A therapist website checklist is a simple, structured way to see what’s missing from your practice site so clients can actually find and contact you. At its core, a solid therapist website checklist covers five areas: the right pages, local SEO, on-page WordPress settings, helpful content, and a few basic tech checks. When we bring these together, we give both Google and potential clients a clear, calm picture of who you help and where you work. With 46% of all Google searches carrying local intent and 80% of consumers searching for local businesses on a weekly basis, your therapy practice website is often the first real impression someone has of you, before they’ve read a single review or opened your Psychology Today profile.
You don’t need to become an SEO expert or rebuild everything from scratch. You’ve already done the heavy lifting by building your private practice and supporting your clients. Now we can start by making small, focused tweaks that quietly improve how often you show up when someone searches for “therapist near me” or your specific specialty.
If updating your website currently feels slightly dangerous…
That’s not normal. Let’s fix that.
Key Takeaways
- A therapist website needs at least 5 core pages: Homepage, About, Services (one per specialty), Fees & FAQs, and Contact. Each plays a specific role for both Google and real humans.
- 46% of Google searches have local intent. Your city, region, and specialty need to appear naturally on key pages so Google can connect you with local searches.
- Your own website still matters, even with directory profiles. Psychology Today is shared space with limited control. Your private practice website is where people decide whether to actually book.
- One page per specialty outperforms a single “Services” page. Separate pages for anxiety, trauma, and couples counselling each have a better chance of ranking for specific searches.
- WordPress SEO for therapists doesn’t require a technical background. Page titles, meta descriptions, alt text, and a basic SEO plugin are mostly text fields and dropdowns.
- 62% of consumers would avoid a business with incorrect information online. NAP (Name, Address, Phone) consistency across your website, Google Business Profile, and directories matters more than you’d think.
- You don’t need to blog weekly. A small set of evergreen articles answering the questions clients are already typing into Google can drive consistent traffic for years.
Table of Contents
- Before We Start: How New Therapy Clients Actually Find You Online
- What Pages Does a Therapist Website Need?
- Local SEO Basics for Therapists (So You Show Up in Your City)
- WordPress SEO Settings for Therapist Websites
- Content That Helps Clients Feel Seen (and Helps You Rank)
- Quick Tech and Trust Checks That Affect Your Rankings
- Your Therapist Website Checklist at a Glance
- Frequently Asked Questions About Therapist Websites and SEO
- Next Step: If Your Therapy Website Still Isn’t Showing Up on Google
Before We Start: How New Therapy Clients Actually Find You Online
Most people looking for a therapist start the same way: they type a worry or a label into Google and see what comes up. They might try “anxiety therapist in [city]”, “couples counsellor near me”, or even “online trauma therapy Canada”. Your therapist website checklist needs to line up with how these searches actually work in the real world.
What usually appears is a mix of three things: a Google Maps 3-pack (a small map with three nearby practices), therapy directory listings like Psychology Today and GoodTherapy, and individual private practice websites. Research from Backlinko shows that 42% of searchers click on the Google map pack results for local queries, which means a huge portion of potential clients never scroll past that first cluster.
Understanding how these pieces fit together helps us decide where to invest your limited time and energy.
A therapist we worked with in Ottawa assumed her Psychology Today profile was “enough” and that people would somehow find her website from there. In reality, her site barely showed up for her own name, let alone “anxiety therapist in Ottawa”. Once we clarified how clients actually search, the next steps felt more obvious and less overwhelming.
Google vs Therapy Directories Like Psychology Today
When someone searches for a therapist, Google often shows:
- Google Maps 3-pack at the top, with a small map and three nearby practices
- Directory listings (Psychology Today, GoodTherapy, TherapyDen, etc.)
- Individual therapist websites further down the page
Therapy directories can be helpful, especially at an earlier stage of your practice. They tend to rank well for very broad searches. But they’re essentially shared space where you look and sound like everyone else in a long scrolling list.
Your therapist website, on the other hand, is where you can speak directly to the specific people you help. Think of directories and your website not as either/or, but as two pieces of the same picture.
Why Your Own Therapist Website Still Matters
Even if most clients currently find you through Psychology Today or referrals, your own website still matters for three reasons:
- It builds trust and safety in a way a directory profile simply cannot. A directory gives someone a paragraph and a headshot. Your website gives them a sense of what working with you actually feels like.
