This Above All, to Thine Own Self Be True”
– Shakespeare

TherapySites provides you with a website straight out of the box. This includes a clean and easy to use design, forms (and option to replace those with your own), maps, and even pre-written pages for all the content we’ve found vital for TherapySites practitioners. This content is deliberately written to the average of the average, made to broadly cover the scope of a TherapySites practice. And while it’s a great start, it is no substitute for content that is tailored to exactly where you are and what you do!

The best way to make sure your site reflects you is for you to personalize and add to this content!

Our complete website means you can get started right away, after filling out only a minimum of information in the sidebar and About Page. But rather than consider this where your work with your website ends, you should think about this as where your work begins. Our content is best used as a jumping off point that, over time, becomes more and more tailored to you and your practice. While it’s possible to overload a page with too much information, it’s basically impossible to overload a site with too many pages of unique content. And all that content contributes and boosts your SEO ranking.

Simply put, if you are serious about using your website to grow your practice, then you need to get specific. Getting specific doesn’t mean you have to put hours into writing your own content, but it does mean that you need to make sure the content that you use reflects the specifics of your practice. This often just means changing phrasing, concepts or content to better reflect the specifics of your work.

Oftentimes, people simply leave our content without any alteration because they assume it’s best for SEO. This is in part true, as the content of our site is geared towards the broadest base of searchable terms. But this content is only good if it matches what you do and reflects and conveys the unique ways and approaches you use to do it. Content that doesn’t match what you do will do no one any good. And that’s why you want to keep writing and developing the content and tone of your site.

One of the most important things your site can have is NAP (Name Address and Phone Number) so taking the time to add an accurate practice name, practitioner name, phone number and address to the sidebar and to the Contact Page is time well spent. And very little time at that.

To add this content to the sidebar (or footer, depending on the template), simply log in to your editor and select “Settings and Profile” from the left. Then scroll down to the section labelled “Sidebar Contact Information.” You can fill in the NAP here. To add a picture, check the “custom sidebar box” and then use the “insert/edit” image link in the toolbar (it looks a little like a tiny picture of a mountain) to include a picture. Editing the Contact Page is even easier, from the “Edit Pages” (top tab on the left), click the “Contact” page, and that will bring up the editor. You can use the big green “Add A Photo” button to add that photo too. Or just email the image to us, along with where you want it placed, and we’ll make it happen!

The second most important thing is enabling your “About” page. The About page is the perfect example of how our templates give you a big leg up on content, but still do best with personalization. In the About Page, you simply fill out a series of blanks with information that makes it accurate for you/your practice. To enable the page, simply check the on/off box next to the page name in your list of pages.

However, if you enable the page without customization, your potential clients will be left with a fill-in-blank story, so make sure you do, in fact, fill in those blanks before hitting the “on” box. Then, enhance the customization with a professional looking headshot (see our pictures blog for more). Group practices can have headshots of key staff and a group photo. Consider pictures of your office, waiting room, the front of your building, or anything else that may be relevant. This not only customizes your website, but it helps a client visualize coming to see you. Adding a picture only takes a few moments, but helps potential clients envision what working with you will be like and that can be crucial for conversion.

Finally, above and beyond completing our fill-in-the-blank content, you should strongly consider writing new specific content as well. Specific content is a useful draw for both search engines and people. For potential clients learning more about your approach and thoughts to their specific situation can help them figure out if you’re the right Therapist for them. For search engines, those specific key phrase targeting pages help you stand out.

If it helps, you can think of your website as having its own hierarchy of needs. Most important (like oxygen), you need a website just to compete these days. Secondly (think sustenance) you need to personalize the existing content, because clients on the internet want to know who they’re working with. Thirdly (think companionship) you want to boost the customized content with totally original content, both for search engines and potential clients. And all those things together make your website an optimally effective marketing tool.

Mari F – TherapySites Support
[email protected]