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Websites are often your only reliable chance of reaching potential clients online.
That's why websites for therapists are absolutely fundamental. Are the good ones an investment? Yes. Will they pay off in no time? Absolutely.
But don't be fooled--a therapist website isn't just a digital business card. Websites for therapists can be lead generating machines 🦾
So along with discussing branding, photography, costs, content, website builders, subscription services, and technical performance, I'll be explaining some marketing tips so you can start getting clients from your website.
Let's dive in!
What is a brand?
In the marketing space, a brand can be defined in many ways. For our purposes, I’ll say this: you as a therapist–as a person–become a brand online. Potential clients have to love your brand to contact you.
Developing a brand can cost thousands of dollars, but at TherapieSEO, we like to keep it simple.
Pst: if you need help picking a name for your practice, check out our post on therapy practice names!
A brand is typically considered a visual marketing tactic. That means your logo, colors, photography, etc.
However, your brand--your identity--goes so much deeper. To design these assets, you must first concretely decide who you are as a company. As a licensed therapist online, your company is an extension of your personal and professional self--keep that in mind.
If you're looking for a place to start, brand can be understood as a business's personality.
How do you define a personality? We're sure many clients of yours sit in your office with identity crises, but as ironic as it is, you do need to nail a few things down yourself :)
There are many ways to approach branding, but we love the Jungian archetype model (it's perfect for us mental health nerds 🤓).
Carl Jung is, of course, famous for his archetypes in a therapeutic setting, but marketing professionals like ourselves use his archetypes to help define business's brands.
In case you need a refresher, there are 12 different archetypes.
Which of the archetypes resonates with you the most?
After identifying one (or a few) archetypes that feel like you, think critically about how these archetypes come across visually.
For example, the Magician reminds us of mystery and magic. We imagine dark blues and purples with an elusive and a symbolic and magical style font.
The Lover, on the other hand, brings up reds and pinks. A soft and open font would also suit the Lover.
The Creator is innovative and creative. Bright colors and modern fonts would be perfect if you identify as the Creative.
When choosing fonts and colors, remember to prioritize accessibility. Choose 3-4 colors that are high in contrast; this means that you can easily read text when those colors overlap.
Keep in mind that yellow is a tough color to use on a website. When it's done right, it's amazing--but when it's done wrong, it can look pretty bad.
When you're just starting your private practice website, you don't necessarily need a logo. A logo can come after you've been in business for a while.
However, as your business grows or becomes more established, the professional nature of your website should match your business.
When in doubt, your logo can be your brand font + some kind of symbol. Here are a few examples based on the example brand sheets we used above.
When in doubt, your brand voice should be yours.
But if you need more guidelines than that, take a look at this list of brand adjectives. There are 50+ to choose from!
When you're making your selections, make sure that those adjectives align with your brand archetype. All of these elements come together to form a stand-out brand!
If you can nail your archetype, fonts, colors, and voice down BEFORE you’ve done any other marketing, you'll thank yourself later. After you define these three things, then you can create your therapy website and website content much more easily, and website visitors will be way more likely to reach out.
With branding, it’s crucial that the experience is consistent. Everything online and offline should look and feel like your brand. If not, it’s a jarring and forgettable experience for potential clients.
Absolutely. Get. Professionally. Taken. Photography.
Second to your website, this is one of the best investments that you can make. In fact, we prefer not to work with clients that don’t have or pursue professional photography.
Not only does it take your website to the next level, it:
Although it does cost money, photography doesn’t have to be expensive.
For our website and social media photos,wewent to Instagram and searched #denverphotographer. Do the same with your city--#houstonphotographer, #bostonphotographer, etc.
From there, look for a photography style that aligns with your brand. Ask yourself: will I feel comfortable with this person? Do their photos look how I want to look?
Then, check how many followers they have. If they have a 5,000+, they will be pricier since photographers can up-charge based on their reputation--that means they're in high demand! Try to find a photographer with less than a few thousands followers to keep costs down.
Whoever you end up hiring, make sure to feel confident.
What makes you feel good? A fresh haircut? Your favorite pair of jeans? Whatever it is, make sure that you’re feeling confident, even if it means spending extra on a makeup artist, stylist, or new clothes.
If you feel good about yourself, you’ll look happy and confident in your photos.
There are a few types of shots to get for your therapist website.
I recommend taking photos inside, if possible. That way, the seasons won’t affect how your pictures come off year-round.