- It future-proofs your practice if a directory changes its pricing, algorithm, or visibility model. You don’t own that platform. You own your website.
- It gives you more chances to show up in search when someone types a very specific need or location. Directories can’t create a page for every combination of specialty and city. You can.
We saw this with a solo therapist whose Psychology Today profile was doing well, but people rarely booked. Once her website clearly explained her approach and included a gentle, specific call to book a consultation, the same number of clicks started turning into more actual enquiries.
How This Therapist Website Checklist Connects to Your Rankings
This therapist website checklist is designed to make your site easier for Google to understand and easier for real people to navigate. When Google can quickly see your location, services, and who you help, your therapy practice website SEO gets a quiet but meaningful boost.
We’ll cover pages, local SEO, WordPress settings, content, and basic tech, each connecting directly to how to get clients to find your therapy practice online. Without asking you to turn into a marketer.
What Pages Does a Therapist Website Need?
A therapist website needs at least five core pages: a Homepage, an About page, a Services page (or ideally individual pages per specialty), a Fees & FAQs page, and a Contact page. Each page plays a specific role in helping both Google and potential clients understand your practice. These are your therapy website must-haves, whether you run a solo private practice or a group clinic.
| Page | Primary Purpose | SEO Role |
|---|---|---|
| Homepage | States who you help, what you help with, and where | Signals core topics and location to Google |
| About | Builds emotional safety and connection before booking | Restates specialties in natural language; supports E-E-A-T |
| Services (one per specialty) | Explains specific concerns you work with in depth | Each page can rank for a different search query |
| Fees & FAQs | Removes practical barriers to booking | Attracts high-intent “therapy cost” and “sliding scale” searches |
| Contact | Makes it simple and safe to reach out | Supports local SEO with address/region; embeds Google Map |
A group practice we supported initially had everything on one long scrolling page. It felt overwhelming for visitors and confusing for search engines. Once we spread the content into the five core pages, time on site went up and new enquiries started to feel more aligned with the therapists’ actual specialties.
Homepage: Clear Niche, Location, and Who You Help
Your homepage is where we gently but clearly state: who you help, what you help with, and where you work. From an SEO perspective, this is also a strong place to mention your city or region so Google can connect you with local searches.
We once saw a homepage that began with “Welcome, I’m here to help.” It was caring, but vague. Google had no idea what the therapist offered or where she was based.
BEFORE: “Welcome to [Practice Name]”
AFTER: “Anxiety & Trauma Therapist in Ottawa | [Practice Name]”
That one change helped signal to search engines and visitors: this is an anxiety and trauma-focused private practice website in a specific city. Small edits like this one are often where a therapist website checklist begins to have a visible effect.
Your homepage should make decisions easy. Not feel like a choose-your-own-adventure.
About Page: Building Safety and Connection Before the First Session
A therapist about page is not a full autobiography or a list of qualifications alone. It’s a place to help someone feel a little safer imagining themselves in the room, or on screen, with you. From an SEO perspective, your about page can also restate your specialties and location in natural language.
A therapist we worked with in a small town had an about page that read like a CV. Once we added a short section on what clients often come to her for, plus a paragraph on what sessions feel like, calls from her own town began to increase. Google had more context, and people had more emotional safety.
Services Pages: One Page Per Specialty Works Better for SEO
One of the simplest structural shifts in any therapist website checklist is moving from one generic “Services” page to individual pages for each main specialty. Instead of one page listing CBT, EMDR, and couples counselling all together, we might create three separate pages:
- “CBT for Anxiety and Panic in [City]”
- “EMDR for Trauma and PTSD in [City]”
- “Couples Counselling for Communication and Conflict in [City]”
Each of those pages has a better chance of showing up when someone searches for “CBT therapist in [city]” or “EMDR therapist near me”. A small group practice that made this shift saw their couples counselling page begin to rank on page one locally within a few months, while the general “services” page had never moved.
Fees, Insurance & FAQs: Answering the Practical Questions Upfront
Money questions can feel delicate, yet they’re almost always on someone’s mind. A simple Fees & FAQs page can remove a lot of unspoken stress. From a search perspective, it also attracts people who might type “therapy cost [city]” or “sliding scale therapist [city]”, people who are already close to booking.
