Marketing for psychology practices
8.5% of Australians saw a psychologist last year. Who did they choose, and why?
Psychology marketing for Australian practices
Psychology marketing means using SEO, Google Ads, social, content and your website together to bring in the clients your practice wants, inside Ahpra's rules.
Psychology marketing isn't about getting busy. Most practices already are. It's about filling new psychologists' diaries, attracting the work you want more of, and making the first step easy for the right clients. We run every channel with the care the work deserves, inside Ahpra's rules.
15 years marketing allied health practices across Australia.
Free. In 2 minutes.
Find out who's taking your clients.
- ✓Where you rank on Google Maps in your suburb and the ones around it
- ✓Whether ChatGPT and Google's AI recommend your practice
- ✓How your profile and reviews compare with the 20 nearest psychology practices
No credit card. Just the truth about your practice.
This work is part of our allied health marketing services for Australian practices.
Busy practices. Wrong mix?
Why psychology marketing is different.
Demand for psychology is high, but it doesn't spread evenly. Some practitioners have waitlists while new associates sit half empty, and many enquiries are for work you don't offer. Good psychology marketing shapes who finds you, how they decide and how easy it is to start.
8.5%
Of Australians saw a psychologist in 2024-25. Another 2.3% saw a counsellor or other mental health professional.
Source: ABS Patient Experiences, 2024-25
$149.05
Medicare benefit for a 50-minute clinical psychology session (item 80010). Clients want to know what they get back before they book.
Source: MBS Online, fee from 1 July 2026
62.2%
Of psychologist FTE work in the private sector. Most clients are choosing between private practices like yours.
What each search costs in Google Ads
$4.18 a click for "psychologist near me". And $19 for "online psychologist".
These are average Google Ads costs per click in Australia. Paid clicks fill the diary fast, but they never get cheaper. A good psychology marketing plan uses ads for the searches that book today, and SEO, reviews and referrals to bring the cost per client down over time.
Source: Google Ads average cost per click for Australia, October 2026.
| Search | Avg cost per click |
|---|---|
| online psychologist | $19.06 |
| counselling near me | $5.44 |
| adhd assessment adults | $5.27 |
| bulk billing psychologist | $4.50 |
| psychologist near me | $4.18 |
| clinical psychologist near me | $3.74 |
What a psychology marketing plan includes
6 channels. One plan. Every one pulling its weight.
Most practices run two or three of these, with nobody joining them up. We run them as one plan, so every channel feeds the next.
1. Google profile and reviews
"Psychologist" as the primary category, areas of practice and telehealth listed, and real photos of your rooms. First impressions start here.
2. SEO
Pages for the work you want more of, from ADHD assessments to couples work, written calmly and accurately.
3. Google Ads
Campaigns to fill new associates' diaries fast. Telehealth clicks are expensive, so every one lands on a page built to convert.
4. Facebook and Instagram
Gentle, useful content that makes your practice feel approachable. Never fear-based, never pushy.
5. Your website
Clear fees, Medicare and NDIS details, practitioner profiles and a simple way to enquire or book.
6. Referrers and recall
GPs, schools and EAP providers, kept warm with clear referral pathways and reliable reporting back.
What we do for psychologists
Psychology marketing services. One team.
SEO for psychologists
Rank for "psychologist near me", your suburb and the services you want more of.
Google Ads for psychologists
Campaigns built around your best services, with clicks for "psychologist near me" averaging $4.18.
AI visibility
Get named when people ask ChatGPT, Gemini or Google's AI for a psychologist near them.
Facebook and Instagram
Gentle, useful content that makes reaching out feel easier. Never fear-based.
Content that's compliant
Articles and service pages written in your psychologists' voice and checked against Ahpra guidance.
Psychology websites
Fast sites with online booking front and centre and every service easy to find.
Want SEO on its own? See our SEO for psychologists page, or let one team run all of it with Fractional CMO.
How it works
How we market psychology practices. Four steps.