If you're not sure what style of pictures is right for your website, we suggest choosing outfits and scenery that are neutral. They'll go with whatever brand colors you choose and will be more accommodating down the line if you want to rebrand.
As SEO for therapists experts, we believe that content is everything.
Unfortunately, content is typically a big hang up for therapists on their private practice websites. Maybe...
And many more--we've heard them all!
If you can relate to any of those, we understand. But know that you ARE a writer (you have a graduate degree!), and it's totally okay and normal to explain why you're the right therapist for a potential client on your website. In fact, you'd be doing your clients a disservice if you didn't "sell" yourself on your therapy website.
Regardless of any mental blocks you may have around creating content, high quality content that educates potential clients is key to a successful therapist website.
You need the following types of content for your therapist website.
Generally, this should be a few paragraphs of content with a banner/tagline, an introductory section where you relate to your client, a list of your specialities/services, and a brief bio.
This page will likely be the most designed page on your website. It should stand out! This could be your one chance to pitch yourself.
On separate pages, have content that explains your specialties and services. If you specialize in EMDR, addictions, and couples counseling, have separate pages for those. This helps with SEO.
If we have individual pages targeting specific keywords, we are far more likely to rank for that keyword.
For example, Google will rank a specialty page dedicated to codependency over one page that lists a bunch of services.
Why?
These catch-all service pages aren't helpful. They don't teach the website visitor about the topic at hand, and they certainly don't explain your approach to that service or specialty.
Service/specialty pages are the bread and butter of SEO, so if you want to rank on Google, we recommend prioritizing these.
Your full bio should go on a separate page. On your bio, be sure to list your education, experience, specialties, certifications, languages, your treatment philosophy, and anything else that you find relevant.
If you are a group practice, you can make this a general about the practice page. We recommend that group practices create individual pages for each team member--you're more likely to rank on Google for your employees' names that way!
To avoid irrelevant client inquiries, answer frequently asked questions on your website.
For example, you can answer things like...
You can always add to this page if you get tired of asking certain questions over and over again.
Blogging isn't mandatory, but it’s important if you want to rank your therapy website on Google.
Blogs keep your website fresh (search engines need to know that your website is active) and can potentially help you rank for keywords like "how do I know if I have anxiety?"
Growing a blog on your website over time helps you prove to Google that you're a subject matter expert, which helps you rank higher for keywords like "anxiety therapist near me."
It's worth the effort as long as the blog posts you create are high quality--that means no 500-word rants on your morning meditation. Instead, create blog posts that are highly informative and worth bookmarking or sharing with friends.
Clients need to know what the next step is to working with you.
On your contact page, you can include a form (you have HIPAA-compliant options) or link to a scheduling app like Simple Practice.
The pieces of content you create will dictate what you include in your website's menu and footer.
Menus look generally the same between businesses in the same industry, but yours may be different depending on your offerings.
These are the most common menu items that we include on therapists websites.
Your footer can include all items from your menu or be a more abbreviated version. It's up to you!
Additionally, in your footer, make sure to include your business name, address, and phone number--that helps your performance on Google.
When we coach therapists on writing for their therapists websites (we've taught over 200 therapists at this point!), we help them craft a writing process that matches their energy levels and keeps them motivated.
Writing is mentally intense work, so you'll want to form a writing routine that takes as much effort out of the writing process as possible.
Here's the 4-day process that we recommend.
There's nothing like a blank Word document and a blinking cursor to suck the creative energy out of a room.
That's why we recommend outlining your content before you start.
Having a plan going into writing removes additional mental strain, and it helps you stay organized and on topic. They also help make your content more scannable for website visitors, which is crucial!
Outlines can be simple or robust--it depends on your preferences and the type of content that you're creating. For example, here's a simple outline for a bio page (or an "about me" page).
Or, an outline can be as robust as the content briefs we create for our clients. You can check out an example here.
If you're not sure what to include, ask yourself this: what would I be remiss not to mention when discussing this topic? If a client were to sit down with you for half an hour and ask you a question about yourself or a mental health topic, what would you say? Add that to your outline.
Day 2 is all about creating a judgment-free zone. No editing, no critiquing--nothing but getting all of your thoughts down and filling out your outline.
Here are a few tips for a successful brain dump day.
Besides, you'll take a more critical look at your content on day 3.
On day 3, edit and clean up your brain dump so it flows and is grammatically correct.
