How To Choose The Right Website Design Option For Your Phase of Business
With a growing number of options available for therapists to create high-quality private practice websites that stand out from the crowd, it can be difficult to decide which option is right for you. If you’re a psychotherapist in the market for a new website, you might be wondering, “Do I need a custom-designed therapy website?” or, “How much time, energy, and money should I be investing in my website?”
I’ll share more about how to choose the right website option for your phase of private practice, but in essence, deciding how much time, energy, and money to invest comes down to three things:
Your current budget
Your available time
Your current and future goals
It’s important to invest at the level that aligns with your phase of private practice because if you invest too much, too soon, you could end up frustrated and confused. If you invest too little when it’s time to invest more, you could delay your growth (and also end up frustrated and confused).
Regardless of what stage of private practice you currently find yourself in, there is help available to assist you in creating a website that not only looks professional but works hard for you 24/7.
Phase 1: Start-Up
Website Budget: less than $200
During the early stages of private practice, it may feel as though you need a top-of-the-line, fully custom website to gain credibility, but that’s not true. What actually helps build credibility is doing the work; getting out there, working with clients, and helping them heal, grow, or transform their lives.
If you’re in this phase of private practice, you’re working on building your caseload and establishing your business. You’re building your referral network and developing relationships. Since you don’t see clients full-time yet, you have more time to dedicate to the administrative and marketing side of private practice.
Website recommendation:
DIY (Do It Yourself). Find a website building platform (I love Squarespace), use free or low-cost resources, like this post, to build yourself a simple starter website that will help you establish an online presence.
Sidenote: beware of subscription-based website platforms for therapists. $90/month may seem cheap, but that cost adds up quickly! For an annual cost comparison between Squarespace and popular therapy website platforms, read this post.
Phase 2: Building
Website Budget: $200 - $600
If you’re still in the early stages of private practice, but you have a few steady clients, it may be time to upgrade your starter website in order to grow your caseload. This phase can feel tricky because as your caseload grows, you have less time to field questions about what you do and who you help.
To remedy this, make sure your website clearly and thoroughly connects with your niche on your behalf. From the copy (the words on your website) to the design, your website should help potential clients quickly and easily differentiate you from the other therapists in your area and show your ideal clients that you’re the right fit for them.
During this phase of private practice, take time to clarify and understand your brand, and develop a marketing strategy that works for you. Begin to invest in systems and products that save you time.
Website recommendation:
If your DIY starter website isn’t supporting you as much as you’d like, consider investing in a therapy website template. These pre-designed websites will help save you time because the foundational design is already done for you. All you have to do is adjust the colors, add your pictures and copy, and then publish!
Get started with a Hold Space Creative therapy website template today:
Phase 3: Growing
Website Budget: $600 - $4,000
Once you have a steady caseload, your available time decreases while your budget increases. In the growing phase of private practice, you may find yourself wanting to hone your niche, and instead of working with anyone and everyone, only work with clients who most align with your expertise and passion.
Since your website is often one of the first points of contact between you and potential clients, it can do a lot of the heavy lifting of marketing for you if it clearly and accurately portrays your personality and therapeutic style. Accomplishing this, however, can be more complicated than it seems. This is where the help of a professional designer can be crucial.
Website recommendation:
In the Growing phase, the right website design option comes down to your budget and available time. If you have a smaller budget and some available free time, a pre-designed therapy website template will help you upgrade your website quickly. If you don’t have a lot of free time and have a larger budget, a custom-designed website may be an option for you in the Growing phase; however, keep in mind that the low end of custom design usually starts at around $5,000. If that’s not an option for you yet, but you’d really like to outsource your web design due to lack of time, consider a happy medium between a website template and a custom website like a Template Reframe.
I created this fast-paced, done-for-you website design service specifically for therapists in the Growing phase who don’t have time or energy to adapt a website template to their needs but also don’t have the budget or desire to invest in custom design yet.
Phase 4: Scaling
Website Budget: $5,000+
Finally, after filling your caseload, if you find that you want to expand your practice beyond one-on-one work, you may be approaching the Scaling phase of private practice. Whether scaling means launching courses or products, expanding into a group practice, or increasing your impact in other ways, a custom-designed website can help you meet your goals.
At this stage, you’re likely accustomed to outsourcing tasks that fall outside of your Zone of Genius, and you have a deep understanding of your business and brand. These pieces are key because you’ll be asked to clearly communicate the nuanced pieces of your practice’s brand to your web designer in order for them to create something aligned and effective.
Website recommendation:
Hire a professional designer & developer to upgrade your website in order to automate your marketing even further, leveraging your established online presence and the power of the internet to widen your reach.
Again, keep in mind that the low end of custom design can start at around $5,000, and pricing is usually commensurate with the designer’s experience and skill level. Experienced designers typically start between $10,000 - $15,000, and increase from there based on project scope. If that seems expensive, remember that you’re hiring someone for anywhere between 100-200 hours of work. How much would you charge for 200 hours of therapy or coaching?
You deserve a high-quality, hard-working website, regardless of your budget.
Although a shiny new custom-designed website sounds like the dream, and a subscription-based therapy website platform (like BrighterVision) may seem like a great deal, remember that these aren’t your only options. Look at your goals and your budget and decide what option makes sense for you in your current phase, knowing that your needs and budget could change in the future. Your website is meant to grow and evolve alongside you and your practice, so don’t get stuck in indecision or perfectionism. After all, a done website is better than no website.
