5 SEO Housekeeping Tasks for Wellness Practitioners in 2026
SEO in 2026 isn't about chasing algorithm updates or trying to outsmart Google.
It's about five straightforward housekeeping tasks that you can tackle in an afternoon and that will compound in value over time.
These aren't hacks or shortcuts. They're sustainable practices that help qualified wellness practitioners like you show up for the people actively searching for your expertise. No overwhelming technical jargon, no expensive tools required, just practical guidance you can implement on your Squarespace site today.
If you've been putting off SEO because it feels too complicated or time-consuming, these five tasks are your starting point.
1. Use Google Search Console's New Branded Query Filter to Understand Your Real Visibility
Google has rolled out a new feature in Search Console that automatically separates branded searches (people looking for you specifically by name) from non-branded searches (people discovering you for the first time through topic-based queries).
This matters because you need to know whether your SEO is actually working or whether you're just getting traffic from people who already know you exist.
If 90% of your search traffic is branded, it means people are typing in your name or your business name to find you, but you're not appearing when potential clients search for 'nutritional therapist London' or 'functional medicine PCOS'. Non-branded traffic is discovery traffic, and that's what sustainable SEO growth looks like.
To find this filter in Google Search Console, go to your Performance report and look for the new 'Branded queries' filter option. Once you apply it, you'll see a clear breakdown of how many people are finding you through your name versus how many are discovering you through the topics you write about.
This gives you a much clearer picture of where your SEO efforts are paying off and where you might need to focus more attention on creating content that helps new people discover your expertise.
Read this blog to find out more about Google Search Console and how to submit your website pages to rank faster.
2. Add Internal Links to Guide Clients Through Your Expertise
Internal links show Google (and your readers) how your content connects. This isn't just about SEO mechanics, it's about demonstrating that you're not covering random topics but have deep, interconnected expertise in your field.
If you've written about PCOS, thyroid health, and fertility, internal links demonstrate that these aren't isolated subjects but part of your comprehensive understanding of women's hormonal health. Google sees this. Potential clients see this. And it builds trust in your authority.
Here's how to think about internal linking practically:
Link from a symptoms article to your services page. If someone's reading 'Signs Your Thyroid Might Be Underactive', they should have a clear path to 'How I Support Thyroid Health Through Nutritional Therapy'.
Link from foundational content to deeper dives. A 'What Is PCOS?' article should link to 'The Role of Insulin Resistance in PCOS' and 'Nutrition Strategies for PCOS Management'.
Link related topics together. Your article on perimenopause might naturally reference your piece on adrenal health or your guide to managing stress through nutrition.
Internal linking also encourages visitors to stay on your site longer. When readers follow links through your content, they stay engaged, they learn more about your approach, and Google registers that your site provides value. Sites offering value rank higher in search.
Internal linking strategy is one of the quick wins covered in my FREE 5 Google Search Secrets guide, along with how to structure your site so Google understands the breadth of your expertise.
3. Follow Character Count Best Practices (Without the Keyword Stuffing)
There are specific character limits that determine whether your content displays properly in Google search results. Go over these limits and Google will cut off your text mid-sentence, making your listing look incomplete or unprofessional.
Here are the numbers you need to know:
SEO titles: 50-60 characters (this is what appears as the blue clickable link in search results)
Meta descriptions: 150-160 characters (the preview text that appears under your title)
URL slugs: 4-6 words maximum (the web address for your page)
Blog titles (H1): 50-60 characters for clarity and rankings
Let me show you what this looks like in practice for a wellness practitioner:
Good SEO title: Nutritional Therapy for PCOS | Sam Ferguson (48 characters)
Too long: How I Use Nutritional Therapy to Help Women With PCOS Symptoms Achieve Hormonal Balance and Improve Fertility | Sam Ferguson (128 characters, gets cut off)
Good meta description: Discover how nutritional therapy can support PCOS management through evidence-based dietary strategies tailored to your symptoms. (147 characters)
Good URL slug: nutritional-therapy-pcos (28 characters, 3 words)
Too long URL: how-i-use-nutritional-therapy-to-help-women-with-pcos-symptoms (63 characters, 10 words)
The crucial thing to remember is that you're following these rules to make your content accessible and professional, not to game the system. Write for humans first. Make it readable and understandable. Use your keywords naturally where they fit, but never at the expense of clarity.
Character counts, URL structure, and meta description best practices are all covered in my 5 Google Search Secrets guide if you want the complete technical checklist.
4. Noindex the Pages That Dilute Your SEO Efforts
Google has a limited 'crawl budget' for your site, meaning it can only look at so many of your pages during each visit. You want Google spending that time on pages that actually help potential clients find you, not on administrative pages that serve no SEO purpose.
These pages should be hidden from Google search results (this is called 'noindexing'):
Privacy Policy
Terms & Conditions
Thank You pages (after someone books or downloads something)
404 error pages
Personalised link pages (like a Linktree-style page)
To noindex pages in Squarespace, go to the individual page settings, click on the SEO tab, and toggle on 'Hide Page From Search Results'. This doesn't delete the page or make it inaccessible to visitors, it simply tells Google not to include it in search rankings.
