Dream Practice Websites

Websites for Psychologists: Essential Tips to Build Your Psychology Practice from the Internet

One of the greatest challenges in building a private psychology practice is having a reliable source of new clients other than word of mouth referrals.  Your psychology website should be that source, as the number of people looking for help online often numbers in the hundreds or thousands each month in markets with a decent population base.  

For instance, if you're a psychologist practicing in Miami, Florida, the keyword 'Miami psychologist' is entered into Google 5,400 times every month.  If your website is ranked in the top 3 spots on Google for this keyword, you can get hundreds of highly qualified prospects coming to your psychology website each and every month.  

Most websites for psychologists are set up as online brochures, without any regard for search engine rankings.  Getting to the top of Google is a top priority for any serious private practice owner.  This is accomplished through search engine optimization, article marketing, and blogging.  While it can take some time to rank high on Google, it's an effort that is well worth the reward once you achieve your goals.  

Dream Practice Websites has enjoyed a high level of success positioning many practice owners well on the major search engines.  We do this first by ensuring that the on page factors for SEO are set up correctly on your website.  Then, if necessary, we implement a link building campaign using article marketing and social bookmarking.  Even in competitive markets, it's usually not very difficult to get your practice ranked high on Google. 

This is only one of many strategies that can be utilized to attract new clients online.  Generating consistent web traffic is also accomplished by:

• social media marketing ~ you can build a large local following on sites like Facebook and Twitter and consistently bring your fans and followers back to your therapy blog or website
• pay per click marketing ~  you can set up ads on Google and Facebook that drive traffic either to your fan page or your practice website
• online video marketing ~ you can set up keyword optimized Youtube videos to drive traffic to your website
• offline marketing ~  make sure your current clients are regularly informed of website updates, and use your website as a hub for any other promotional strategies you use

Psychologist Website Design ~ The Other Factor For Success

If you know how to generate traffic, you've won half the battle when it comes to building a thriving psychology practice online. But you don't want to stop there. If you're sitting at the top of Google, but you're driving traffic to a poorly designed website, it can actually repel prospective clients from your practice.

Most websites for psychologists are set up using template services or they are designed using a generic or cheap-looking layout. Unfortunately, this is a very common trend that undermines the success of many practices around the world. Your website needs to position you as a trusted expert. It needs to convey the unique value, expertise, and knowledge you have to offer.

When someone lands on your website, they should immediately see an answer to the question, 'How can you help me?'

If they don't see an answer to this question right away, they will likely click the back button and find someone else. Most people don't want to sift through a lot of theoretical information in order to get the answers they need. People just want to know that you can help them and that you can be trusted. If they feel you are the person to see, you need to keep the process simple for them. Tell them what to do next. Ensure them that they can take the next step without any risk.

Your psychology website conversion boils down to a few key factors:

• Your website copy ~ As mentioned, you want to write in a way that directly conveys the benefits of what your psychology practice has to offer.  You should write in a way that establishes an emotional connection with the reader.  Show them that you care.. and that you understand their pain.  Then, point to the solutions you have to offer them.
• Social media integration ~ Websites like Facebook and Twitter are only becoming more important for the average small business owner.  The average client now expects to be able to find your business on Facebook.  Along these lines, have a customized Facebook fan page built for your practice.  Install a fan page box on your website so people can 'like' you on Facebook right from your website.  Put Facebook 'like' buttons in strategic places on your site. 
  
• Using Wordpress ~  This is a blogging platform that allows you to take total control over your website so you won't need a web designer after your initial web design is done.  Do some market research of the other psychology websites in your local area and determine how much content you'll need to be the most information-rich resource of anyone.  Wordpress is a great platform for building a content-rich website because it's so easy to use.  
  
• Incorporating Video Into Your Website ~ People love video.  It converts better than text.  Video adds that extra human touch that is so important online.  When people can see you in motion and hear your voice, they will feel a lot more comfortable taking the next step and calling you.  
  
• Use light and cheerful colors that exude high quality, value, and professionalism ~ Your therapy website should reflect your level of expertise.  If it looks cheap or generic, it will work against you.  Think of it this way:  If you charge your client $125 an hour, but your website looks cheap, it creates a disconnect for the client.  
• Lead Generation ~ Most of the websites we design are set up to generate email leads.  This is a critical step in stabilizing your psychology practice, as you will be able to educate and market to your email list over the long-term.  The bigger this list gets, the less you'll have to rely on other forms of marketing.  We even have a series of 2 months of follow up automated email messages you can use (called autoresponders) to make email marketing easy.  

At Dream Practice Websites, our mission is to build you a website that positions you as the clear leader in your local area. We want to make sure you have the most aesthetically pleasing, sharp, professional, and eye-catching site possible. We also want to do everything possible to get your practice to the top of Google and the other search engines.

Our basic web package is unique in that it includes all of the following:

• Full website design (up to 15 pages)
• On page search engine optimization
• Several hours of marketing training videos

We have highly valuable training on all facets of internet marketing that you get as part of the web package.  These trianings are on subjects such as blogging, pay per click marketing, social media marketing, and online video marketing.  Most web designer and template-based services will basically build you a site and say, 'Good luck with that.'  

With our marketing training, you will be empowered to generate as much traffic as you want. 

If you'd like more information about how we can help you reach your practice goals through the internet, you can fill out this form to schedule a free consult with Kevin Doherty or you can click here to learn about our web package and get started.