Your “About Us” page is probably one of the most visited pages on your treatment center website. It’s also probably one of the worst pages for SEO—actively hurting your ability to rank for competitive keywords.
Here’s why this matters: Google evaluates healthcare websites using E-E-A-T criteria (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trust). Your About page is the primary place Google looks to evaluate your organization’s credentials. A weak About page signals to Google that you might not be a trustworthy source of healthcare information.
The result? All your other content gets suppressed in rankings because your About page failed to establish authority.
The About Page Problem in Treatment Centers
Most treatment center About pages follow this template:
“[Facility Name] was founded in [year] with a mission to help those struggling with addiction. Our compassionate team of professionals is dedicated to providing quality care in a supportive environment. We believe in treating the whole person—mind, body, and spirit.”
Sound familiar? This content is:
- Generic (could describe any facility)
- Unverifiable (no specific credentials)
- Corporate (reads like a press release)
- Empty (no concrete information)
Google has seen this template thousands of times. It provides zero signals that your organization has actual expertise in addiction treatment.
What Google’s Algorithm Actually Evaluates
When Google’s quality raters evaluate healthcare sites (yes, real humans review these sites), they look for specific signals on About pages:
Organization Credentials:
- State licenses and license numbers
- Accreditations with verification links
- Years in operation with verifiable history
- Professional association memberships
Leadership Credentials:
- Named individuals with real credentials
- Verifiable education and certifications
- Professional experience in behavioral health
- Links to LinkedIn or NPI lookup
Transparency Signals:
- Physical address (verifiable location)
- Ownership structure (who runs this facility?)
- Regulatory compliance information
- Contact information for accountability
Evidence of Expertise:
- Treatment philosophy grounded in evidence
- Clinical approaches with citations
- Staff-to-patient ratios
- Outcome data or quality metrics
A generic About page provides none of these signals. Google concludes: “We can’t verify this organization’s expertise. We shouldn’t rank their health content highly.”
The Real-World Impact
We audited a 50-bed treatment center that had been investing heavily in content marketing. They’d published 150 blog posts over two years but couldn’t rank for any competitive keywords.
The problem wasn’t the content—it was their About page.
Their original About page:
- 200 words of generic mission statement
- No named individuals
- No license numbers
- No accreditations displayed
- A stock photo of a sunrise
What we rebuilt:
- Named executive director and clinical director with credentials
- Complete license and accreditation information with verification links
- Founding story with specific, verifiable details
- Clinical team overview with aggregate credentials
- Photos of actual staff
- Physical address with embedded map
Results after 90 days:
- 40% increase in organic impressions
- 8 blog posts that had been stuck on page 3-4 moved to page 1
- Featured snippets for 3 clinical queries
The content didn’t change. The trust signals did.
How to Build an Authority-Generating About Page
Section 1: The Authority Statement
Lead with your credentials, not your mission statement.
Bad opening: “ABC Treatment Center is dedicated to helping individuals overcome addiction through compassionate care.”
Good opening: “ABC Treatment Center is a CARF-accredited, state-licensed addiction treatment facility serving Arizona since 2012. Our clinical team includes 8 licensed therapists, 3 board-certified addiction medicine physicians, and 12 certified addiction counselors, with a combined 120+ years of behavioral health experience.”
The second version provides:
- Accreditation status
- License type and geography
- Operational history
- Specific team credentials
- Quantifiable expertise
Section 2: Leadership and Clinical Team
Name your key leaders with complete credentials.
For each key leader, include:
- Full name
- Professional titles and credentials (MD, LCSW, CADC, etc.)
- Education (schools, degrees, years)
- License numbers (can link to verification)
- Years of experience in behavioral health
- Areas of specialization
- Professional association memberships
- Brief professional bio (2-3 sentences)
Example: “Dr. Sarah Chen, MD, ABAM – Medical Director Dr. Chen is a board-certified addiction medicine physician who has specialized in medication-assisted treatment for 18 years. She received her MD from Stanford University School of Medicine and completed her residency at UCLA Medical Center. Her NPI number is [number]. Dr. Chen is a member of the American Society of Addiction Medicine and has published research on dual diagnosis treatment protocols.”
This is what E-E-A-T looks like in practice.
Section 3: Accreditation and Licensing
Create a dedicated section for your credentials—don’t just mention them in passing.
Include:
- Each accreditation with logo
- License numbers and issuing bodies
- Links to verify on official sites
- When accreditations/licenses were issued and when they expire
- What each accreditation means (brief explanation for patients)
Example: “The Joint Commission Gold Seal of Approval We’ve maintained Joint Commission accreditation since 2015, demonstrating our commitment to meeting rigorous healthcare quality and safety standards. Verify our accreditation at [link].”
