As a substance abuse professional, you’re in the business of helping people. There are millions of Americans who suffer from addiction and alcoholism who can benefit from your services to save their lives.

But how do they find you when they need your help?

When people suffering from substance abuse issues start looking for help, most will begin with a basic Google search. Based on the keywords that they enter, they’re going to be looking for information on whether or not they have a problem, what they can do about it, and what to expect from seeking treatment, as well as where they can find that help.

As an addiction rehab facility, it’s your duty to provide this information to those that are suffering and their family members. You can’t help them if they can’t find you.

By creating quality, informative, useful content, that simple Google search that an addict or alcoholic makes can drive traffic to your website where they will find the help that they need. Blogs are the top way to find and drive organic traffic to your site, where you can help more and more people find help.

Find Your Target Audience

When you create a blog for your addiction rehab center, you’ll want to speak directly to the people who are looking for the help you provide. Do you specialize in a certain type of recovery, like a 12-step based program? Perhaps you focus on opioid addiction and have specific services to help that population? Maybe you have a family program, for loved ones of alcoholics and addicts?

Whatever program you specialize in, you’ll want to create content that speaks directly to the people that you’re trying to help and addresses their problems and concerns. By understanding the search queries that your target audience is using, and writing blog posts around those topics, people will be able to find your site, services, and know that there’s somewhere that can help them.

Rank on Google

Ranking your website on Google isn’t easy, but it’s super important to successfully help the suffering alcoholic or addict. When a user types in a query on Google, they’re looking for information. In the case of addiction rehabs, they’re searching things like “Am I an alcoholic?,” “Addiction rehab centers near me”, “opioid withdrawals,” “does AA work?”, etc.

If you write content and post it on your blogs targeting these keyword phrases, you’ll rank higher on searches that utilize these keywords. In doing so, you’ll drive more relevant traffic to your site, where people will find the information they’re looking for, and know that help is available.

Google SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is a technical term about identifying keywords your target audience is using and creating content that is useful, relevant, and authoritative in your subject area. Blog posts are great ways to optimize your website for higher ranking on Google — especially if you’re optimizing each post around targeted keywords and publishing new, relevant content consistently. Quality, informative, and useful blog posts will tell Google that you have quality information that can help answer the users’ queries, ranking you higher on the search page results.

Organic Traffic for the Long Game

It’s no surprise that search engine results drive 60% of traffic to websites. That basically means if you’re not showing up at the top of search results, you’re probably not getting much traffic. Investing in blogging and SEO optimization for your website will not only help raise your rankings on Google search results, but it’ll also present you as an authority in your market. The higher you rank on Google, the more authoritative your site will be seen, the more traffic your website gets, and the more people you have the ability to help.

Content marketing is a long game. It does take time to rank on Google for keywords in your market. But once you gain authority and start ranking for top keywords in your niche, the long-tail effects are invaluable. People will know that you’re the authority for addiction and alcoholism help and information, other sites will start linking to your resources and services, and traffic will roll in.

By investing in a content marketing plan that involves blogging now, you’re setting up the future of your business. People need your help, but in order to help them, they need to find you.

Helping people help others

With over 8 years in recovery from alcoholism, I know how critical it is to help others suffering from substance abuse. I also understand the critical need for addiction treatment centers and connecting those that need help with the resources they need.

As a freelance writer and content manager, I specialize in addiction, alcoholism, recovery and mental health. I use my experience, strength, and hope in my writing to connect with the suffering alcoholic or addict, to show them that they’re not alone, and that help is available. It helps that we speak the same language.

I provide blog and article writing services, focusing on SEO best practices, to engage with your audience and rank you higher in search engine results for your target keywords.

In addition, I also provide full-service content management for addiction treatment centers, which includes:

• Content Ideation — topics, keyword targeting, addressing your audience
• Content Calendar Creation — When will we discuss each topic?
• Content Creation — blog writing & development with SEO and keywords in mind.
• Content Placement — Work within your CMS to place your new blog on the site.
• Content Promotion — Use social media to promote your content and drive visitors, shares, and engagement

I’d love to talk with you about your addiction treatment center and how I can help you help more people suffering from addiction and alcoholism. Sign-up for my newsletter or check out my website for more information on how to contact me.