Case Study · Local SEO · Family counselling

From 0 to 100% top-3

How Maria Abel’s counselling practice near Stuttgart went from completely invisible to 100% top-3 coverage on Google Maps in just 8 weeks – average rank 1.8.

0 → 100 %top-3 coverage
avg 1.8Maps rank
8 weeksto the top
Stuttgart arealocal market
Starting point · September 2023

Week 1: every grid point red.

For “family counselling” in the area the practice was practically invisible. The profile was incomplete, the website slow (performance 59%) and without keyword structure, there was no review strategy and no local signals. The real state from the initial audit:

Google Business Profile

  • Description without keywords
  • No review strategy (target 34)
  • Categories / services incomplete
  • No Google posts / updates
  • Chat disabled

Website, tech & local presence

  • H1–H3 not aligned to keywords
  • No schema / no rich results
  • Performance 59% – slow load time
  • No analytics tracking
  • No citations (741 links & Yext: none)
Step 1 · Keyword analysis

The right search terms first.

We measured the real search volume in the area and set the main and secondary keywords around family, parenting and couples counselling.

parenting counselling · 8,100/mocoaching · 22,200/mofamily counselling · 5,400/mopsychological counsellor · 4,400/mocouples counselling · 3,600/molife counselling · 3,600/moparenting advisor · 2,400/moparent counselling · 720/mo
Step 2 · Execution

What we actually did.

Every parameter of our checklist – from the Google profile to local backlinks, Google product stacking and YouTube keyword coverage.

Google Business Profile

The foundation of local visibility

  • Keyword-optimised title & description
  • All categories + services: parenting counsellor, psychological counsellor, relationship counsellor
  • Hours, booking link, photos & regular posts
Website & On-Page

Technically clean & keyword-focused

  • Mobile optimisation & load time
  • Keyword H1–H3 + meta title/description, schema & rich results
  • Internal linking + service / service-area pages
Reviews

Building trust

  • Review strategy with a QR code in the signature
  • Follow-up templates after appointments
  • A reply to every review
Citations & local backlinks

Found everywhere, connected locally

  • NAP-consistent directories + Apple Maps & Bing Places
  • Meta / Facebook listing built
  • Local partner backlinks in the service area (741 link network)
Google Product Stacking

Reinforcing the entity

  • Linked Google assets (Business Profile, Maps, Sites/Docs/Slides)
  • Consistent entity & location signals
  • Strengthens local relevance & trust
YouTube & content coverage

Keyword coverage across channels

  • Topic content for secondary keywords
  • YouTube to cover long-tail searches
  • Internal links to the core keywords
Tracking & reporting

Making it measurable

  • Google Analytics 4 + Search Console
  • Weekly Google Maps grid tracking (Local Falcon)
  • Progress documented week by week
The result

8 weeks later: 100% top-3.

Week 5: 92% of the map in the top 3. Week 8: 100% top-3 coverage at average rank 1.8. Straight from the tracking dashboard – nothing retouched:

0 → 100 %top-3 coverage
avg rank 1.8across the area
92% → 100%in 3 more weeks
Weeks 1–5: grid from red to 92% top-3
Weeks 1–5: the grid turns from red to green – 92% top-3, avg rank 2.2.
Week 8: 100% high ranks, avg rank 1.8
Week 8: 100% high ranks (1–3), avg rank 1.8 – the whole area covered.
Bottom line

From invisible to number one, area-wide.

In 8 weeks from every grid point red to 100% top-3 coverage at average rank 1.8 – the whole area covered. Achieved with a clean Google profile, a keyword-focused website, reviews, local backlinks, Google product stacking and YouTube keyword coverage – measured week by week.

Your next step

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