YMYL · SEO GLOSSARY
Mental Health Content YMYL
YMYL standards for mental health content — named BACP/UKCP-attributed authorship, NICE guideline citations, Article schema with datePublished and dateModified, scope-of-practice caveats, and crisis resource links on all clinical pages.
Definition
Mental health content YMYL requirements: (1) **Author attribution**: every clinical content page (condition guides, therapy explainers, symptom information) must have a named, credentialled author — BACP/UKCP registered therapist with membership number; anonymous content fails quality rater assessment; (2) **NICE guideline citations**: NICE CG91 (depression), CG113 (generalised anxiety disorder), NG69 (PTSD), NG116 (OCD), CG178 (eating disorders in adults) — link to specific guidelines as authoritative external references; (3) **Date accuracy**: `datePublished` and `dateModified` in Article schema; NICE guidelines are updated — stale citations erode credibility; (4) **Scope caveats**: content must be clear about what therapy is and is not — does not diagnose, prescribe, or replace medical care; caveats protect both patient safety and quality rater assessment; (5) **Crisis resources**: Samaritans (116 123), Crisis Text Line (text SHOUT to 85258), NHS 111 mental health line — present in footer on all pages, prominent on pages discussing suicidal ideation, self-harm, or acute crisis; (6) **Content accuracy**: outdated or inaccurate mental health information can cause direct harm — the YMYL standard reflects this real-world risk.
Why it matters for SEO
Mental health content directly affects user wellbeing. Incorrect, outdated, or attributed-to-nobody content risks both patient harm and quality rater YMYL penalties. Crisis resources are a safety-critical content requirement, not just an SEO signal.
How DeepSEOAnalysis checks this
DeepSEOAnalysis checks Article schema datePublished and dateModified on content pages, validates MedicalBusiness memberOf BACP/UKCP, and audits server-rendering of all schema on mental health content pages.
Useful tools and resources
GLOSSARY
Related terms
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Counsellor SEO
Local and YMYL SEO strategy for private counsellors and psychotherapists — BACP/UKCP E-E-A-T signals, MedicalBusiness schema for mental health practices, modality and niche query targeting, and YMYL content standards.
Read definition →ymyl
BACP E-E-A-T
BACP (British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy) membership and accreditation as E-E-A-T signals for counsellor websites — MBACP Accred post-nominal, membership number, and BACP directory link for quality rater verification.
Read definition →structured data
Private Therapist Schema
Schema.org patterns for private counselling and psychotherapy practices — MedicalBusiness with medicalSpecialty: MentalHealth, BACP/UKCP memberOf, hasCredential for accreditation, areaServed for online therapy, and aggregateRating.
Read definition →See how your site scores on Mental Health Content YMYL.
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