We supported an online-only therapist who was hesitant to name her fees. Once we created a calm, transparent Fees & FAQs page, she received fewer “just checking” emails and more direct booking requests. A quieter inbox and a better-matched client list.
Contact Page: Simple, Secure, and Easy to Find
Your contact page’s job is straightforward: make it simple for someone to reach you in a way that feels safe. At minimum: a secure contact form for therapists, your email, and perhaps a phone number. This is also a good place to include your city or region, which supports local SEO for therapists. For in-person practices, embedding a Google Map can help clients and search engines connect you with “therapist near me” searches.
We often see contact pages hidden in a footer link or using very small text. Once we move “Contact” into the main menu and ensure the form is easy to use on mobile, enquiry numbers usually rise with no extra marketing effort.
If your contact page is currently playing hide-and-seek with your potential clients… the clients are not going to keep seeking.
Local SEO Basics for Therapists (So You Show Up in Your City)
Local SEO for therapists is the process of making it clear to Google where you are based, what you offer, and how people can contact you, so that when someone types “therapist near me” or “anxiety therapist in [city]” into Google, your practice has a chance of appearing.
When someone runs a local search like this, they usually see two main sections: the Google Maps 3-pack (a small map with three nearby practices at the very top) and a list of standard search results underneath. Appearing in either area helps more local clients find your private practice website at the exact moment they’re ready to reach out. Research shows 76% of “near me” searchers visit a related business within a day.
This matters even for online-only therapists, since many people still search for support within their province, state, or country for licensing reasons.
One therapist we worked with offered only virtual sessions across a large region. Once we clarified her main city and province on key pages, she started showing up for “online therapy [province]” searches, even without a physical office address.
Using Your City or Region Naturally in Key Places
We can start by weaving your city or region into a few key spots:
- Homepage headline or subheading
- Services page titles and first paragraphs
- About page introduction
- Contact and footer details
The aim is not to repeat your city name everywhere like a broken record. It’s to make it easy for both people and search engines to see that you are, for example, an “anxiety therapist in Ottawa” or an “online trauma therapist serving Ontario”.
Setting Up Your Google Business Profile as a Therapist
A Google Business Profile (GBP) for therapists is what feeds your presence in the Google Maps 3-pack. Even if you only see clients by appointment, claiming and completing this profile is an important step. For in-person practices, use your office address. For online-only therapists, you may be able to set a service area instead, depending on privacy preferences and local guidelines.
We helped a small clinic that had a beautiful website but no Google Business Profile. After we created and verified their listing, added accurate hours, services, and a link to their site, they began appearing in local map results within a few weeks for searches like “trauma therapist near me”.
For a full walkthrough of how to set this up properly, our guide on how to set up Google Business Profile for your service-based business covers every step, including verification, photos, and common mistakes.
NAP Consistency: Why Your Name, Address, and Phone Number Need to Match
NAP stands for Name, Address, Phone number. For local SEO, consistency across the web is quietly important. Google likes to see that your practice details match across your website, Google Business Profile, and any directories you use. If your practice name appears slightly differently in different places, or your address is outdated somewhere, Google can get uncertain. And 62% of consumers say they would avoid using a business if they found incorrect information online.
One therapist we supported in a mid-sized city saw a small but noticeable ranking improvement after we fixed mismatched suite numbers and an old phone number across three directory listings. It’s a small piece of the therapist website checklist, but one that’s easy to overlook.
WordPress SEO Settings for Therapist Websites (A Done-for-You Style Checklist)
If your site runs on WordPress, there are a few core settings that support WordPress SEO for therapists without needing a technical background. These are mostly text fields, dropdowns, and simple uploads. Once they’re set up, they don’t usually need daily attention.
If your WordPress site has been quietly gathering dust while you focus on your clients, you’re not alone. Our guide on WordPress maintenance for busy entrepreneurs covers how to keep the rest of it running smoothly.
Page Titles and Meta Descriptions That Speak to Someone Searching for Help
Every page on your site has a page title (the clickable blue text in Google results) and a short meta description (the grey text underneath it). These are often the first thing a potential client reads about you.
For a therapist website checklist, useful title formats include:
- “Anxiety Therapy for Adults in [City] | [Practice Name]”
- “Online Therapy in [Province] | [Practice Name]”
- “EMDR for Trauma and PTSD in [City] | [Practice Name]”
Meta descriptions can then gently expand with one or two sentences that speak directly to the person searching. Think of them as a quiet invitation, not a sales pitch.
