People decide in a few seconds whether to reach out to a group. A specific, complete listing gets opened more, brings in people who fit, and gives you accurate numbers in your dashboard. Most of the difference comes from a handful of choices: a clear title, filled-in fields, contact details in the contact fields, and a few plain sentences about what the first time is like.
Why does a complete listing matter?
When researchers asked people why they did or didn’t attend community treatment groups, not getting enough information about the group was one of the main reasons for staying away. Worry about being judged was another (Dilgul et al., 2018). A listing that answers people’s questions before they ask does part of your screening for you, and it lowers the bar to that first message.
Eight things that make a difference
- Name it clearly. Use your group’s name, your practice name, or your own name, or say who the group is for. “Grief Support Group” matches dozens of listings; “Grief Group for Widowed Parents” or “Riverside Counseling: Grief Group” tells a searcher something. Generic titles aren’t accepted on the listing form.
- Fill in the fields, not just the paragraph. Search filters read the fields. Format, state, cost, audience, age range, insurance, and topics only help people find you if they’re filled in. A detail that lives only in your description won’t come up when someone filters.
- Put contact details in the contact fields. The Phone, Email, and Website fields run the Contact button and your printable flyer, and every click on them is counted by type in your dashboard. The site tries to link phone numbers and emails typed into your description too, but it can’t read every format, such as an extension or a spelled-out number. The fields give you the clearest picture of who reached out.
- Say what the first time is like. Can people just listen? Should they arrive early or fill out anything first? A short “your first time” note answers the biggest worry before anyone has to ask.
- Spell out the cost. The fee, a sliding scale, which insurance you take, or that the group is free. People shouldn’t have to call to find out.
- Keep enrollment current. Set your Enrollment status to Accepting New Members, Currently Full, or Waitlist, and add a start date if you have one. When a full or waitlisted group switches back to Accepting, everyone on its waitlist gets an email automatically.
- Pick every topic that fits. Topics place your group on topic and state pages and in filtered searches.
- Use your dashboard checklist. It shows what’s missing from your listing, with a link straight to each field.
What do views and contacts mean in my dashboard?
A view is counted when someone opens your listing page. A contact is counted when someone clicks your phone number, email, or website from the listing. Plans that include insights also show how often your listing appears in search compared with how often it’s opened. If you see plenty of views but few contacts, the listing is being found but not answering enough questions; the checklist above is the place to start. No visitor names or identities are collected.
A free printable checklist
Make the Most of Your Listing puts these eight tips on one page, with a checklist and a monthly numbers log on the back. For more on filling and keeping a group full, see the free Group Leader Toolkit. Not listed yet? Your first listing is free.