Are you looking for a way to expand your therapy business, from the comfort of home? Thanks to the huge popularity of platforms like Zoom and Skype, counselors have started to offer virtual therapy sessions, via video conference.
Online therapy offers flexibility for both patients and therapists, along with privacy and convenience. If you’re ready to start offering online services, you’ll first need to create a therapy website.
This will help new patients find you, so that you can grow your practice. But how do you build a counseling website that will attract the right kind of patient?
To learn more, keep reading for seven tips that can help you start a successful counseling website.
1. Select a Keyword-Driven Domain Name
When starting a counseling website, you’ll want to find the perfect domain name. Your web address needs to be relevant to your business, short, and easy to remember.
Purchase a domain name that also contains the keywords you want your business to focus on, as this can help with SEO. For example, if you’re offering online therapy to teens, look for a domain name that incorporates the word teen, along with counseling or therapy.
It will generally also match the name of your business, so think about your branding when buying a domain.
2. Less Is More
When it comes to web design for your online counseling business, less can be more. You want it to be clear immediately as to what your business is about and what you can do for your clients.
Busy, cluttered websites are confusing and make it hard for people to find the information they need. Remember, your patients may be in distress and in need of help right away, so make things simple for them so they can find what they need quickly.
You may want to look for a minimalist, calming design, incorporating neutral or soft colors and easy to read font. When it comes to running your website, we recommend setting everything up through WordPress, as this will give you the most options.
3. Clearly Outline Your Qualifications
If you’re an online therapist, you need your clients to trust you as an expert. How can they do this if they haven’t met you?
A great way to establish credibility is to make a page on your site to highlight your qualifications. Why are you the best choice as an online counselor?
Outline your education, experience, background, and skills, letting people know about your skills. This can help you attract new clients, as they will see you as trustworthy.
4. Use a Variety of Images
You’ll also need counseling images for your website—but which images are right for your business?
The images you select will depend on your aims and branding, but you may want to try serene, inspiring photos, such as waterfalls, sunsets, or beautiful nature scenes.
Or, consider showing images of people who are thriving and happy, living enjoyable lives—thanks to the help of therapy! Just think about diversity when selecting your photos, as you want to be sure to provide diverse representation.
5. Include a Call to Action
At its heart, your website is a sales and marketing tool for your business. So, if you want your website to be an effective marketing tool, it needs to include a call to action—ideally on each page.
What do you want viewers to do after browsing your website? This will probably be to book their first session, call for a consultation, or refer you to a friend.
One easy way to help new clients reach you is with an embedded contact form on your website, so clients can send you a message right away to book a session with you.
6. Pay Attention to SEO
One advantage of online counseling is that you’re no longer limited to only seeing patients in your local area—you can help anyone, anywhere, as long as they have an internet connection.
To help these new clients find you, you need to ensure your website is SEO-optimized. This helps it rank higher on Google, so that your web traffic will increase.
SEO can be a complex beast, so we recommend working with an SEO expert or taking some online courses so that you know what to focus on. Essentially, SEO involves using keywords to help your clients find your business online—before they find your competitors.
7. Clearly Outline What Kind of Clients You Can Help
What kind of client do you want to attract? This could be teens, adults, veterans, etc, but you should build your website to target these folks.
You’ll also want to clearly outline your client base on your website, as this will save you time—you don’t want to spend your time fielding inquiries from people you can’t actually assist.
Build a Fantastic Therapy Website With These Tips
Are you ready to become an amazing online therapist? It’s a field that will continue to grow and be in high demand, so now is a great time to start offering online services.
The first step is building your therapy website, so use the tips above to come up with a plan for your website, focusing on design, marketing, and SEO. Once your website starts to get noticed, you’ll be seeing your first virtual clients.
You’re sure to enjoy the satisfaction and convenience of offering therapy sessions from the comfort of your own home.
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