In today’s digital world, potential clients form an opinion about you and your practice before you ever meet, so first impressions are more important—and more daunting—than ever.

If you’re reading this, chances are that you are a great therapist—someone who is an expert in what you do. You likely know the kinds of clients you want to work with, but they certainly didn’t teach you how to find those clients in grad school, did they?

Since our founding in 2019, Walker Strategy Co. has worked to develop a fail-proof digital marketing strategy designed specifically for private practice therapists. Below is a detailed outline of our process and approach to that strategy, compiled for the go-getter therapist who is ready to make their private practice goals a reality.

Whether you're a long-time private practice owner or just getting started, these techniques will help you enhance your online presence, stand out in crowded markets, and ultimately fill your therapy caseload with ideal-fit, private-pay clients. Get ready to discover the power of effective online marketing for therapists.

For those who may need further guidance, check out our marketing and copywriting courses and coaching.

Step 1: Identify Your Niche & Ideal Client

If you’re at the stage of owning your own private practice, you’ve likely been a therapist for long enough to know the kinds of work and clients you enjoy (and the ones you’d rather avoid). This inherent knowledge is the basis of the strategy that will help your practice thrive – the trick is putting it into words. Once you’ve been able to do that, you’ll use your niche as a “North Star” for your marketing strategy.

Clarifying Focus Areas

The foundation of your niche as a therapist is found in examining the types of work that energizes or fulfills you: the things that make you excited to start your workdays. Ideally, you will have a separate page for each specialty or focus area you choose on your final website.

Below is a list of some common focus areas to get the gears turning, but feel free to brainstorm and get specific. For solo practice owners, we recommend selecting 2-4 focus areas as a starting point. For group practice owners, start with 3-5. This number will likely grow as your practice does!

ADD / ADHD
Addiction
Adoption
Anger Management
Anxiety
Art Therapy
Bipolar Disorder
Borderline Personality
Brainspotting
Career Counseling
Children
Christian Counseling
Chronic Illness
Codependency
Coping Skills
DBT
Depression
Divorce
Domestic Violence
Eating Disorders
EMDR
Family Conflict
Grief
IFS
Infertility
Infidelity

Life Transitions
Marital and Premarital
Men's Issues
Narcissistic Personality
Neurodivergent Affirming
Neurofeedback
Obsessive-Compulsive (OCD)
Parenting
Peer Relationships
Play Therapy
Pregnancy, Prenatal, Postpartum
Racial Identity
Relationship Issues
School Issues
Self Esteem
Sex Therapy
Sexual Abuse
Sleep or Insomnia
Spirituality
Sports Performance
Stress
LGBTQ+
Teens and Adolescents
Trauma and PTSD
Weight Loss
Women's Issues

Profiling Your Ideal Therapy Client

Once you’ve determined the problems your ideal clients might come to you with, you can look more closely at who they are as people. It’s okay to have a variety of ideal clients, so don’t feel like you have to limit yourself to have effective marketing, but it is important to be as specific as you can.

Below are some questions you can answer to gain a better understanding of how your ideal clients might describe themselves, which will be vital to creating messaging that will resonate with them.

What age group(s) are they?
What role(s) do they play in their personal lives?
What role(s) do they play in their professional lives?
What kind of outcome(s) are they looking for from therapy?
Have they been to therapy before? How do they feel about the concept of therapy?
How would they describe why they’ve come to you in their intake session? What kinds of day-to-day problems are they having?

Writing a Niche Statement

Now, it’s time to combine the focus areas you’ve chosen with the qualities you’ve defined in the previous exercise by writing a Niche Statement.

Start with identifying what all of your focus areas have in common. We’ll refer to this commonality as your “Red Thread” moving forward. Though the specialties you’ve chosen might be very different, you can usually find an underlying similarity to connect them. For example, someone who specializes in divorce and pregnancy might say their “Red Thread” is life transitions.

Your statement might follow a format similar to the examples below, but can follow any format so long as it includes a description of who you serve and how you serve them.

Niche Statement Examples:

I specialize in helping people identify the deeper root of their anxiety, relationship challenges, and self-doubt.
I offer a holistic approach to therapy for women who are navigating grief and loss.
I specialize in working with Highly Sensitive People who need a supportive space where they don’t have to explain themselves.

Identifying Online Behavior & Conducting Market Research

Now that you know who you’re trying to reach, let’s figure out how to reach them.

One of the best ways to market your practice without paying for ads is through SEO, or Search Engine Optimization. This is the practice of tailoring your web copy to appear or “rank” high up in search results when people look up queries relevant to your website on search engines like Google. While it can take anywhere from three months to a year to yield results from optimizing your website, the long-term benefits definitely justify the work put in up front.

