If you’re a therapist who owns a private practice, your website is an important tool to attract new clients as well as provide value to your existing clients. In order to support your business effectively, your therapy website should be SEO-friendly, easy to navigate, and attract the type of clients you actually want to work with.
This is easier said than done. Fortunately, there are plenty of resources and examples available to help guide you in creating an effective therapist website.
In this post, we’ll break down exactly what your website needs in order to help you reach your business goals. In addition, we’ll review 5 standout therapist website examples for inspiration and consider what makes them effective.
6 tips for therapist websites
Here are some tips for creating a therapist website that effectively promotes your practice and meets the needs of your clients.
1. Optimize the homepage
Your homepage is often the first thing that potential clients will see when they visit your website, so it’s essential to make a good first impression. Your homepage should be clear and concise, with a brief introduction to your practice and the services you offer.
Other elements to consider including on your homepage include client testimonials, brand photos, and your address if you offer in-person services.
If you haven’t already, make sure to take time to develop your therapist brand before building your website. Having clarity around your positioning, messaging, and brand visuals will make it so much easier to both design and write content for your website.
Click here to download my brand clarity workbook for free guidance on developing your brand.
2. Highlight your expertise and credentials
As a therapist, you have a unique set of skills and credentials that set you apart from other healthcare professionals. Make sure to highlight these on your website, so potential clients can easily understand what makes you qualified to help them.
In addition, highlight your methodologies and areas of expertise, such as individual, group, or family therapy. If you specialize in certain techniques, whether that’s CBT, hypnotherapy, psychotherapy, or something else, make sure to mention that as well.
3. Provide resources and information for clients
Many clients visit therapist websites seeking information and resources on mental health topics. Consider creating a blog or resource center on your website that provides informative articles, worksheets, and other helpful materials that clients can access for free.
Providing free resources can also help to establish you as a thought leader in your field. And if you incorporate SEO into your blogging strategy, you can use that free content to attract new clients who are searching for your expertise online.
4. Make it easy for clients to contact you
Your website should make it easy for potential clients to contact you to schedule an appointment or ask questions about your services. Include a clear call-to-action (CTA) on every page of your website that directs clients to your contact page, where they can find your phone number, email address, and a contact form.
I also recommend adding a bar to the top of each page with clickable contact information, such as a phone number, email address, or both. That way, your contact info will be virtually impossible to miss.
If you want to make it easier for clients to book appointments with you online, consider embedding a booking form through a service like Acuity or Calendly. I personally love using Acuity to book calls and day rates with my clients.
5. Ensure HIPAA compliance
As a therapist, you already know the importance of complying with HIPAA regulations, which govern the confidentiality and privacy of client information. Make sure that your website is HIPAA compliant by using secure forms and encrypting any data that clients submit through your website.
Installing an SSL certificate is an easy way to create a secure link between your website and a visitor’s browser and is essential for any kind of website. In addition, you should check with your web host to make sure they have HIPAA compliant practices in place.
If you choose to hire a web designer to create your website, you should make sure to sign a business associate agreement (BAA) with them in order to remain HIPAA compliant.
6. Optimize your website for search engines (SEO)
Finally, make sure to optimize your therapist website for search engines, so potential clients can easily find you when searching for therapists in your area. Use relevant keywords and phrases throughout your website, including in your page titles, headers, and meta descriptions.
SEO is a powerful strategy for any kind of business that wants to attract clients online, including therapists and private practices. This is why I include SEO support along with my web design services for service-based health and wellness businesses.
If your private practice has a physical location, check out my article on optimizing your reach locally: Beginner’s guide to SEO for local businesses.
5 therapist website examples
Now that we’ve covered a few tips on optimizing your therapist website, let’s take a look at some real examples for inspiration. In no particular order, here are five well-made therapist websites.
1. Wellspace
Wellspace is an integrative practice of psychotherapists, certified coaches, and holistic health practitioners based in San Francisco. Their website does many things well. For one, it has a pleasant design that feels warm, friendly, and calming. The main navigation is well-organized, making it easy to find whatever information you’re looking for, such as the services they offer and their team’s credentials. In addition, there are multiple ways to contact them, all of which are ready accessible. For example, the phone number is listed at the top of each page.
2. Ryann Nicole
Ryann is a food freedom therapist and virtual coach who offers self-paced courses and group coaching. Her website is modern and clean with a casual yet supportive tone. It’s fun to navigate and has a variety of free content to explore, such as a podcast, blog, and newsletter. Since Ryann is active on Instagram, her website also features a preview of her feed, enticing visitors to follow along for more content and inspiration. All-in-all, this website is a good example for any therapist working on building a personal brand.
3. Wholeness Collective Therapy Group
If you’re looking for a simple and minimalist therapist website example, take a look at Wholeness Collective Therapy Group. This website is light on content, and most of it is available on a single page. With lots of plant imagery and white space, the website feels open and inviting; as a therapist, the last thing you want your website to do is overwhelm your audience.
4. Sunflower Therapy
For another minimalist, yet effective, therapy website example, check out Sunflower Therapy. This is a single-page, scrolling website with on-brand images, clean design, and zero fluff. It simply offers all the essential information you need in order to decide whether it’s worth reaching out, which you can do via phone or email. Although small websites like this are unlikely to rank in search engines due to the low volume of content, they can be very effective for anyone who simply needs a professional place to send prospective clients to.
5. The Mindful Movement
Finally, our last example is of a more content-heavy website. The Mindful Movement is an online community offering courses, one-on-one sessions, and a monthly membership. In addition to their paid offers, they offer a variety of free resources, such as a meditation course, blog, videos, and podcast. Offering free value like this is an incredible way to grow your audience and attract paying clients. Overall, this website is fairly easy to navigate and consistent with its branding.
Ready to create your own effective therapist website?
As a brand and web designer, I specialize in helping service-based health and wellness businesses stand out online and book out their services and programs. Click here to learn more about my services and find out how I can support you in growing your therapy business.
