Transforming Guiding Light Behavioral Health’s Online Presence Through the Client Acceleration System
Led by Sarah Mildrum, LCSW, one of Maine’s few certified Emergency Responder and Public Safety Clinicians, their team’s deep understanding of high-stress environments enables them to provide compassionate, tailored support for first responders and their loved ones.
Background:
Guiding Light Behavioral Health, led by Sarah in Windham, ME, provides specialized behavioral health support for emergency response organizations and individuals. Their mission is to empower first responders and their families with the mental health resources they need to thrive. While Sarah’s practice had an existing website, most of their referrals came through word-of-mouth.
As she expanded her team, she needed a website that not only showcased the high-quality services her practice offers but also served as a key tool for attracting both new clients and top-tier clinicians.
Sarah enrolled in Private Practice Elevation’s Client Acceleration System, a 12-month program that includes copywriting, website design, development, SEO, and ongoing support, to establish a strong foundation for long-term growth.
Project Goals:
Guiding Light Behavioral Health set out to achieve several key objectives:
- Expand the Team – Sarah aimed to hire 3-5 clinicians and 3 support specialists, requiring a website that also positioned Guiding Light as a great workplace.
- Improve Online Visibility – Increase organic search traffic to ensure more potential clients and first responder organizations could find their services.
- Enhance User Experience – Create a clear distinction between individual therapy services and organizational training programs, making it easier for visitors to find relevant information.
- Strengthen Brand Messaging – Maintain the lantern theme while crafting messaging that effectively spoke to both first responders and the organizations hiring Guiding Light.
- Build Authority – Provide educational content through an integrated blog, positioning Sarah and her team as industry leaders in first responder mental health.
- Increase Client Inquiries & Engagement – Improve conversion rates by making it easier for visitors to inquire, subscribe, and ultimately become paying clients.
Our Approach
The Client Acceleration System provided a comprehensive strategy for transforming Guiding Light’s online presence:
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Website Redesign & Branding – A professional, high-quality website was created to reflect the exceptional services Guiding Light offers. The design maintained the lantern imagery, reinforcing the practice’s mission of guiding first responders through mental health challenges.
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Content Development & Messaging – New service pages were written to clearly differentiate between individual therapy and organizational training, ensuring that both audiences found what they needed quickly.
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SEO Strategy & Execution – Our team implemented a strategic SEO campaign that focused on optimizing service pages, creating valuable content for first responders, and improving local search visibility.
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Blog Integration & Content Marketing – A blog section was developed to host monthly SEO-optimized articles, dynamically integrating them across the website to keep content fresh and engaging.
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Conversion Optimization – Clear calls-to-action (CTAs), contact forms, and strategically placed buttons encouraged visitors to inquire about services, book consultations, and join the email list.
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Performance Tracking & Adjustments – After launch, over 10 months (and counting!), we monitored data, analyzed trends, and made continuous improvements to maximize results.
The Results (So Far!)
The impact of the website redesign and SEO campaign was substantial. From June 2024 to January 2025, Guiding Light Behavioral Health experienced remarkable growth:
Gains in Search Visibility
- Impressions skyrocketed from 586 to 2.41K, a 311.86% increase.
- Clicks tripled, proving that more people were not just seeing the site but clicking through.
- Guiding Light’s services gained credibility in Google, increasing brand recognition.
Increase in Organic Traffic
- 4,309 organic search sessions, marking a 256% increase over time.
- 4,914 new users from search, a 590% increase in new potential clients.
Stronger Engagement & Returning Visitors
- Direct traffic grew to 4,000 sessions (210% increase), proving greater brand awareness.
- Returning visitors increased by 246%, showing that users found value and kept coming back.
- A 62% increase in key events, such as form submissions and button clicks, demonstrated improved engagement.
Building Authority & Trust
- Search impressions nearly quadrupled, positioning Guiding Light as a trusted resource in first responder mental health.
- SEO efforts significantly boosted visibility and trust in the field.
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