What to Include on Your Therapy Website: A Getting Started Guide
So you've decided to take the leap and start your own private practice. You've done your research and know you need a website. Great! You chose the platform. Nice! (Pssh, Squarespace is usually the one I recommend because it's the easiest to manage.) You picked out fonts and colors for your brand. Perfect, we're ready to start building.
But wait. Now you're staring at a blank page and have no idea what to put on it.
There are two possibilities here: either you have tons of ideas but don't know how to translate them onto the page, or you don't even know where to start.
Most therapists struggle with this part of the process. From a designer's perspective, the content you have dictates how your page gets designed because copy drives design. So if you're stuck on the words, you're stuck on everything.
Luckily, you don't need to be a copywriter to create a site that connects with your ideal clients. You just need a simple framework for what to include on each page.
I'll walk you through the essential pages every therapy website needs: Homepage, About, Services, and Contact. Depending on your practice, you might also want to add an FAQ page to answer common questions from your clients, or if you're a group practice, individual pages for each therapist on your team. But let's start with the core four.
Your Homepage
Your homepage is where visitors figure out if you're the right therapist for them, and first impressions happen fast. We're talking 3-5 seconds. So you need to answer that question quickly and clearly.
Start with the basics for SEO. Lead with where you're located and what you offer, like "Individual Therapy in California" or "Online Therapy for Adults in Portland, OR." This helps people find you on Google and immediately know if you're even an option for them.
Add your approach or philosophy. Here's where you share what you're helping people move toward—the transformation they're looking for or the feeling they want to create.
Maybe you help people build resilience, heal their inner child, or create space to finally process their grief. Whatever it is, name it. This is how visitors get a sense of your vibe and values so they can think "ahh yes, this feels like it's for me."
Include your specialties. List what you treat so people know if you work with what they're dealing with. You can keep it straightforward or add context so people really see themselves, like "Anxiety, for overthinkers who can't shut their brain off" or "Depression, when you're exhausted from pretending everything is fine."
Both ways work. Just don't list 10+ things. Stick to 3-5 areas you actually want to highlight.
Add a brief introduction. Give people an idea of what it’s like working with you in 2-3 sentences. What can they expect? How will you help? Show them you get what they're going through. Then link to your About page, where they can learn the full story and see your credentials.
Include testimonials if you have them. Testimonials are a powerful way to build trust. Hearing from someone who's worked with you helps potential clients feel more confident reaching out. But always get written permission before sharing any testimonial, and anonymize them unless the client explicitly agrees to have their name included.
Make the next step obvious. If you want people to book a consultation, make it easy to do so with a big button and clear text. Don't make them dig around trying to figure out how to contact you. If they can't find it, they'll leave. You can either have a contact form on the homepage or a section with a call-to-action button so they can easily reach out once they reach the end of your page.
Want help building a homepage that actually converts? Learn more about my web design services.
Your About Page
A lot of therapists think the About page is where you solely talk about your certifications and credentials, but that's not entirely true. Yes, you can definitely mention these things at the end, but the goal for your About page is to build connection and trust.
Tell them what led you to this work. Share your story. What do you value most when working with your clients? Make it a little personal. People love hearing about real, specific experiences and relating to them.
Explain your approach. What can you really do for them? How do you work with your clients? What can they expect from sessions with you? What's your style like? Are you warm and conversational or goal-focused with a lot of structure? Is there homework after every session? Let them in on what to expect so they can get a feeling before reaching out.
Include your credentials. Then finally, share your degrees, licenses, certifications, and training. Lead with connection and close with credibility.
Your Services Page
As a therapist, you know what each type of modality is, what it does, and the benefits it carries. But as a client, they don't know what any of it means. You have to figure out how to explain it in a way that's easy to understand and makes someone think "this is what I need."
Describe the person, not just the problem. Instead of saying you offer a certain type of therapy for anxiety, be specific with painted scenarios — what's happening to them and how you can work on it together to overcome it.
The goal is to speak to their real experiences and have them understand that you get it. You really do!
What to include for each service:
Who this is for: Paint a picture of the client. What are they dealing with? What does their daily life look like?
What you'll work on together: Be specific about the work you'll do, and skip the jargon. Talk about what will actually change for them, not the clinical terms for how you'll get there.
Practical details: How long are sessions? Do you offer virtual or in-person therapy? Include pricing and insurance information so people know if they can actually work with you.
Your Contact Page
This page is where you want visitors to take action and reach out. Make it easy for them.
Include a contact form or scheduling tool. Use a simple form or embed a scheduling tool like SimplePractice or Calendly. Don't make people email back and forth five times just to schedule.
Add contact info in multiple places. Put a "Contact" button in your navigation bar so people can find it from any page. If you're comfortable sharing your email or phone number, include those too. Some people prefer to reach out that way instead of filling out forms.
Include it in your footer too. Your footer (the bottom of every page) is a great place to repeat your email and a link to your contact page. People often scroll all the way down looking for contact info.
Write a welcoming intro. Add a sentence or two before your form that makes people feel comfortable reaching out. Something like: "Not sure if we're a fit? Let's talk. I offer free 15-minute consultations to see if we'd work well together."
Writing Good Copy
Writing good copy is a skill. That’s why it’s a profession for some. But you don’t have to be a pro to still deliver what you want to say to your clients. Here are three things you can focus on to make your website copy work better:
Write like how you talk. It doesn't always have to be formal and clinical. It just needs to sound like you. When clients read your website, they're getting a preview of what it'll feel like to work with you, so be warm, be relatable, and stay true to how you actually show up in sessions.
Speak to their pain points. What are they struggling with right now? What keeps them up at night? Address that directly in your copy. Instead of "I help with anxiety," try "Are you exhausted from overthinking every conversation and lying awake replaying your day? Let's work on that."
Keep it concise. You don't need paragraphs of text to make a point. Short, clear sentences are easier to read and more likely to keep people on your page. Say what you need to say, then stop.
Still Stuck? That’s normal.
Even with a framework, writing about yourself is extremely hard. You may know what you want to say but it's hard to translate it into words. Or you start writing and it sounds stiff and clinical. Or you start second-guessing every sentence.
That's exactly why I create a strategic copy guide for the therapists I work with. It's a simple questionnaire that walks you through what to share about your practice. You answer the prompts and I turn them into clear, compelling copy that sounds like you. I'll guide you through the process and design a site that authentically represents you and helps the right clients reach out.
