is a location-specific practice — 12 markets (14 offices) across 6 states/territories, audited market by market; ranks for 12,079 organic keywords; sits #4 of 4 brands cited across AI answers in this category; a clear SEO–GEO gap: stronger in classic search than in AI answers.
📊 Evidence workbook — every figure in this report links to the source data behind it: all ranked keywords (with difficulty), indexed pages, the exact AI-Overview & LLM queries tested, competitors, and Search Console data. Open the evidence workbook ↗
01 · Executive summary
The one-screen read
The whole audit in one view — what we did, what we found, and what we recommend. The market-by-market and cross-market detail follows below.
What we did
Audited CCG market by market across its 12 verified locations (14 offices) in 6 states/territories.
Benchmarked the full organic footprint — 12,079 ranked keywords, indexed pages, Search Console & GA4 — plus technical health, structured data, and content/E-E-A-T.
Tested visibility in Google AI Overviews and four AI assistants (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity) on a disclosed set of category and local queries — every query, response, and date is in the evidence workbook.
Reviewed the local competitor set (client-provided, by market) against who actually ranks and who AI engines cite.
What we found
Classic SEO is a strength — SEO 77/100, L3 — Established, ranking for 12,079 organic keywords.
The gap is AI answers — GEO/AEO scores 12/100. Across the tested category questions, CCG is cited in only 1 of 30 Google AI Overviews — the rest go to competitors and directories (results vary by keyword and timing; the exact set, dates, and who Google cites instead are in the GEO/AEO section).
Locally, it is a different story — Perplexity surfaces CCG in 10 of 12 markets for city-level therapist queries, while ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini do not yet (see by-location).
Fixable local gaps — LocalBusiness schema is missing on 4 location pages (Alexandria, Boca Raton, Cedar Knolls, Miami) — each limits local and AI-answer visibility.
What we recommend
Earn AI-Overview & answer-engine citations.
Convert high-impression rankings into clicks.
Push 'striking-distance' keywords into the page-1 top 5.
Each dimension is scored 0–100 directly from the data in this report — higher is better. SEO and GEO/AEO are scored separately so the gap between classic search and AI-answer visibility is explicit. Every score links to the evidence behind it.
Bars show each area out of 100 (green ≥ 70 strong · amber 50–69 mixed · red < 50 needs work). The two headline scores below — SEO and GEO/AEO — roll these up. Every number is sourced; open “Evidence ↗” on any dimension to see the raw data.
Overall
64
weighted /100
SEO (classic search)strong
77
/100
GEO / AEO (AI answers)gap
12
/100
Score by dimension
Each area out of 100, scored from this report’s data
Technical SEO
60/100
Content & E-E-A-T
100/100
On-Page
60/100
GEO / AEO
0/100
Structured Data
67/100
Content Footprint
95/100
Performance
90/100
Brand Visibility
50/100
Competitor Gap
60/100
i
SEO ↔ GEO
SEO 77 vs GEO 12 — a 65-point gap. Classic search outpaces AI-answer visibility; the GEO/AEO section below shows where.
AI Overview presence/citation + multi-engine LLM citation rate — low LLM answer-citation rate (0%); present in AI Overviews on tested queries but not cited as a source
Source: LLM citation sweep · DataForSEO AI OverviewEvidence ↗
Structured Data67
4 of 6 key schema types present on crawled pages — LocalBusiness absent; Product absent
CCG is a location-specific practice — 12 verified Google Business Profiles (14 offices) across DC, FL, MD, NJ, NY, VA. The domain-level signals (keywords, Search Console, technical, content) apply across markets; this section covers what is specific to each: local ranking, AI-assistant citations (all four — ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity — tested per market), LocalBusiness schema, and local rivals.
Assistants naming CCG for location-qualified prompts in this market: Perplexity
PerplexityBest therapist in Arlington, Virginia
There are no “best” therapists in Arlington, Virginia universally, as the ideal choice depends on your specific needs, but several reputable therapy practices serve the area, including **MPS PLLC**, **Summit Counseling and Therapy**, **The Counseling Center Group**, and **LifeStance Health**.
**MPS PLLC** is a well-recognized practice in Arlington’s Clarend…
Extend the existing LocalBusiness schema with geo coordinates and areaServed.
Local SERP is led by lifestance.com, mpspllc.com, thriveworks.com — audit their location pages for the content depth and schema CCG needs to overtake them.
