Therapist Website Design

Many therapist websites provide an incomplete picture of the service value provided. People seeking therapists have questions. Your website is an opportunity to answer those questions in ways communicating professionalism, expertise, and the benefits of your services.

Great therapist website design incorporates content and visuals eliciting the emotions prompting viewers to contact you for services.

Minimally your site should include‌:

• Who you are
• Your credentials
• What you do
• Who you help
• Client testimonials
• Conditions you treat
• Resource section
• A blog
• Online appointment scheduling

Features are important, but only to the degree they enhance user experience for clients and site administrators. Most agencies can deliver on features. Logical flows and intelligent use of those features are what matter.

Consider the elements above. Put yourself in a client’s shoes. Think back to conversations you routinely have with clients who enlist your services. What’s important to them? What questions do they ask? What are the steps they go through in the process of selecting you? Write everything down.

Discuss everything with your therapist website design team. Your responses aid the team in structuring your site and architecting information in a way that leads prospective clients on a journey, intuitively guiding them to contacting you or scheduling an appointment. The right content, in the right place, at the right time impresses upon visitors you understand their issues and have a solution.

On average, therapist web design ranges from $8,500-$15,000. Most private practices fall within that range. Factors that increase cost are additional features or non-native integrations with additional software applications, content production (professionally produced audio, video, images, and written content), campaign-specific landing pages, sales funnel setup, shopping carts, ongoing search engine optimization (SEO), and search engine marketing (SEM).

From initial discussions to requirement gathering, scoping, design, review, approval, development, and quality assurance testing, to launch typically takes around three months. Factors increasing launch time include content production, indecisiveness, slow approvals, scope changes, complex integrations or additional custom features. Factors decreasing launch time are a clear understanding of your wants and needs, a clear picture of who your site targets, pre-produced content assets, strong communication, a smooth approval process, and opting for native integrations when possible.

Websites offer therapists a number of benefits. Many therapists are solo practitioners. Missing phone calls can mean missed opportunities. Online appointment scheduling adds convenience and reduces back-and-forth communication. Even if clients come from word-of-mouth referrals, your website can be a great way to introduce yourself and answer many of their questions prior to contacting you. A visually appealing, well structured, content-rich website is an opportunity to put your best-foot-forward in making a great first impression. Clients can complete forms and worksheets online and integrate with back-office, marketing, and other applications you use to reduce your administrative time and make life easier. You can also sell and promote books, coaching programs, and physical or informational products from your site.

Just as clients interview therapists to get a feel about whether they’re a good fit, the same is true for working with an agency. After checking online reviews, comparing, considering, and narrowing down your list, contact the agency. What is their communication like? Do they convey professionalism and experience? Are they prompt to reply? Do they have clearly defined processes? Are they pushy, salesy, or quick to promise? Professionalism or lack of professionalism in your initial communications is a good indicator of how an agency would manage your project. Additionally, unlike working with freelancers, agencies often have complex legal contracts. Contracts nearly always protect the interests of the agency. Some agencies use contracts to trap clients into lengthy agreements charging them for their own content when they want to leave. Review for any negative stipulations or hidden fees.