This is particularly important for wellness practitioners because you likely have multiple service pages, blog posts, and resource pages that should be prioritised in search results. Every page Google wastes crawling your Terms & Conditions is a page it's not spending on your 'How to Support Thyroid Health' blog post.
Your qualifications aren't things to downplay in 2026. They're the foundation of your SEO authority.
5. Your Professional Credibility Is Your SEO Advantage in 2026-Friendly Doesn't Mean Dumbing Down
Here's something that's shifting in 2026: expert personal brands are replacing traditional influencers in search visibility. Google (and potential clients) are prioritising depth of expertise over breadth of social media presence.
This is directly aligned with what I've been saying for years: your qualifications, training, and professional expertise are competitive advantages, not things to downplay.
If you're a BANT-registered nutritional therapist, a CNHC-registered naturopath, or a functional medicine practitioner with years of clinical training, that's not bragging, it's transparency and authority. A three-year nutrition degree gives you hundreds of hours of biochemistry, pathology, and clinical practice that a weekend wellness certification simply cannot replicate.
This depth of training is what makes your content trustworthy, cite-able, and rankable.
Here's how to make sure your professional credibility shows up in SEO:
Include 'About the Author' sections on blog posts. Don't just say 'Sam Ferguson writes about health'. Say 'Sam Ferguson is a BANT-registered nutritional therapist specialising in women's hormonal health, with a BSc in Nutritional Therapy from [University]'.
Add credentials to your bio and homepage. Your letters (mBANT, CNHC, DipION) should be visible, not hidden in a footer somewhere.
Reference your professional body memberships. If you're registered with BANT, CNHC, ANP, or other recognised organisations, this signals to Google that you're a verified professional, not someone sharing opinions without qualifications.
Use your training as content foundations. When you write about insulin resistance and PCOS, you're not pulling information from Google, you're drawing on years of study in endocrinology, biochemistry, and clinical nutrition. That context matters.
This isn't about sounding impressive for the sake of it. It's about helping potential clients understand why your content, your approach, and your clinical recommendations come from a place of rigorous professional training. Wellness coaches cannot replicate this, and Google is increasingly able to recognise the difference.
Your expertise compounds over time. The more you publish content that's rooted in your professional knowledge, the more Google recognises you as an authority in your field, and the more potential clients trust that you know what you're talking about.
Read more about how to use your qualifications in your content here.
Start With One Task Today
These five housekeeping tasks aren't revolutionary, but they're foundational. You don't need to become an SEO expert. You need to implement sustainable practices that let your actual expertise shine through.
SEO is a long game, not a quick fix. Professional credibility, consistent content, and a well-structured site compound over time. Start with one of these tasks today, whether that's noindexing your Privacy Policy, adding internal links to your most recent blog post, or checking your branded versus non-branded traffic in Search Console.
Small, consistent actions create momentum. And momentum creates visibility.
Frequently Asked Questions
How often should I update my SEO settings?
Your foundational SEO settings (like noindexed pages, URL structure, and character counts) only need to be set up once. After that, the main thing you'll update regularly is your content: new blog posts, updated service pages, and fresh internal links. If you're publishing consistently (even just once a month), your SEO will naturally improve over time without needing to constantly tweak technical settings.
Do I need to hire an SEO agency as a small wellness business?
Not necessarily. Most wellness practitioners benefit more from learning the fundamentals and implementing them consistently than from outsourcing to an agency that doesn't understand the nuances of your field. If you do decide to work with someone, look for an SEO specialist who understands professional services and won't push you toward generic 'wellness blog topics' that don't reflect your qualifications.
What's the difference between branded and non-branded traffic?
Branded traffic is when someone searches for you by name (e.g. 'Sam Ferguson nutritional therapist'). Non-branded traffic is when someone searches for a topic or service and discovers you through that search (e.g. 'nutritional therapist PCOS London'). Non-branded traffic is a stronger indicator that your SEO is working because it means people who've never heard of you are finding your content.
How long does it take to see SEO results?
Realistically, 4-6 months for meaningful improvement. Some changes (like fixing noindexing or adding internal links) can show small shifts within a few weeks, but sustainable SEO growth takes time. Google needs to crawl your site, assess your content, and determine whether you're providing genuine value. The good news is that once you start ranking, that visibility compounds, and you're not starting from scratch every time you publish something new.
Once your content reflects your expertise, make sure people can find it. Download '5 Google Search Secrets No SEO Agency Will Tell You' to build visibility through organic search.
Fancy a change of topic? Want to know if Google penalises AI content? Read my guide on how to use ChatGPT for marketing without compromising quality: How to Use ChatGPT for Marketing (Does Google care?).
Sam Ferguson is a digital marketing consultant helping nutritional therapists and women's health practitioners get found online without living on social media. Based in Hertfordshire but working with clients worldwide, she brings nearly a decade of digital marketing experience and four years specialising in wellness. She builds Squarespace websites, SEO systems, and AI-powered content strategies that actually work. Her approach? Sustainable visibility that fits around your practice, not the other way round.