05 · Bethesda, MD
Bethesda market
4827 Rugby Ave, Suite 301, Bethesda, MD 20814; 8030 Woodmont Ave, f3, Bethesda, MD 20814 (Counseling Center of Maryland)
Assistants naming CCG for location-qualified prompts in this market: Perplexity
PerplexityBest therapist in Bethesda, Maryland
…everal specific therapy practices in Bethesda, Maryland include **The Calming Mind**, **Bethesda Play Therapy & Child Teen Counseling**, **Bethesda Therapy and Wellness**, **Bethesda Therapy**, **The Counseling Center Group**, **Potomac Therapy Group**, **Metropolitan Counseling Associates**, and **The Counseling Center of Maryland**.
Here are key details …
Extend the existing LocalBusiness schema with geo coordinates and areaServed.
Local SERP is led by bethesdacounselingservices.com, wearebethesdatherapy.com, bethesdatherapywellnessllc.com — audit their location pages for the content depth and schema CCG needs to overtake them.
Assistants naming CCG for location-qualified prompts in this market: Perplexity
PerplexityBest DBT therapist in Alexandria, Virginia
Specific therapy practices in Alexandria, Virginia that offer Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) include **The Counseling Center Group®**, **CFS Virginia**, **Lifebulb**, **ThriveWorks**, and **Christina Keenan Counseling**.
- **The Counseling Center Group®** provides evidence-based therapy including DBT at their Alexandria loca……
Add LocalBusiness/MedicalBusiness JSON-LD with address, geo coordinates and areaServed to the location page.
Local SERP is led by counselingofalexandria.com, elliementalhealth.com, lifeenrichmentcounseling.com — audit their location pages for the content depth and schema CCG needs to overtake them.
Assistants naming CCG for location-qualified prompts in this market: Perplexity
PerplexityBest therapist in Harrison, New York
…veral highly regarded **mental health therapy practices** in **Harrison, New York** offer specialized, evidence-based care. These include:
- **Westchester County Counseling Services** (also known as Counseling Center Group) – Located at **600 Mamaroneck Avenue, Harrison, NY 10528**, this practice provides **CBT, DBT, EMDR**, and trauma-informed therapy for…
Local SERP is led by headintherightdirection.com, familyofkidz.com, ivyrehab.com — audit their location pages for the content depth and schema CCG needs to overtake them.
08 · Boca Raton, FL
Boca Raton market
1489 W Palmetto Park Blvd, Suite 410, Boca Raton, FL 33486
Add LocalBusiness/MedicalBusiness JSON-LD with address, geo coordinates and areaServed to the location page.
Local SERP is led by bocaratonpsychiatry.com, morgancounseling.net, psychiatrist-bocaraton.com — audit their location pages for the content depth and schema CCG needs to overtake them.
No AI assistant named CCG here in the tested prompts — build local citations (GMB completeness, local directories, locally-relevant content) to earn AEO mentions.
CCG does not rank on page 1 for the tested local terms — prioritize on-page SEO and local content for this market.
Local SERP is led by brooklynpsychotherapy.org, brooklynmindful.com, ecounselingbrooklyn.com — audit their location pages for the content depth and schema CCG needs to overtake them.
10 · Cedar Knolls, NJ
Cedar Knolls market
14 Ridgedale Ave, Suite 123, Cedar Knolls, NJ 07927
Assistants naming CCG for location-qualified prompts in this market: Perplexity
PerplexityBest therapist in Cedar Knolls, New Jersey
For the best therapist in **Cedar Knolls, New Jersey**, a top specific practice is **The Counseling Center of New Jersey® in Cedar Knolls** (also known as **Counseling Center Group**), located at **14 Ridgedale Avenue, Suite 123** [1]. This evidence-based practice offers personalized care from an outstanding team of therapists including Christine Benson (tra…
Add LocalBusiness/MedicalBusiness JSON-LD with address, geo coordinates and areaServed to the location page.
Local SERP is led by discoverypsychotherapycenter.com, therapycentercknj.com, thehowardcenterforwellness.com — audit their location pages for the content depth and schema CCG needs to overtake them.
Add LocalBusiness/MedicalBusiness JSON-LD with address, geo coordinates and areaServed to the location page.
Local SERP is led by wellspringmiami.org, southmiamipsychologygroup.com, lotuscounseling.com — audit their location pages for the content depth and schema CCG needs to overtake them.
No AI assistant named CCG here in the tested prompts — build local citations (GMB completeness, local directories, locally-relevant content) to earn AEO mentions.
Local organic rank is #10 — target the city's top-3 with on-page optimization and locally-relevant content for the highest-intent terms.
Local SERP is led by manhattanmentalhealthcounseling.com, mindwellnyc.com, therapistsofny.com — audit their location pages for the content depth and schema CCG needs to overtake them.
