Two counseling practices came to me after referrals from Psychology Today dropped sharply. Both were also seeing less traffic from organic search. The first thing I wanted to know was when each decline began. If the two declines started at different times, I’d look for changes around each date before deciding where to spend.
Put the changes on the same timeline
Someone who finds a counselor on Psychology Today might call or send a message from the profile, follow the link to the practice’s website, or search for the counselor by name later. A website traffic report only shows part of that activity. Put whatever directory figures you have alongside website referrals, Search Console clicks, and the calls and messages you actually received. If someone tells you they found you through Psychology Today, record that even if your website reports show they arrived through search.
Then look at what else changed. If you removed pages that used to bring people in, check which pages and searches lost clicks. If the business moved, see which locations still appear in search results and directories. If the reporting setup changed, record when that happened so you know which periods you can compare.
Let the findings guide the first expense
If visits from Psychology Today fell but the people who still arrive inquire at about the same rate, start with the profile. Check whether it appears for the services and locations that fit your practice and whether its contact details and website link are current. If search clicks fell mainly on pages you removed, review what those pages offered and whether that material still belongs on the site. If visits held up while inquiries declined, test the contact options and check where each inquiry goes.
The records may leave parts of the decline unexplained. Write down what you can verify, what you still need to check, and what would make the next expense worthwhile.
If something like this is happening in your business, tell me what you’ve noticed. We can talk through where to start.