I’ve created over 40 practitioner websites in the past 10 years and what I’ve learned is there are several key pages every practitioner site needs to have in order to engage potential clients and students.
The top 4 are:
Home page – The homepage should be your ‘Hi, Thanks for Visiting!’ page. Think of it like when someone walks into your store, you greet them (I’m not saying walmart greeters, I’m thinking like you would great them as the store owner). If someone walked into your store, you would tell them who you are quickly, make the experience pleasant for them and maybe even give them a free gift for shopping!
Practice Page – This is where you tell about your practice, what you offer, and what clients can expect.
Bio Page – This is like a resume for the internet. You should have a combination of what brought you to your current work and your background and education.
Contact Page – How people contact you on the internet differs by your requirements. Some offer only a phone number, others an email only and others a form. Think of how you would like your prospective clients to reach you. Do you prefer to schedule a time to talk (email and form better options) or are you not on your computer much (phone better option) or do you have a staff that can handle things for you (could do all options or phone only if you prefer prospective clients go through a screening option). It’s a good idea to think on your goals before setting up this page.
Additional important pages:
Sitemap – This is the map for your site. It’s good to have if you have more than 6 or 7 pages but for only a few pages that are all listed on your navigation menu’s, it’s not necessary. Most often nowadays it’s put in the footer.
Privacy/ Policies – This is important for practitioners to have on their site for clarification.
Disclaimer for Medical Services – If you are offering any services that may be considered medical, I’d advise to have a disclaimer both on your site and at the bottom of your emails.
Forms – To make things easier, online forms can be very helpful. You can also post PDF forms online to have your clients print and bring to a first session.
Payments – Some practitioners offer payment information and even online payments nowadays. Completely up to you AND if you offer Skype or phone sessions, I’d advise online payments to avoid waiting for a check in the mail.