13 · Washington, DC
Washington market
1660 L St NW suite 503, Washington, DC 20036; 3417 14th St NW, Washington, DC 20010
Extend the existing LocalBusiness schema with geo coordinates and areaServed.
No AI assistant named CCG here in the tested prompts — build local citations (GMB completeness, local directories, locally-relevant content) to earn AEO mentions.
Local organic rank is #6 — target the city's top-3 with on-page optimization and locally-relevant content for the highest-intent terms.
Local SERP is led by dctalktherapy.com, therapygroupdc.com, rockcreektherapy.com — audit their location pages for the content depth and schema CCG needs to overtake them.
Assistants naming CCG for location-qualified prompts in this market: Perplexity
PerplexityBest therapist in Annapolis, Maryland
…depends on your specific needs, preferred therapy style, and insurance; however, several highly regarded therapy practices operate in the area, including **Counseling Center of Annapolis®** (part of Counseling Center Group®), **Thriveworks Counseling & Psychiatry Annapolis**, **Anchored Hope Therapy**, **Annapolis Psychotherapy** (Jack Tawil, LCSW-C), **Cou…
Extend the existing LocalBusiness schema with geo coordinates and areaServed.
Local SERP is led by cedarcounselingandwellness.com, annapolispsychotherapy.com, lifestance.com — audit their location pages for the content depth and schema CCG needs to overtake them.
Assistants naming CCG for location-qualified prompts in this market: Perplexity
PerplexityBest DBT therapist in Red Bank, New Jersey
The **Counseling Center of New Jersey** (part of The Counseling Center Group) is a specific therapy practice in Red Bank, NJ, that offers DBT with a certified clinician, **Jessica Haddad, LCSW** (Clinical Director), who is a **DBT-LBC, Certified Clinician™**[1][2].
Other……
Local SERP is led by redbankcounseling.com, jessicasenickmsw.com, thriveworks.com — audit their location pages for the content depth and schema CCG needs to overtake them.
16 · National rollup
Cross-market & domain-level view
The sections below are the classic domain-level audit — domain authority, the full keyword inventory, Search Console & GA4 totals, the national competitive set, and the overall recommendation roadmap — aggregated across all 12 markets. Per-market detail is in the sections above.
17 · Visibility & keywords
Organic footprint
Keyword reach, where it sits in the rankings, and the pages + terms driving classic search visibility.
What we found
Ranks for 12,079 organic keywords — 2,542 on page 1, 754 in the top 3.
2,309 keywords sit in striking distance (positions 11–20) — the fastest wins.
Local competitor set — client-provided, by marketSource data ↗
Client Competitor Master List (Jennifer, CRO, Feb 2026)
60 practices across 12 markets (36 High, 24 Medium threat) — the practices CCG actually competes with locally, reviewed by location to inform the AI-citation strategy. Distinct from the national keyword-overlap set below. Already named alongside CCG in the AI answers we captured: Bethesda Therapy (Bethesda, MD); Bethesda Counseling Services (Bethesda, MD); Anchored Hope Therapy (Annapolis, MD); Cedar Counseling & Wellness (Annapolis, MD); Waypoint Wellness Center (Annapolis, MD). Full per-market list + intel in the workbook.
National keyword-overlap competitors (DataForSEO — overlap on keywords nationally, not local rivals)
psychologytoday.com#1
Keywords
9,280
Est. traffic
178,663
Shared kw
9,280
clevelandclinic.org#2
Keywords
5,533
Est. traffic
136,298
Shared kw
5,533
choosingtherapy.com#3
Keywords
5,291
Est. traffic
125,278
Shared kw
5,291
webmd.com#4
Keywords
5,199
Est. traffic
123,863
Shared kw
5,199
healthline.com#5
Keywords
7,239
Est. traffic
123,488
Shared kw
7,239
talkspace.com#6
Keywords
4,303
Est. traffic
120,093
Shared kw
4,303
i
SERP overlap (not direct competitors)
General / social / job / review domains that share keywords but aren't category rivals — excluded from the competitor set above: youtube.com, quora.com, reddit.com, nih.gov, harvard.edu, wikipedia.org.
AI answer share of voice
Brands named across tested LLM prompts
BetterHelp 48%TherapyDen 30%Psychology Today 22%
Who else AI names
Competing brands surfaced in responses
BetterHelp 11TherapyDen 7Psychology Today 5
20 · GEO / AEO deep-dive
Visibility inside AI answers
The hero flags an SEO↔AI-answer gap; this is the diagnosis. We tested a disclosed sample of 30 category questions across Google AI Overviews and 4 assistants (ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Gemini) — reported as a rate over that set, not an absolute. AI answers are volatile, so treat counts as a point-in-time signal and read alongside the AEO-readiness factors below.