Section 4: Your Clinical Approach
Describe your treatment philosophy in specific, evidence-based terms.
Avoid: “We use a holistic approach treating mind, body, and spirit.”
Better: “Our treatment model integrates evidence-based practices including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) where appropriate. All treatment plans follow ASAM criteria for level of care determination, with initial assessments conducted by licensed clinical staff using validated instruments including the ASI-5 and AUDIT-C.”
This demonstrates actual clinical expertise, not marketing buzzwords.
Section 5: Facility and Operations
Concrete details build trust.
Include:
- Bed count and facility type
- Staff-to-patient ratios
- Average length of stay
- Treatment modalities available
- Physical facility description
- Geographic service area
Section 6: Contact and Accountability
Make it easy to verify and contact you.
Include:
- Physical address with embedded map
- Phone numbers with direct contacts
- Email addresses for specific departments
- Hours of operation
- How to file a complaint or provide feedback
Technical SEO for Your About Page
Beyond content, your About page needs technical optimization:
Schema Markup
Implement Organization schema with healthcare-specific properties:
“`json { “@context”: “https://schema.org”, “@type”: “MedicalBusiness”, “name”: “Your Facility Name”, “description”: “Brief description”, “url”: “https://yoursite.com”, “telephone”: “+1-555-555-5555”, “address”: { “@type”: “PostalAddress”, “streetAddress”: “123 Main St”, “addressLocality”: “City”, “addressRegion”: “State”, “postalCode”: “12345” }, “medicalSpecialty”: “Addiction Medicine”, “hasCredential”: [ { “@type”: “EducationalOccupationalCredential”, “credentialCategory”: “accreditation”, “name”: “Joint Commission Accreditation” } ] } “`
Internal Linking
Your About page should link to:
- Individual staff bio pages
- Accreditation/verification pages
- Program pages (demonstrating what you offer)
- Contact/admissions page
And be linked from:
- Your homepage (prominently)
- Footer on every page
- Author bylines on blog posts
Page Authority
Your About page should be one of the strongest pages on your site in terms of internal link equity. It validates everything else.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Don’t use stock photos. Real photos of your facility and staff build trust. Stock photos of handshakes and stethoscopes do not.
Don’t be vague about credentials. “Our team includes licensed professionals” means nothing. “Our team includes 8 LCSWs, 3 LADCs, and 2 board-certified psychiatrists” means everything.
Don’t hide your leadership. Facilities that hide who runs them look suspicious. Transparency builds trust.
Don’t neglect this page for SEO. Your About page should be a priority, not an afterthought.
Don’t make it too long without structure. Use clear headings, sections, and formatting for scannability.
Implementation Checklist
- [ ] Named founder/owner with credentials
- [ ] Named medical director with credentials and NPI
- [ ] Named clinical director with credentials and license number
- [ ] All accreditations listed with verification links
- [ ] State license numbers displayed
- [ ] Physical address with map
- [ ] Founding year and brief history
- [ ] Clinical approach described with specific methodologies
- [ ] Staff-to-patient ratios
- [ ] Professional photos (not stock)
- [ ] Organization schema markup implemented
- [ ] Strong internal linking to/from About page
Expected Timeline
Week 1: Gather all credential information, photos, and verification links
Week 2: Rewrite About page content following this framework
Week 3: Implement schema markup and internal linking
Week 4: Monitor for initial ranking changes
Most facilities see measurable improvements in organic visibility within 30-60 days of implementing these changes, as Google re-evaluates their E-E-A-T signals.
Next Steps
Your About page isn’t just a corporate formality—it’s the foundation of your SEO authority. Every page on your site benefits when your About page establishes clear expertise and trustworthiness.
Build your E-E-A-T foundation: Download our free Rehab SEO Ebook for the complete guide to establishing authority, and use our free SEO audit prompt to see how your About page compares to competitors who are outranking you.
If you want a detailed, personalized analysis of where your facility stands and what opportunities exist, we offer a free SEO audit at RehabGrowth. It’s a no-strings assessment that includes an E-E-A-T evaluation identifying exactly where your trust signals need strengthening.
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About RehabGrowth: We exclusively help addiction treatment centers and behavioral health facilities grow through specialized SEO strategies. Our clients have seen 150% organic growth, 3x traffic increases, and generated over 24,000 admission calls through our proven frameworks.
We exclusively help addiction treatment centers and behavioral health facilities grow through specialized SEO strategies. Our clients have seen 150% organic growth, 3x traffic increases, and generated over 24,000 admission calls through our proven frameworks.