We recommend a thorough read-through or two and then editing your content with a tool like Grammarly.
You can also involve a trusted peer on day 3.
Now that your content is outlined, written, and edited, it's time for the final step: publishing!
Just copy and paste your content onto your website building platform, like Squarespace or Wix.
Some of your content will require more design (like your homepage), but other types of content (like blog content) don't require much (if any design).
After you hit publish, woohoo! You're done :)
Your website isn't just a virtual business card! It's a living and breathing marketing asset, but unfortunately, it can break 🙃
Here's what to look out for.
There are other technicals considerations when it comes to therapists websites, but those three items are a great start.
We hope this has been helpful for your therapy practice so far.
Now that you have an understanding of what all goes into therapists website, it's time to get to it!
There are a few ways to get your counseling website built.
There are some amazing therapists websites templates out there.
So many of our clients find great success in marketing their counseling services by customizing a template!
Templates are affordable and attractive, but you may get frustrated with the process. We won't lie: creating a website can be tedious!
You may feel a greater need to outsource this work. In this case, you have a few options.
We're not fans of website subscription services (this is essentially leasing a website) like Brighter Vision (read why).
Long story short, you get what you pay for (typically below $150/month), and it's not much.
All subscription services make a profit based on the volume of people they help. This is an honest way of making money--all service subscriptions follow this model. But this can quickly turn therapists into dollar signs instead of people (which gives me BetterHelp vibes).
One of the things subscription services counts on is people having simple needs and similar problems or requests. If you need something more customizable or advanced on your website, a subscription website service may not have the systems in place to adequately support you.
So how can they offer such low prices? Someone is getting the short end of the stick or you're getting an inferior product/service.
We know that it's attractive in the short term, but website subscriptions don't make sense in the long run. When you end your subscription, you're left with nothing but your domain name and some content (if that).
Like us 👋 Let the experts handle it for you!
You might be feeling exhausted after endless research on therapists websites and just want to get this off your plate--we totally get it.
Working with a skilled website designer is an investment up front, but a high quality and well-designed website will last you for years to come. It's more expensive than templates or a website subscription service, but you'll likely save time and money in the long-term.
Send us an email (kristie@therapieseo.com) to get more information on designing your therapist website with us.
Although we've broken down the building blocks of a website, examples can help inspire you.
When we design therapist websites, we first send our clients to Land Book. Land Book is a giant collection of the latest website designs--you could scroll endlessly, but you can always refine your search if you're feeling overwhelmed :)
You can also reference other therapist websites that you like. Here are a few examples of the best therapist websites that we really like (do NOT just copy them--that's not cool and won't serve your private practice in the long run).
Keep in mind that there is no one way for therapist websites to look! We are showing you a variety of aesthetics so you don't feel boxed into one look.
Let's dive in!
We adore this site 😍
The branding is unique, and it immediately showers the user in positive vibes. We can't help but feel hopeful when we spend time on Live As You Wellness.
The homepage content is also very clear and well organized. You immediately know who she helps and how she does it. Most of the time, simple is best.
Spoiler alert... this is one of our therapist websites designs.
We spent a lot of time with Negin, founder of Rooted Self Therapy, perfecting her message, and her visual branding and photography paired perfectly with her mission of helping her clients ground and listen to their own intuition.
This therapist's website is a great example of how much photography can shape a website and brand. It's a worthy investment!
Tethered Practices offers therapy, yoga, and retreats. We love how unique this is for a therapy website--the cursive typography, custom icons, and adventure photograpy paints a beautiful picture about what it's like to work with them.
Are you ready for some help with your counseling website?
We offer custom website design and pay-to-own therapy sites, too!
Send us an email at kristie@therapieseo.com to get the details on a custom design or sign up below to get notified when our pay-to-own therapy sites are ready (like templates... but better).
Our websites range in price, from $499 for a template to $6,000 for a fully custom website.
We're working our hardest to have our websites ready by January 2023, but we can take on custom projects at any time!
Squarespace websites are relatively easy to use. We'll show you how to use them, but you can always reach out if you need a hand!
Our websites are designed with SEO, ease of use, and content in mind. We know how to build websites that perform well on Google, and we take a minimal and straightforward approach to keep things easy-peasy for you! Plus, you'll have access to our team of writers if you want some help with content.
Are you ready for a website that Google (and potential clients) love?
Sign UpWe are honored to have worked with many incredible therapists and coaches. You can hear more about their experiences with us below.
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