Your private practice website is the online doormat for your business. Having an online presence is more important than ever. Most potential clients are finding their therapist online and having a great website is one way to stand out from the crowd and attract your ideal clients.
If you don’t have a website that is up to date, you are missing out on potential clients! Even if you are on a small budget or have very little skill when it comes to web design there are products/services on the market to meet your needs, but more on that later on in the post.
Let’s dig into five really important aspects of your private practice website.
1. Reliable Hosting Platform
There are lots of options when it comes to hosting your private practice website. However, many therapists choose based on these simple factors:
- The budget for their website set-up and ongoing costs
- How much of the website they plan to do themselves or “DIY”
If you prefer a basic website and have the skills to use a DIY website builder, perhaps Squarespace is a great and affordable option. On the other hand, if you prefer a more hand’s off approach you might hire a company like Brighter Vision to build and manage your website.
I’ve also had a great experience with some custom work from Counselingwise. They work with therapists to create websites that rank well on Google and specialize in helping therapist write great copy for their website.
I might be a bit biased, but WordPress is the way to go if you are planning to grow. Whether the dream is a large group with many clinics or you are like me and want to develop multiple income streams as a therapist and sell products/services online. The flexibility and customization of WordPress along with a solid theme may be your best bet!
If you are interested in a WordPress website, you can grab a free domain and a great discount on a hosting package with Bluehost*.
I personally use Bluehost* to host my private practice website and absolutely LOVE it. I think you will too. WordPress comes with many free themes you can apply, but one of the most popular paid WordPress themes is Divi*.
With Divi*, you can apply hundreds of custom templates and there are several options for therapists in the template library.
2. Professional Looking Photos and Branding
Take the time to create a consistent brand image for your private practice. Make sure that photos are good quality and have a color scheme that matches your overall brand esthetic.
If you are struggling to nail your brand image, you can easily hire someone on Fiverr to create one for you very inexpensively! Then you have customized brand kit with specific colors and fonts that you use consistently throughout your website so you look polished and professional.
You need at least one great headshot of yourself to feature on your website as well. This photo should be a good reflection of how you show up in therapy.
If you conduct sessions in-person or at an office, include pictures of your therapy space. This helps clients determine if your practice or style is a good fit and helps them feel comfortable showing up for that first session.
3. Specialty Pages
Your website has to have some CONTENT. Without content large search engines like Google won’t index your website or show it in the top results. This content should be specific to the issues you work best with and be created with your ideal client in mind.
Start with a list of common issues or presenting problems of your ideal clients. How do they describe these issues or talk about them? Search with Google keywords to find out the top phrases that potential clients are searching for when seeking your services.
Specialty pages contain specific information about a clinical focus that you help clients address, but also need to be written with the following in mind:
- One webpage per specialty or it gets too wordy and complex.
- The page copy should be written in a relatable way that describes how you best help clients and the potential transformation they could attain in therapy.
- Try to shoot for 1000-2000 words on the webpage (search engines like to see content rich pages)
- Use lots of keywords that describe the specialty that were noted during keyword research.
- Three-five specialty pages seem to be the sweet spot.
- Make sure your pages have a call to action, like “Contact Me” or “Book Now” so potential clients are invited to reach out and initiate contact with you.
4. Scheduling or Contact Forms
The ultimate goal is to create a website that generates revenue for your business. When a potential client lands on your site, you want them to have a intuitive experience that makes reaching out for therapy just a little easier.
Providing a call to action like “Schedule Now” or “Contact Me” and making the process of inquiring, scheduling a consult, or getting that first session scheduled simple for clients helps you fill your practice with ideal clients and makes getting mental health care easy and straightforward for the client.
It is important to think ahead as to how you will answer scheduling or contact inquiries as part of your overall process for onboarding new clients as your practice grows and make adjustments to your process as needed.
5. Website Policies
If you haven’t build a website before, you also need to consider creating or purchasing a template for basic website policies. This typically includes: terms of service, privacy policy, and disclaimer as it relates to the specific use of your website.
This isn’t a copy of your private practice paperwork, though you might choose to put copies of that on your website too! Rather these are legal disclaimers that are posted on your website (usually in the footer) to help you comply with laws surrounding conducting business online.
If you need help with website policies, you can check out Bobby Klinck. He makes website policies and disclaimers for websites of all kinds. I personally used his templates for my website as well.
There you have it fellow therapist entrepreneurs. The five must haves for your private practice website. Go forth and create amazing therapy websites!
*Some links in this post are affiliate links. If you choose to make a purchase, I may receive a small commission or discount in return. I only promote products or services I have used and believe in 
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