OTT 15 - What Needs to Happen Before You Build a Therapy Website?

<p>If you're planning a new website this year, the most important work happens before anyone starts designing. </p><p></p><p>Get that part right and you build the site once, instead of paying to redo it in 18 months.</p><p></p><p>Many therapists treat a website like a one-time purchase. You pay for it, it launches, you move on. </p><p></p><p>Then a year and a half later you're back where you started, writing another check for another site, because the first one never actually fit the practice.</p><p></p><p>You might think the fix is a better designer or a nicer template. It's not. The projects that work start with strategy, not design. </p><p></p><p>This episode walks through what that planning looks like, and why it's the difference between a site that works and one you'll replace.</p><h2>Key takeaways</h2><ul><li>A homepage that tries to speak to everyone connects with no one. Name your priority client first.</li><li>"Look professional" isn't a goal. A booked consult call is a goal.</li><li>Words come before design. Design makes a message land, it can't create one.</li><li>Your analytics already hold answers. Before rebuilding, check what's working and what isn't. Sometimes 2 pages are doing all the work.</li><li>Client language belongs in your headlines. The exact phrases people use ("I feel stuck," "my nervous system feels broken") become the pages that answer them.</li><li>Sequence matters. Build the pages that convert first, then add ongoing content. Publishing blog posts on a site that doesn't convert is a common way to waste money.</li></ul><h2>Links mentioned in this episode</h2><ul><li>Learn about the Digital Trailmap Session:<a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://privatepracticeelevation.com/digital-trailmap-session" target="_blank"> </a><a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://privatepracticeelevation.com/digital-trailmap-session" target="_blank">privatepracticeelevation.com/digital-trailmap-session</a></li><li>Book a free 15-minute call to talk through your plan:<a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://privatepracticeelevation.com/kickoff" target="_blank"> </a><a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://privatepracticeelevation.com/kickoff" target="_blank">privatepracticeelevation.com/kickoff</a></li></ul><h2>This episode is brought to you by Helcim</h2><p>When was the last time you looked at your payment processing statement? A 3% flat rate on one session feels small. Across a full caseload, it adds up