15 questions about creating a website for your private practice
If you're planning a new website for your private practice, or thinking about replacing one you've outgrown, you probably have quite a few questions before you get started.
You might be wondering what your website needs to include, whether you can build it yourself, how to choose a website designer, or what you'll need to provide if you decide to work with one. There are also practical questions around content, branding, SEO and what happens once your website is live.
I work with counsellors, psychotherapists and psychologists in private practice, and these are some of the questions that come up when therapists are thinking about creating or redesigning their website.
I've brought together answers to 15 of those questions here, from planning what you need to understanding what it's like to work with a website designer.
Planning your private practice website
-
A private practice website should give potential clients the information they need to understand who you are, how you can help and whether you might be the right therapist for them.
For most counsellors, psychotherapists and psychologists, this means including a clear introduction to your practice, information about you and your approach, the services you offer, practical details such as fees and how sessions work, and an easy way to get in touch.
You don't need a large or complicated website. What's more important is that your content is easy to navigate and answers the questions a potential client is likely to have before making an enquiry.
Read more: The 5 pages every counselling website needs
-
Most therapy websites need around five core pages: Home, About, Therapy or Services, FAQs and Contact. Depending on your practice, you might also need separate pages for distinct services such as couples therapy, clinical supervision or training.
You don't need to create a separate page for every issue you work with. For many therapists, these can be covered clearly within a well-structured Therapy or Services page.
The right structure depends on your practice, but the aim is to make it easy for potential clients to find the information they need without having to work their way through an unnecessarily complicated website.
Read more: The 5 pages every counselling website needs
-
In most cases, yes. Including your fees helps potential clients understand from the outset whether working with you is financially realistic and saves them having to make an enquiry simply to find out what you charge.
Alongside your fees, you can include practical information such as session length, how often you usually meet, whether you offer an initial consultation and any relevant cancellation terms.
Being clear about these details can help potential clients decide whether your practice is right for them before they get in touch.
-
No, you don't need a blog for your private practice website to be effective. A clear, helpful website that explains who you work with, how you can help and how to get in touch is more important.
A blog can be useful if you have the time and interest to maintain one. Writing about questions and concerns relevant to your ideal clients can demonstrate your expertise, provide useful information and give search engines more opportunities to understand what your website is about.
If you don't want to blog regularly, don't feel that you have to. A smaller number of genuinely useful articles can be more valuable than publishing frequently simply for the sake of keeping a blog active.
DIY or working with a website designer
-
It depends on your budget, the time you have available and how confident you feel creating a website yourself. Building your own website can be a good option when you're starting out and need to keep costs low.
Working with a web designer can make sense if you'd rather spend your time on your practice, want a more professional and considered website, or aren't confident making decisions about structure, design and the technical setup yourself.
A good web designer should also help you think through what your website needs to achieve, rather than simply making it look good.
-
Look for a web designer who understands the particular needs of a therapy or private practice website, as well as someone whose work and approach you like.
Ask what's included in the project, how the design process works, what you'll be responsible for providing and what support you'll receive with areas such as content, SEO and preparing for launch. It's also worth checking whether you'll be able to manage the website yourself afterwards and who will own the website and domain.
Most importantly, you should feel comfortable asking questions and understand what to expect before the project begins.
-
There isn't one website platform that's right for every therapist. Popular options include Squarespace, Wix and WordPress, and the best choice will depend on what you need your website to do, your budget and how comfortable you are managing it.
For many private practices, ease of use is particularly important. You may want to update your fees, change your availability, add a new service or publish an article without needing a developer each time.
At Lancha, I use Squarespace because it allows me to create professional, flexible websites that clients can continue to manage themselves after their project is complete.
-
Your website doesn't necessarily need redesigning simply because it's a few years old. Start by considering whether it still reflects your practice and the clients you want to work with.
It may be time to consider a redesign if your services or specialisms have changed, important information is difficult to find, the site doesn't work well on mobile devices, you're uncomfortable sharing it with potential clients, or making straightforward updates has become difficult.
Sometimes a few targeted changes are enough. If the structure, content and design no longer support where your practice is now, a more substantial redesign may make more sense.
Read more: Is your counselling website still working for your practice?
Preparing to have your website designed
-
This will depend on the designer and their process, but you'll usually need to think about your website content, photography or imagery, the services you want to promote and any practical information that needs to be included.
Your designer may also ask about your ideal clients, the goals for your website and the visual style you're drawn to. You don't necessarily need to have everything worked out before you first contact a designer. Part of their role should be helping you understand what needs to be prepared and when.
-
It depends on the service your website designer provides. Some designers expect you to supply finished copy, while others offer copywriting themselves or work alongside a copywriter.
If you're writing your own content, ask what guidance is included. At Lancha, clients write their own website copy, but I provide structured guidance to help them decide what to include on each page and organise their content with potential clients in mind.
-
Not necessarily. You don't need a complete professional brand identity before having a website designed, particularly if you're an individual therapist or a small private practice.
If you already have established branding, your website designer can usually work with it. If you don't, you may need some basic decisions around colours, typography, imagery and how you want your practice to feel visually. Depending on the designer, this may be included within the website project or offered as an additional service.
-
Timescales vary depending on the size of the website, the designer's process and how much preparation is required. A straightforward private practice website might take several weeks to design and build, while a larger or more complex project can take considerably longer.
It's also worth allowing time before the design work begins to prepare your content and photography. At Lancha, a typical website project takes around four weeks once the content is ready, with preparation taking place beforehand.
SEO, ownership and managing your website
-
This depends on the designer and what's included in their service, so it's worth asking before you start your project.
At a minimum, a website should be structured so that search engines can understand it, with clear page titles and headings, useful content, sensible URLs and good performance on mobile devices. Some designers will also help with areas such as meta descriptions, image alt text, internal links, Google Search Console and local SEO.
SEO is an ongoing process, and no website designer can guarantee where your website will appear in Google. Ask exactly what SEO work is included and whether you'll receive any guidance on improving your visibility after launch.
-
Ideally, yes. You may need to change your fees, availability, services or other information as your practice develops, so it's worth asking your designer how easy the website will be to manage after launch.
At Lancha, I build websites in Squarespace so clients can make straightforward updates themselves without needing to come back to me every time something changes. I also provide a personalised video walkthrough at the end of the project showing you how to manage your new website.
-
This can vary between website designers and platforms, so make sure ownership is clearly explained before you agree to a project.
Ask who will own the website account, domain name and any other assets created as part of the project, as well as whether there are ongoing fees or restrictions if you stop working with the designer.
With Lancha, your Squarespace website and domain belong to you. If they aren't already registered in your own account, they'll be transferred to you once the project has been paid for in full.
Ready to start planning your private practice website?
There can be a lot to think about when planning a new website, but you don't need to have everything worked out before you speak to a web designer. A good design process should help you clarify what your website needs, what you need to prepare and the steps involved in getting it ready to launch.
If you're a counsellor, psychotherapist or psychologist in UK private practice and you're considering a new website or redesign, you can find out more about my website design service and how I work.
