Clients searching the Internet for local mental health professionals need to be able to find you. People who have heard about you by word of mouth or through an insurance list need a place to check your credentials and see if you are a good fit. If you don’t have a website, there are plenty of competitors who do.
A successful website for a therapy practice requires three things:
- An attractive, professional look and intuitive design, with a mobile-friendly design
- Search engine optimization (SEO), so that clients searching for therapists in your area find your website, not someone else’s
- High-quality content, communicating what you can do for your clients
If you only get two out of the three right, your website will not be successful. The internet is full of beautiful websites that no-one ever sees and well-written websites that no-one reads because they look unprofessional.
At TherapyEverywhere, we give you all three under one roof for a low price.
Create a custom solution for your therapy practice
Should I build a website myself? Should I hire a web designer?
You’ve opened a private practice, but the new clients aren’t streaming in. All your degrees and training to be an excellent psychotherapist did not prepare you for this. You need to get the word out about your practice, and fast. You know close to nothing about website design and SEO. What to do? All the professional website design companies charge a fortune, and you still need to pay off your student debts.
Suddenly you think of your neighbor and her teenage son who always seems to be glued to his laptop or smartphone. You know he knows a lot about computers and social media. He could surely help!
Before you pick up the phone to call your neighbor, ask yourself if your neighbor’s son will have the expertise and commitment to provide your website the attention it deserves.
1. SEO expertise
Designing an aesthetically pleasing website is only the first half of the equation. The second (and arguably more important half) is ensuring that clients can find your website on Google.
A website designer needs to be knowledgeable about Google’s algorithms and which keywords and site layouts will generate the best search engine optimization.
2. Choose the best website platform for your therapy practice
Square Space, Weebly, WordPress, Wix. You may have heard these platforms advertised as an easy way for an amateur to throw together a site.
Do you know the pros and cons of each platform?
WordPress, for instance, has an array of plugins as well as a large community of users dedicated to providing support to all WordPress users. Some other platforms may be easy to use, but when you decide you want a specific feature, they may not be equipped to offer the customized design you had in mind.
3. Ongoing maintenance
Like a garden, a website needs ongoing care. What was effective yesterday may not bring clients to your site tomorrow. You will constantly need to tweak and update your site. You need to add new and interesting content. New content signals to your clients (and to Google) that your site is active and relevant. Don’t forget that you will need to update your website as your practice develops. This is necessary to continue to attract the type of clients you want most.
Will your neighbor continue to update your website? Will you be able to make the updates yourself?
4. Social media and digital marketing?
Once your website is live, you will need to promote it. Make sure the person you hire is able to create and maintain a Facebook business page, configure your listing on Google My Business, engage in LinkedIn networking, and audit your Psychology Today or Psychology Everywhere profile for improvements.
As the rules of digital marketing evolve, how will your website evolve with it?
In Google is now prioritizing the rankings of websites with SSL. In response, most websites on the web converted from a URL beginning with HTTP to HTTPS. Websites are expected to load in under 2.5 seconds in order to stay competitive. These are but two examples of the updates needed to keep your website relevant in this fast-paced era of digital marketing.
How will you ensure that your website is on track with the latest developments in web design and marketing?
Take the first step
Book a free consultation about marketing your practice online
At Therapy Everywhere, our marketing team goes beyond creating an engaging and effective website for your practice. We optimize your website for SEO, maintain your site with the necessary updates to stay current and active. We promote your website with the latest digital marketing trends.
If you are asking yourself, “Should I build a website myself? Should I hire a web designer?” Talk to us about your needs. We offer an affordable and creative solution.
Click here to read about our solutions for private therapy practices and group therapy practices.