If you’re going to operate your own private practice, you’re going to need a website, and you’re going to need a website that speaks to the audience you want.
People need to get to know you. They need to know why they should call you over all the other therapists in your area, and they need to know they can trust you to address their mental health during their time of need.
You do this through the words on each page – which we will refer to as “content.”
If you’ve ever visited my private practice website, you’ll see a LOT of content. Part of this is marketing related. We’ve touched on online marketing and SEO in the past, and we’ll discuss it again in the future, but SEO (search engine optimization) is the work that you do to make sure your website shows up organically in search engines for various search terms, and content plays a *big* role in that.
But that content is also designed to show people the real me. I use it to show people who I am, so that they know me more when they make a decision.
So, you know you need content. But what should that content even say?
How Much do People Read, Really?
Let’s start with length. Often, when I’m talking to people about this – not just therapists, but even those working in the marketing world – is that people argue often about how much people actually read.
Some people think that everything should be nice and short, because people do not read the content. Others believe that people read every word, and they pine over every word, making sure that each and every word shows someone who they are deeply.
The truth is probably somewhere in the middle.
Length plays a role in SEO, which we talked about earlier, so longer is better for marketing. But how much do people actually read?
They read as much or as little as they need to.
It’s true that many people will not read the content. They’ll look at the first few paragraphs and, feeling desperate and needing help, they’ll reach out as long as you have a pretty site that engages them. Others are taking their time on each decision, and they’ll read as much as they can to make sure that you’re the right choice for them.
You’re writing for them both.
How can you do that? You can do that by summarizing everything in the first few paragraphs with a call to action, and then writing a lot more so that people can really learn more about yourself and see that you’re an expert.
That can be as long as you need it to be, and it will be appreciated by those that want to read more.
How Much Does Every Word Matter?
The next question is – does it matter WHAT you say?
Of course, it matters a little bit – if you offer CBT and work primarily with adult women, saying you offer psychodynamic and work with children wouldn’t make any sense. If you say you treat anxiety, but talk only about trauma, then you’re not really showing them that you’re there to meet their needs.
You probably don’t need to overthink your content. You don’t have to worry that one word is going to turn off possible clients. As we talked about, many potential clients will not read the content. They’ll call pretty quickly. Others will skim. Others will look for the information they want and only read those words deeply.
Only a few are going to read every single word, and even those individuals are unlikely to judge what you write THAT thoroughly. You want your content to represent you, but you don’t have to worry that you’re going to get one word wrong.
Rather, just speak to them. You know this world. You know what your ideal client or patient wants to hear. Talk to them the way you’d talk to someone who called you and was vetting you and your experience.
That Said, Remember They’re Not Therapists and You Want Them as Clients
One last note, however. As you’re writing your content, make sure you remember two things:
- They’re not therapists. They’re not concerned with technical accuracy or whether or not you know big words. They’re random people that need help – sometimes desperately – and they want someone to speak to them, not someone that is speaking to other therapists.
- Write to them like you want them as clients. I’ve noticed some therapists have content with an overconfident vibe, as though they assume the person would be lucky to call them. Remember that someone visiting your website does not know you, and if you want them to be a client, you have to write to them.
Entire books have been written about how to write content for the internet, and it would be difficult to cover everything here. But as long as you write talking to your clients, giving them the details they need to know more about you and more about themselves, you’re going to find that you get more calls.
Content, Websites, and More
My name is Audrey Jung, I am a private practice coach, and I counsel mental health professionals in how to start and grow a private practice. Marketing is a very small part of it, but I hope that this information can help you see what you need to do to thrive. Are you ready to launch your private practice? Reach out to me today and let’s get started!