, before first sessions, and sometimes between sessions.
What do clients look for when they Google a therapist?
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Three things: credibility (credentials, professional appearance), approachability (photo, warmth of bio), and social proof (reviews, mentions). They assess this in about 3 seconds from page 1 of Google results.
Should I respond to negative Google reviews?
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Yes, but carefully. Respond professionally without confirming or denying a therapeutic relationship. Something like "Thank you for the feedback. We take all concerns seriously" is appropriate. Never disclose details that could identify someone as a client.
How important is a Google Business Profile for therapists?
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Very. It is free and controls the most prominent real estate in your search results: the right-hand panel with your photo, hours, phone, reviews, and website link. Without one, Google assembles this from whatever it finds, which may be inaccurate.
I only do telehealth. Can I still have a Google Business Profile?
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Yes. Set it up as a "service area business" without displaying a street address. You set your service area (e.g., your state) and clients see your practice information without a physical location pin.
How do I remove incorrect information from Google?
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Claim your Google Business Profile and update it directly. For incorrect information on third-party sites, contact those sites individually. For inaccurate auto-generated listings on sites like Healthgrades or Vitals, most have a "claim this profile" option.
How long does it take to improve my Google search results?
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A Google Business Profile shows up within days. Website changes take 2 to 8 weeks to appear in search results. Reviews accumulate over time. Most therapists see noticeable improvement within 1 to 3 months.
Should I be on social media for clients to find me?
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Social media is optional for client acquisition. Most therapy clients search with intent (Google, ChatGPT) rather than browsing social media. If you enjoy creating content, social media can build awareness. But Google Business Profile, your website, and reviews will have more direct impact on client acquisition.
Related guides
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