What we found
AI Overviews appeared on 23 of 30 tested queries; CCG cited in 1 of 30.
Assistant citations: 2 of 120 tested prompts — only Perplexity cite CCG; the others do not yet.
If a prior audit reported citations, it tested a different query set. This audit tested a specific, disclosed set — the exact queries, the domains Google did cite, and the per-assistant prompts are all listed in the workbook, so any difference traces to the query set, not a disagreement on facts: AI Overview queries ↗ · LLM citation tests ↗.
AI visibility genuinely varies by market. AI assistants (ChatGPT/Claude/Perplexity/Gemini) name CCG for location-qualified prompts in 10 of 12 markets — so it is getting cited, just unevenly. Google AI Overviews rarely surface for these local queries (Map-Pack territory); where they do, CCG is cited in 0 of 12. The full per-market table — local rank, schema, local rivals — is in the By Location section above; this view is the AEO angle: which assistant cites CCG where.
i
Where CCG is cited (by assistant → market)
Perplexity: Arlington, Bethesda, Alexandria, Harrison, Boca Raton, Cedar Knolls, Miami, New York, Annapolis, Red Bank. The exact query and the full assistant response behind every citation is in the workbook's Citations tab ↗ and AI visibility by location ↗.
Exactly which of the 30 tested questions named the brand, by assistant (full list in the workbook)
Tested prompt
ChatGPT
Claude
Perplexity
Gemini
therapy for avoidant attachment style
—
—
—
—
narcissistic personality disorder treatment
—
—
cited
—
best online therapy for couples
—
—
—
—
how to find a DBT therapist near me
—
—
—
—
EMDR therapy for trauma
—
—
—
—
marriage counseling near me
—
—
—
—
how to deal with a narcissist
—
—
—
—
best therapy practice for anxiety
—
—
—
—
group therapy benefits
—
—
—
—
how to choose a therapist
—
—
—
—
CBT for depression
—
—
—
—
therapy for teens with anxiety
—
—
—
—
couples counseling for communication problems
—
—
—
—
how to find an out-of-network therapist
—
—
—
—
ADHD therapy for adults
—
—
—
—
trauma therapy near me
—
—
—
—
family therapy for parents and teens
—
—
—
—
Gottman method couples therapy
—
—
—
—
therapy for OCD
—
—
—
—
postpartum depression therapy
—
—
—
—
therapy cost without insurance
—
—
—
—
best therapist in Bethesda MD
—
—
cited
—
anxiety therapist in New York City
—
—
—
—
virtual therapy for depression
—
—
—
—
parent child interaction therapy PCIT
—
—
—
—
DBT for emotional regulation
—
—
—
—
therapy for high functioning anxiety
—
—
—
—
counseling for life transitions
—
—
—
—
how to support a partner with depression
—
—
—
—
signs you need therapy
—
—
—
—
i
How this differs from a quick AI check
Asking an AI “do you know CCG?” tests brand recall, not buyer behaviour. This measures citation the way a prospect actually triggers it: a disclosed set of 30 category questions plus city-level queries, run across four named assistants and Google AI Overviews, with the full verbatim response stored for every check (positive and negative) and dated — so it is reproducible and defensible per market, not a one-off screenshot. That per-question, per-assistant, per-market paper trail is what turns “are we cited?” into a fixable list.
21 · Technical
Crawlability & AI access
Whether search and answer engines can reach and read the site, plus the off-site authority that feeds both.
robots.txtFix
Missing
llms.txtOK
Present
answer-engine guide
security.txtOK
Present
CMS
Rank Math, Elementor, WordPress
from HTML markers
Technical deep-dive
Ground-truth checks from the live crawl + backlink pull
Check
Status
Why it matters
HTTPS enforced
Yes
served over https
Canonical on homepage
Present
self-referencing canonical
Homepage HTML weight
387 KB
heavier pages slow crawl + extraction
Indexed pages (sitemap)
1,057
real XML-sitemap URL count
robots.txt
Missing
fetched live
llms.txt
Present
answer-engine content guide
AI crawler directives
From live robots.txt
AI crawler
Type
Status
Next action
GPTBot
grounding
Unspecified
Add explicit Allow (grounding bots)
ClaudeBot
grounding
Unspecified
Add explicit Allow (grounding bots)
PerplexityBot
grounding
Unspecified
Add explicit Allow (grounding bots)
Google-Extended
grounding
Unspecified
Add explicit Allow (grounding bots)
OAI-SearchBot
grounding
Unspecified
Add explicit Allow (grounding bots)
CCBot
training
Unspecified
Add explicit Allow (grounding bots)
Bytespider
training
Unspecified
Add explicit Allow (grounding bots)
Amazonbot
training
Unspecified
Add explicit Allow (grounding bots)
anthropic-ai
training
Unspecified
Add explicit Allow (grounding bots)
Claude-Web
training
Unspecified
Add explicit Allow (grounding bots)
22 · Structured data
Schema coverage
JSON-LD detected across 20 crawled pages. An “undetermined” verdict means the feature's canonical page wasn't in the crawl sample — not that it's missing.
