Lesson #5 - Mistakes and Pet Peeves In Private Practice Websites.

I've been doing websites since the before the term webmaster was coined, and therapy sites for 4 years, and these are the top mistakes I see many helpers and healers making in their sites:

TOP MISTAKES IN THERAPY WEBSITES

  1. Too much jargon. Some people may want to know you do Rational-Emotive therapy, or work from an Object Relations viewpoint. Most people want to know if you can help them with their particular problem.
  2. Self-based site. I also call this the ego-based site. This is the site where it's all stated "Who I Am" "What I Do" "About Me". People want to know what you can do for them. Your site should include info about you, but showcase what you can do for them. (I know this one well, my own site made this mistake in version 1.0).
  3. TMI. Too much information. Or, more likely, the wrong information. When I go through my server logs - people look at the home page quickly, then look at the "About Me" page and either Individual Counseling or Couples Counseling. There is an endless amount of information you could post, but I suggest focusing your time and energy on the core information your potential client is seeking.
  4. Missing/hiding contact info. Don't make clients look for how to contact you! Have your phone number and email address prominently placed on your home page, and in some spot (top, bottom, side) of every page.
  5. No photo. Sorry folks, times have gotten to where a website without a photo looks rather archaic. This may be shallow or image-based, but take a look around at other therapist's sites - a photo is now the norm.
  6. Unprofessional looking site. See lesson 6 for more about what I mean here. This is your business face on the Internet. It pays to put your best foot forward.

AND SOME OTHER OF THE WEBMASTER'S PET-PEEVES

  1. Sites that play music when you land on them (imagine trying to search for a therapist when you are at work in a cubicle and suddenly music coming out of your PC).
  2. Photos or Flash-based sites that take forever to load.
  3. Websites that have only a nice picture as the home page, and says "click here to enter the site". (I thought I had already entered it when I got here!)
  4. Having to scroll horizontally on a page.
  5. Links that say "click here". We know. It's a link. Clicking's what we do to links.
  6. Everything on one very, very, very long page.

    Best! Peter

    Copyright 2007 by Peter Hannah, MA, MS
    Peter@YourGoogleGuy.com
    206.799.6566

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