A therapist we worked with in a group practice had high-quality writing on her site but no page titles or meta descriptions set. After adding these, her main service pages started to attract more targeted organic traffic, even though we didn’t change the actual on-page content itself.
Headings and Keywords: How Much Is Enough?
On each page, headings (H1, H2, H3) give structure to your content. Using your primary term once in the main heading and a few related terms in subheadings is usually enough. We’re not aiming for a certain number of keyword repeats. We’re helping Google understand that this is a page about anxiety therapy in a specific location.
If your writing clearly reflects what you actually offer, you’re likely already most of the way there. Keyword stuffing helps nobody. Not Google, not your clients, and definitely not the calm, professional impression you’re trying to create.
Image Sizes, Alt Text, and Client-Safe Photos
Images can quietly slow down a site when they’re too large or uncompressed. Alt text is a short text description attached to an image. It supports accessibility for screen readers and gives Google more context about what’s on your page.
For a therapy website, alt text might look like:
- “Calm therapy office in Ottawa with two chairs and a plant”
- “Online therapy session on laptop for client in Ontario”
We also want to ensure any photos are fully client-safe and anonymised. Avoid real client images. Lean instead on neutral, calming stock photography or photos of your space without people present.
If you’re looking to upgrade your existing business website beyond just the SEO settings, there are a few simple visual refreshes that can make a big difference without a full rebuild.
WordPress SEO Plugins: What to Set Up and Let Run
SEO plugins like Yoast and Rank Math are solid options for WordPress SEO for therapists. They give you fields for page titles, meta descriptions, and basic sitemaps without needing extra tools. You don’t have to use every feature. We can start by:
- Setting a clear homepage title and meta description
- Checking that a sitemap is enabled
- Completing basic site-wide settings (site name, separator style, social profiles)
One therapist we supported felt overwhelmed by the suggestions and colour indicators in Yoast. We chose to ignore the “scores” and simply use it to manage titles and meta descriptions. That alone made her site clearer to search engines and humans, without adding more to her weekly to-do list.
Those little traffic lights in Yoast have caused more anxiety than a therapy waiting room. You don’t need all green dots to have a well-optimised page.
Content That Helps Clients Feel Seen (and Helps You Rank)
Beyond the core pages and settings, content plays a gentle but important role in therapy practice website SEO. When your pages and posts reflect the words clients actually use to describe their struggles, Google is more likely to match your site with their searches. The goal is not constant blogging, but a small set of thoughtful pages and perhaps a handful of posts that feel sustainable.
With about 23% of Americans currently seeing a therapist and mental health search volumes continuing to grow, the people searching for your specific expertise are out there. The question is whether your website is speaking their language.
Writing Service Pages Around Specific Problems, Not Just Modalities
Many therapists naturally write about their training and modalities, CBT, EMDR, ACT, IFS. While this is important, most clients search for the problems they’re living with, not the modalities themselves.
When we reframe service pages around specific problems, like anxiety, trauma, grief, or relationship struggles, we align more closely with real searches such as “help for panic attacks in [city]” or “support after divorce [city]”.
Your clients aren’t Googling “cognitive behavioural therapy.” They’re Googling “why can’t I stop worrying about everything.” Write to the worry, not the acronym.
Blogging Without Burning Out: 3 Low-Stress Topic Ideas for Therapists
You do not need to publish weekly posts to support your rankings. A small set of evergreen articles can go a long way. Three low-stress ideas that often work well:
- “What to Expect in Your First Therapy Session” helps reduce anxiety about starting and can rank for related questions year-round
- “How to Choose a Therapist in [City]” positions you as a guide and reinforces your local presence
- “Online Therapy vs In-Person Therapy: What’s Best for You?” answers a common decision point and quietly features your online therapy offering
One therapist we partnered with wrote just four blog posts over a year. Those posts still bring in consistent search traffic, without any ongoing publishing schedule.
Using FAQs to Naturally Answer the Questions Clients Are Already Typing
FAQs can live on your fees page, each service page, or a dedicated FAQ page. They’re a simple way to answer natural language questions such as “how long are therapy sessions”, “do you offer evening appointments”, or “is online therapy effective”.
