Member Contributor — Lynne Azpeitia, LMFT, AAMFT Approved Supervisor

Getting Paid:
Using Your Website to Get New Clients to Contact You

Your website represents your therapy practice. The best client friendly websites make it as easy as possible to find out about you and your therapy services and to contact you to schedule the first session. Here are some things to remember and questions to consider to make sure your website does that!

1. Your website is one of the first places new clients look to decide whether or not you’re the therapist for them—even when they’re referred to you by a friend or one of your colleagues.

• Does each page on your website help your potential clients better understand who you are, what you do, and how you can help them? People want to know about you and your practice before they contact you or do anything with you.
• As you put together the pages on your website, focus on your ideal clients and talk directly to them, addressing their wants, needs, concerns and issues.
• Is your website easy to use? Is the information your ideal clients need included and easy to find? Does what’s on your website make your potential clients feel confident that you know what you’re doing?

2. Potential clients visiting your website want to know if you can help them—and they want to know it quickly.

• They want to know if you have answers to their questions and if you can help them solve their problems.
• Do you have answers to their questions? Show them with examples or information that tells them that.
• Can you help them solve their problems? Share that information.
• When someone is in pain, struggling or feeling stuck, all they’re focusing on is, “Can this person help me?” Help them answer this question with the information you provide about who you work with, the solutions and expertise you can contribute, your credentials, your community participation, and more—but don’t make it too wordy or long. 

3. Do your best to make sure you have the type of content and answers on your website that your ideal clients are looking for.

• Does the information you provide make potential clients feel like you are experienced, know what you’re doing or are familiar with what they are experiencing or struggling with? That you understand them and what they need? That you’re equipped to work with them? That you can provide support and answers?
• Do you have the type of content on your website that your ideal clients are seeking?Make sure you include some information about the problem or problems your ideal clients face that cause them to seek therapy.
• Information and content that addresses the questions that clients have—and that conveys who you are, what you do, and how you can help, assures your potential clients that your therapy services can provide the solutions they’re seeking.
• When you have the type of information and answers your ideal clients looking for, it helps them feel comfortable and confident in your ability to help them so they can take the next step to call or email or text you to set up a first session. 

4. Get your potential client to the information they’re looking for as easily and quickly as possible.

• Home, About, Services, and Contact are the basic pages clients find helpful. The About page is usually the most visited page on a website—with the Home page following that. Some websites are now one long page with sections instead of separate pages as this works, too, for some clientele.
• Make sure each of your webpages has a sentence or two about you, your counseling services and what therapy is generally like. Remember people don’t always look at more than one page so if there’s something on each page about how you work, that may be the deciding factor in whether they leave your website for another one or end up contacting you to set up a first session.

5. Remember, the main goal of your website is to get new clients to contact you.

• Is your contact information easy to find?
• Does your contact information include your phone number, email address, and location of your private practice? (Yes, you need to include this even if you’re only doing teletherapy.)
• Does your contact information let your clients know the best way to contact you? Phone, email, text or ?
• Is your contact information consistently placed on every page more than once? Header, footer, sidebar, end or middle of page?
• Is your contact information conveniently placed on every page? Header, footer, sidebar, end or middle of page?
• Remember, if potential clients are looking to contact you, always make it as easy as possible.

Each therapist is unique and brings different experience, training, expertise, and personality to their private practice. Think about the type of client you want to work with and their specific needs then offer useful information to your potential clients, information that assures them your therapy services can provide the change they’re seeking. Let your website help your ideal clients feel comfortable and confident enough to contact you for their first session.

Lynne Azpeitia, LMFT, is in private practice in Santa Monica where she works with Couples and Gifted, Talented, and Creative Adults across the lifespan. Lynne’s been doing business and clinical coaching with mental health professionals for more than 15 years, helping them develop even more successful careers and practices. To learn more about her in-person and online services, workshops or monthly no-cost Online Networking & Practice Development Lunch visitwww.Gifted-Adults.com or www.LAPracticeDevelopment.com.