Search Console shows 12,124,680 impressions but 75,454 clicks over 90 days (0.62% blended CTR at average position 10.6). The largest pages under-earn for their visibility: “narcissist meaning” (828,101 impressions, 0.1% CTR, position 10); “narcissist” (65,322 impressions, 0.6% CTR, position 1); “radical acceptance dbt” (29,066 impressions, 0.4% CTR, position 8).
Implementation
Rewrite title tags and meta descriptions on the highest-impression, lowest-CTR pages to lead with the searcher's exact phrasing; add an answer-first intro and FAQPage/HowTo JSON-LD to compete for rich results and AI snippets.
Effort
Medium
Dependencies
CMS access
Risk
Low — reversible metadata edits
Pillar
On-Page
Next action Export the 20 highest-impression / lowest-CTR queries from GSC and rewrite those pages' title + meta this sprint.
Push 'striking-distance' keywords into the page-1 top 5
Impact: High
Why
5 high-volume terms sit at the bottom of page 1 / page 2, where small ranking gains unlock outsized traffic: “narcissist meaning” (position 10, 828,101 impressions); “radical acceptance dbt” (position 8, 29,066 impressions); “dbt coping skills” (position 11, 2,418 impressions); “dbt for anxiety” (position 9, 2,082 impressions).
Implementation
Strengthen each ranking page: add depth and an FAQ block targeting the exact query, internal links from related high-authority articles, and a content refresh with an updated publish date.
Effort
Medium
Dependencies
Content team
Risk
Low
Pillar
SEO
Next action Prioritize these pages; add internal links + depth + refresh, then re-check positions in 30 days.
LocalBusiness schema is absent. The practice operates across MD, VA, DC, NY, NJ and FL, but no location-entity markup signals where it serves — weakening local-pack eligibility and 'therapist near me' AI answers.
Implementation
Add LocalBusiness (or MedicalBusiness) JSON-LD on each location/state page with NAP, geo and areaServed; link each to the Organization entity; keep any AggregateRating location-specific.
Effort
Medium
Dependencies
Template access
Risk
Low
Pillar
Technical
Next action Add LocalBusiness JSON-LD to each state/location page and validate with the Rich Results Test.
Defend topical authority against high-authority publishers
Impact: Medium
Why
The top organic terms (narcissism, DBT, neurodivergence) are contested by very high-authority informational publishers — psychologytoday.com, clevelandclinic.org, choosingtherapy.com, webmd.com, healthline.com. They win on breadth; the practice can win on clinical depth and local intent.
Implementation
On the top informational pages, add clinician author + reviewer bylines and MedicalWebPage/author schema (E-E-A-T), plus a state-specific 'book a consult' CTA block the publishers don't offer.
Effort
Medium
Dependencies
Clinical content review
Risk
Medium — clinical accuracy must be founder-approved
Pillar
GEO
Next action Pick the 5 top informational pages; add clinician author/review + a per-state consult CTA.
18 of 20 crawled pages serve images without alt text — a gap for accessibility (WCAG/ADA, material for a healthcare site), image search, and AI image understanding.
Implementation
Add descriptive alt text to in-content and featured images; set a CMS template default for featured images so new posts ship with alt text.
Effort
Low
Dependencies
CMS / content
Risk
Low
Pillar
On-Page
Next action Backfill alt text on the flagged pages, starting with the highest-traffic articles.
Audit type: client · Business type: general · GSC/GA4: connected
Keyword/prompt set tested (10): therapy for avoidant attachment style, narcissistic personality disorder treatment, best online therapy for couples, how to find a DBT therapist near me, EMDR therapy for trauma, marriage counseling near me, how to deal with a narcissist, best therapy practice for anxiety, group therapy benefits, how to choose a therapist
Pages crawled: 20 of 0 sitemap URLs (homepage + top-traffic pages + every canonical feature page found in the sitemap).
AI engines available this run: openai, anthropic, perplexity, gemini of openai, anthropic, perplexity, gemini.
Generated 2026-06-29 by the MH-1 Unified Audit Engine · 30 of 37 claims source-verified · every figure traces to a named data source and sample size.