These questions often mirror exactly what people ask Google. Including them gives you more opportunities to appear as a relevant result. AI search engines like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini are increasingly pulling from pages that answer specific questions with clear, standalone answers, making FAQ sections even more valuable for visibility.
A therapist who works mainly with anxiety added a short FAQ section about session frequency and whether clients can message between appointments. That small addition increased both time spent on the page and the number of direct contact form submissions.
Quick Tech and Trust Checks That Affect Your Rankings
You don’t need a technical background to address a few foundational tech and trust elements. These are quiet but important ranking signals, and they help people feel safer on your site.
Is Your Site Secure? HTTPS and Basic Privacy Basics
Google prefers secure sites, and most modern browsers now highlight when a site is “Not secure”. For a therapist website, where privacy and confidentiality are central to the entire relationship, this matters even more.
You’ll know your site is using HTTPS if your URL starts with “https://” and you see a padlock icon in the browser bar. Alongside HTTPS, a basic privacy policy and a clear note about how you handle information in your secure contact form for therapists helps people feel more comfortable sharing sensitive details.
If someone is finally ready to reach out to a therapist and your site flashes a “Not Secure” warning… they’re not reaching out. They’re closing that tab and moving on.
Mobile-Friendliness: A Quick Way to Test It Right Now
Many people searching “therapist near me” are doing so on their phones. A mobile-friendly therapy website is a baseline for both user experience and rankings. You can do a quick informal test by opening your site on your own phone:
- Is the text readable without zooming?
- Are buttons easy to tap?
- Does the menu open and close smoothly?
- Can someone fill out your contact form without wanting to throw their phone?
One therapist we supported noticed her booking button was hidden below multiple scrolls on mobile. Moving it higher led to more consultations, without changing anything else or increasing traffic.
Page Speed: Three Realistic Fixes (No Tech Degree Required)
Page speed for therapist websites matters because slow pages can discourage visitors and lower your rankings over time. Three realistic, non-technical steps often help:
- Compress large images. Simple compression tools like ShortPixel or TinyPNG can reduce file sizes dramatically without affecting visual quality.
- Deactivate unused or duplicate plugins. Fewer plugins often means faster load times. If you installed a plugin two years ago and haven’t thought about it since, it’s probably time.
- Enable caching via your host or a simple plugin. This helps serve pages more quickly to returning visitors.
A group practice we worked with cut their homepage load time almost in half simply by resizing a large background image and removing two unused sliders. Search performance improved gradually over the next couple of months.
If your website loads slowly enough that you could make a cup of tea while it renders… your clients are already gone.
Your Therapist Website Checklist at a Glance
Save this therapist website checklist and work through it one section at a time. There’s usually a simpler way than trying to do everything at once.
Pages
| Check | Details |
|---|---|
| Homepage | Clearly states who you help, main issues, and your city or region |
| About page | Builds connection and restates your specialties in plain language |
| Services pages | Separate page for each main specialty (e.g. anxiety, trauma, couples) |
| Fees & FAQs | Covers session length, pricing, insurance, and common questions |
| Contact page | Secure form, email, and clear location or service area |
Local SEO
| Check | Details |
|---|---|
| City/region mentions | City or region mentioned naturally on homepage, services, and about page |
| Google Business Profile | Claimed, verified, and fully completed |
| NAP consistency | Name, address, and phone match across website and all directories |
WordPress SEO Settings
| Check | Details |
|---|---|
| Page titles & meta descriptions | Set for all main pages with specialty and location |
| Headings | Structured logically (H1, H2, H3) with key topics and locations |
| Images | Resized, compressed, alt text added with simple descriptive language |
| SEO plugin | Yoast or Rank Math installed and basic settings configured |
Content
| Check | Details |
|---|---|
| Service pages | Written around specific client problems, not only modalities |
| Blog posts | At least a few evergreen posts answering common client questions |
| FAQs | Added to key pages reflecting questions people are already typing |
Tech & Trust
| Check | Details |
|---|---|
| HTTPS | Active with visible padlock and basic privacy policy in place |
| Mobile-friendly | Easy to read and navigate on a phone |
| Page speed | Supported by compressed images and minimal unused plugins |
Frequently Asked Questions About Therapist Websites and SEO
What pages does a therapist website need?
