Did you know that the design of your therapy website can have a large impact on whether clients book appointments with you? We've all heard the rule, "don't judge a book by its cover." But, it happens and it's true! 75% of users admit to making judgments about a company’s credibility based on website design according to a Stanford University study.
A poor website design will make people feel uncomfortable and they won't want to work with you. In this blog post, we'll talk about how to design an attractive therapy website for mental health professionals so that more site visitors convert into appointments on your calendar.
What is a therapy website and why do therapists need one?
A therapist website is a place to share information about the therapist and their practice as well as provide resources for visitors interested in mental health services.
Treating the mind is an important and difficult job. Therapists need to design their website in a way that reflects the seriousness of what they do without appearing too sterile or clinical. In fact, here's why all small businesses should have a website. However, a therapist's website is the perfect place to personalize the aesthetic and customize it for your type of care.
Therapists need a website to advertise and communicate to their patients about their specialized services. Having a nice, professional therapist website can help attract more clients who are looking online for mental health help.
When it comes to therapist websites, you need to be sure that your website is user-friendly and has a professional design. It's important for therapists who have their own practice - or want them in the future - to get an easy-to-navigate therapist website with all the information potential clients would need.
The benefits of a therapist website
Having a therapist website gives you an opportunity to connect with your clients in a deeper way than you would over email or phone calls alone. A therapist's site provides insight into what goes on behind closed doors, meaning it's a place to share values, interests, and personality. This can help clients form a better relationship with their therapist from the start.
A therapist website also provides other benefits for mental health professionals such as:
- It allows therapists to build a larger client base by reaching others in search of their services.
- Existing clients can contact their therapist through the website.
- Therapists can share relevant information about their practice, including what they specialize in and how sessions work
- The website can answer all questions a potential client may have before they call you.
How to create the perfect therapy website - from content to design
Creating the perfect website for your mental health practice will depend on your personal taste, but there are a few guidelines you should follow to make sure it's easy for people to find and navigate.
Let's Get Started
When you get started, you'll first want to think about the goals for your website and design it accordingly. The basic pages your site should include are home, about, services, and contact.
Home
Your "Home" page is a place to introduce your practice. In most cases the page will also give the first impression potential clients will get of your private practice. So, this page as well as all others should have a nice clean appearance. When visitors land on your page, they should immediately know where they are. Your logo should be visible and there should also be a headline detailing what it is that you do.
You can also include information about how you work with clients, what kind of therapy services you offer, or any content that's relevant to what you do as a mental health professional. Be sure not to put too much on this one page. You can always include information on supporting pages and link to it where needed.
About
Next up is the "About" page. Think of this as a goal-based sales page that should tell visitors more about your company story. It should include information about your practice such as why it was founded and its mission as well as what makes you unique and why potential clients should use or can benefit from your services. You could also include information about you or other therapists working at the practice.
For more in-depth details about what the about page could include, Shopify has an excellent write-up covering it here.
Contact
The "Contact" page should provide your visitors with different ways to get in touch with you. You can include phone numbers, email addresses, and office locations. The page should also have a form for visitors to send a direct message. Be sure to check for messages and respond. You don't want to miss any service inquiries.
Services
The "Services" page should include information about the type of services you offer and how much time is needed to attend therapy sessions. Each service should be listed individually to make it clear to potential clients what you're willing to offer.
You could also include details about what each session is catered towards. For example, if you're certified in Trauma-Focused Behavioral Therapy but, only want to perform this service for a specific age group, that is something that you should mention here.
The website design
When designing your website, remember that what you include is up to you. After all, it is the site for your private practice! You'll want to be aware of web design trends so that visitors have the best possible experience navigating through your site, but ultimately, it's up to you on which web design style you choose.
If you're not the creative type, templates are an excellent way of getting a head start with building the site for your private practice. Alternatively, you could always seek out the help of a web design agency that specializes in creating a unique site for your field such as Unrivaled Digital
The design for your therapist practice website should be warm and inviting, but also professional. You want the presence of your site to reflect the professionalism of your practice. So, think of the image that you want people to have of your company and build a site that reflects it.
Less is more
You'll want to make sure that you're not using too much text on one page, but also don't overwhelm visitors with a cluttered layout and unnecessary images. Have enough on the page to get your point across. Remember, less is more so, try not to overwhelm or stress your site visitors out by throwing so much information at them.
Color palette
It's best to avoid bright colors as they can be off-putting for some people and make the text on your pages difficult to read for your website visitors. I recommend a site with white or grey backgrounds because they're easily readable and are less distracting than colors for readers.
You'll want to use colors that match the personality of your mental health practice but don't trigger the patients that you are targeting. For example, you could choose different shades of blue if you specialize in working with people who have stress disorders rather than if you work primarily with people who have depression because, according to Moffit, blue is a highly peaceful color and can be especially helpful for stress management because it can encourage a powerful sense of calm.
Imagery
You'll also want to make sure that your private practice website has subtle imagery. If you have your own professional high-quality photos these would be great to use. However, if you don't have your own photos, sites like Unsplash and Pexels provide great images that you can use for free. Just be sure that the images you use are targeted to your ideal clients.
For example, if you're a therapist who works with children and teens, why not include pictures of kids or teenagers? This helps to emphasize the content on your website by appealing to your visitor's emotions.
Use targeted messaging
Your website copy should be written in a warm and inviting way, but also professional. The content should also be easy to understand and be clear about what potential clients can expect from you. It should also explain the types of psychotherapy services you provide, who you are, how clients can begin services with you.
Essentially, you should focus on answering almost every question a visitor might have about your services. This is important because if your site is direct and clear, you could spend more time providing psychotherapy and less time answering questions.
Tips for maintaining your therapist website
Now that you have the perfect therapist website for your practice, it's time to keep it maintained.
1. Keep a schedule to update content
Updating your site's content regularly will ensure that visitors are always getting the latest information about your practice. It also lets potential clients know that your business is alive and well. A site that hasn't been updated in months or years could turn potential clients away
2. Add new pages for other services offered
You could add pages to your private practice website for topics like "what is psychotherapy?" or a page that has testimonials from clients. This will help you stand out as an experienced therapist, and it can also be helpful when trying to get referrals.
3. Update the site with fresh images
Websites with images can also be more engaging and persuasive, as they grab the user’s attention by using color and imagery. Photos of people tend to make websites seem warmer, friendlier, and more welcoming. Images showing happy faces or smiling customers will help visitors feel like they want to come back again, too!
4. Maintain consistency across all platforms
Maintaining a consistent presence across all digital platforms is imperative for private practices. The internet has made it possible for everyone to find businesses online and therapist websites are no different. Potential patients can research and find therapists in their area, which means that private practice owners need to have a website and maintain an active social media presence.
If you are not present on these platforms, then your clients will never know about your practice and what services are offered there. You may lose out on the opportunity to work with someone who would be a great fit for your business if they cannot find information about it online.
5. Check analytics on a weekly basis
Do you know where most of your site visitors are coming from? If not, your site analytics is a great place to find out! Your website analytics can help you as a private practice owner understand what content is resonating with your visitors. This data will let you know which pages are being visited, how many visits they get per day, and more important information like where most traffic comes from (e.g., organic search engine results or social media). In short, as you try different marketing efforts, your site analytics will be a good source of information to let you know what is or is not working.
Creating a website that reflects your mental health service is an important step for your business and it’s up to you what goes on the website. It should include messaging that targets your ideal clients, be easy to navigate, and have visuals that create a positive experience for visitors. If you already have a website but feel like it needs some work, or if you need help getting your site off the ground, Unrivaled Digital is ready to partner with you.