Assessment first
The Practice Growth Audit looks at your Google profile, rankings, ads, website and reviews against the 20 nearest psychology practices.
Fix the leaks
Profile, tracking, website speed and booking path. Small fixes that stop clients slipping through before you spend more.
Build the plan
The right mix of SEO, ads and social for your psychology practice, with a budget and a target for each.
Report what counts
New clients and bookings by channel, every month. If a channel isn't paying its way, we change it.
Where to start
Where should your psychology marketing budget go?
It depends on where your practice is now. Here's how we usually set the focus. Your free report shows which fits you.
New or quiet practice
- Google Ads first, to fill the diary this month
- Google profile and reviews set up properly
- SEO started underneath, so ads can scale back later
Busy, but want to grow
- SEO and content for the services you want more of
- Facebook and Instagram to build your name locally
- Referrer and recall emails to keep clients coming back
Not sure? Check first
Your free report shows whether your gap is rankings, your profile or your website, and which to fix first.
Get my free reportWe don't get paid to make excuses.
We stand behind our work. If we don't deliver the agreed milestones in your first 90 days, we'll keep working at no extra cost until we do.
Your first quarter
What happens in your first 90 days.
Every step agreed up front, so you always know what's being done and when.
Practice Growth Audit
Your profile, rankings, ads, website and reviews, compared with the 20 nearest psychology practices.
Foundations in place
Google Business Profile, tracking, website fixes and listings, all sorted.
Channels live
SEO pages, ads and social running for the psychology services you want more of.
Results and the next plan
New clients and bookings by channel in one report, and the plan for the next 90 days.
Ahpra-aware, every time
What we never put in a psychology ad or post
- Client testimonials, including de-identified stories
- "Clinical psychologist" for someone who isn't endorsed
- Promises to fix anxiety or depression in a set number of sessions
- Messages that play on fear or vulnerability
- Offers without clear terms
Based on Ahpra and the Psychology Board on endorsed titles.
Questions psychologists ask
Psychology marketing: FAQs explained.
plain answers for busy owners.
How much should a psychology practice spend on marketing?
It depends on your goals and your area. Google Ads clicks for "psychologist near me" average $4.18, so we start from how many new clients you want a month and work back to a budget. The Practice Growth Audit gives you the numbers before you commit.
Can we run Facebook and Instagram ads?
Yes, within Ahpra's rules: no testimonials, no posts that promise results, and clear terms on any offer. Meta ads work best for building your name locally and reaching people before they need you.
Can we use client reviews in our marketing?
Clients can leave Google reviews, and they help you rank. You can't reuse reviews about clinical outcomes in your ads or on your website. Under section 133 of the National Law, that's a testimonial.
How do we market without relying on GP referrals?
Build direct demand. A strong Google profile, pages for the work you want more of, clear fees and an easy first step bring clients who search for themselves. GP referrals then become a bonus, not your only source.
Should we start with SEO or Google Ads?
If your diary has gaps now, ads first. If you're busy but want growth that doesn't cost per click, SEO first. Most practices need both. Our SEO for psychologists page covers the SEO side in detail.
Do you work with multi-clinic practices?
Yes. We've marketed a national allied health franchise, so we know how to give every clinic its own local presence while keeping the brand consistent.
How do you report results?
One report a month: new clients, bookings and cost per booking by channel. No vanity metrics.
What does it cost?
Single services start from $1,200 a month plus GST for Google Ads and $1,500 for SEO. Fractional CMO, with every channel run as one plan, starts from $4,000 a month plus GST. Every engagement begins with a Practice Growth Audit.
Psychology SEO by city
Relevant across Australia.
Related specialties
Free. 2 minutes. Full report straight away.
90 Day Delivery CommitmentEvery day you're not on the map, they're booking someone else.
Find out who's beating you and exactly why.
Show me where I'm losing clientsThe commitment covers agreed work and milestones within our control. It does not guarantee patient volume, appointments, revenue, rankings or platform outcomes.