A therapist website needs at least five core pages: a Homepage, an About page, one or more Services pages, a Fees & FAQs page, and a Contact page. These pages help both Google and potential clients understand who you are, what you offer, and how to reach you. Adding extra pages for specialties like online therapy, couples work, or specific concerns can then build on this foundation. This simple structure works well for solo and group practices alike.
Do I need a Google Business Profile if I’m an online-only therapist?
A Google Business Profile is still helpful for online-only therapists because most people search within a specific region or licensing area, even when looking for virtual sessions. You can usually set a service area instead of showing a full street address, which supports privacy. This profile increases your chances of appearing in local map results when someone searches “online therapist in [city]” or “[province] therapist near me”. It also gives you a central place to manage reviews and basic practice information. Our full Google Business Profile setup guide walks through this step by step.
Should I use Psychology Today instead of (or as well as) my own website?
Both are valuable, but they serve different purposes. Psychology Today and similar therapy directories can be a useful part of your overall visibility, but they are not a full replacement for your own website. A directory profile is shared space with limited control over design, messaging, and search presence, while your private practice website lets you speak directly to your ideal clients in more depth. Many therapists benefit from using both: a directory profile as a discovery point and a website as the place where people really get to know your work. This combination gives you more chances to appear across different types of search results.
How do I make my therapist website show up in local Google searches?
Start by clearly stating your city or region on your homepage, services pages, and about page, and by setting up a Google Business Profile. Ensuring your name, address, and phone number (NAP) are consistent across your website and directories also helps. Over time, having individual services pages that mention your specialties and location, such as “anxiety therapist in Ottawa”, increases your chances of appearing for those specific searches. These small, steady steps often have more impact than any single quick fix.
Can I improve my therapy practice website SEO without being technical?
You can improve your therapy practice website SEO with a series of small, non-technical steps. Writing clear page titles, adding simple meta descriptions, and creating service pages focused on specific client concerns all make a real difference. Claiming your Google Business Profile and checking that your site is secure (HTTPS) are also manageable tasks most therapists can complete on their own or with brief support. Many private practice websites see better rankings over time through these basics alone, without touching code or advanced tools.
How often should I update my therapist website?
Your core pages don’t need constant changes, but it helps to review them a few times a year to ensure your services, fees, and availability are accurate. Adding or updating a blog post or FAQ section occasionally can also signal to Google that your site is active and relevant. When you make a shift in your practice, such as adding online therapy, a new specialty, or adjusting your fees, it’s worth updating your site promptly. Regular, gentle adjustments often feel more sustainable than large periodic overhauls.
Next Step: If Your Therapy Website Still Isn’t Showing Up on Google
Even after working through a therapist website checklist like this one, there may be deeper reasons your site is still not appearing where you’d like it to. Sometimes the issue is competition in your city, older technical setups, or content that doesn’t quite match what people are searching for yet.
If you’ve handled the basics and your rankings still feel stuck, the next layer usually involves looking at site structure, internal linking, and how Google currently sees your site as a whole. That can sound heavy, but it becomes much easier to navigate with a clear, step-by-step overview.
Ready for Some Calm, Practical Support With Your Therapy Website?
You’ve already done the heavy lifting by building your practice and showing up for your clients. If you’d like some help turning your existing site into a clearer, more findable home for your work, we can do that together.
Here’s where to go based on what you need:
- Need a new website or a full refresh? GoWithFlo offers WordPress web design and development for private practices, built with these therapist website checklist principles from the start.
- Site mostly working but you’d rather not manage plugins, backups, and updates? WordPress maintenance for busy therapists can quietly take that off your plate.
- Not sure which platform your website should be on? Our honest comparison of website platforms for small business covers the pros and cons.
- Just want a grounded, personalised look at what’s working and what isn’t? Book a website review and we’ll walk through your current site, highlight realistic changes, and leave you with a clear, manageable path forward.
However you move forward, your therapy website doesn’t have to be complicated to be effective. It just needs to clearly show who you help and where you work.
Written by Tara-Lynn | GoWithFlo | WordPress Web Designer & Systems Strategist | gowithflo.work
Tara-Lynn works with therapists, healthcare providers, and service-based entrepreneurs to build clear, calm WordPress websites that actually show up in search. She focuses on practical, sustainable improvements, not overnight promises or traffic light scores that judge you from a sidebar.