Start by listing out all the pages you would like your finished website to include. We recommend having the following pages at minimum:

Homepage: The first page people see on your website, addresses your ideal clients directly and briefly introduces you, your practice, and your specialties.
About Page: Introduces you and your practice more in-depth, outlines your qualifications and why your ideal client might choose you over other therapists.
Specialty/Modality Pages: One page for every focus area you previously chose, as well as pages for any modalities (such as EMDR or CBT) that you specialize in.

Once you’ve done this, brainstorm some things that the ideal client you defined earlier might type into Google when they are searching for a therapist.

Next, use an SEO Keyword Research tool, like the one built into Google or a trusted third-party option like Ubersuggest, to determine which of the search terms from your brainstorm will be the most effective to target in your website copy based on how many people are searching and how saturated the online market is for each term. Choose one or two keywords to target for each page you listed, but keep in mind that search engines also recognize synonymous terms.

Keep these keywords, as well as your niche statement and “Red Thread” handy while composing copy.

Step 2: Write Effective, Google-Friendly Copy

Now it’s time to put all of that brainstorming and research to good use by actually writing the copy that will be featured on your website. Though it can seem overwhelming as a whole, breaking this writing down into parts will help make it more manageable.

Utilizing Local SEO

Since therapists are licensed state-by-state, it is important to make sure you are reaching potential clients within your licensure. The best way to do this is by mentioning your location in key places on your website. While the state you’ll be targeting is obvious, choosing a city or town to target can be more elusive if you are outside of a metropolitan area or only offer online services. In these scenarios, choose the closest, largest city to you to reach the most potential clients. You can also use the previously-mentioned keyword research tools to look further into which locations have higher search volumes for the keywords you’d like to target.

Page Titles & Meta Descriptions

You know what pages you will be building, and what keywords and locations you’ll be targeting for each page. Now, it’s time to put all of this information together to write your page titles and meta descriptions, which are essentially the link title and brief blurb that appear in Google search results.

Some things to keep in mind:

Maximum recommended characters for a page title is 60
Maximum recommended characters for a meta description is 160
Should include target keywords and target locations
Should exclude excessive prepositions and conjunctions
For instructions on where to input these page titles and meta descriptions, look to your website’s platform’s FAQ. Here are the instructions for Squarespace, Wix, and Wordpress.

EXAMPLE
For this example, let’s say we’re writing the title and meta description for the Homepage of a therapist whose niche is treating teenagers with eating disorders and social anxiety, who is located in Atlanta, GA, and who has decided to target the keyword “Therapy for teens.” The final title and description might look like this:
TITLE: Therapy for Teens in Atlanta, GA | Jane Doe’s Practice Name
DESCRIPTION: Counseling for teenagers in Atlanta & across Georgia. Treatment for eating disorders & social anxiety. Schedule a free consultation.

These are effective because they:

Don’t exceed recommended character counts
Utilize target keywords and locations
Use synonymous terms (like ‘counseling’ and ‘treatment’ for ‘therapy’ and ‘teenagers’ for ‘teens’) to reinforce target keywords

Composing Page Copy

Finally, it is time to write out what each page of your website will say, which is arguably the most important part of this process.

Your finished web copy should accomplish two things:

Communicate that you understand your ideal client’s problems and know how to help solve them.
Take potential clients on a journey as they scroll from the top of a page to the bottom.

To do that, we break each page into basic sections, and insert additional sections that are specific to the subject matter of the page as needed.

Here are the basic sections you should include on every page of your website:

Hero Section

The very first section you see when landing on the page.
This section should communicate

What you do
Who you serve
Where and how you offer your services

Use eye-catching messaging to engage the reader straight away.
EXAMPLE:

Empathy Section

This section should communicate that you understand what your ideal client is going through, both day-to-day and on a larger scale.
Use words that your ideal client would use to describe themselves and their experiences in their first intake session, rather than words you would use to describe them.
Avoid clinical and pathologizing language.
EXAMPLE:

“What & How” Section

Whether it’s your Home, About, or Specialty page, this section should briefly explain the overarching theme of the page, and how you relate to it.
For Example:

Homepage

What: A brief description of you and your practice
How: Your approach to therapy

About

What: What clients can expect when working with you
How: How you’re qualified/able to help them

Specialty Page

What: Explanation of focus area in layman's terms
How: Your approach to this specialty

Call To Action

A statement that directs the reader to take the next step, followed by a button that links to said next step.
The statement should be short and direct, but still empathize with your ideal client.

EXAMPLE: It’s time to find your peace.

The button text should identify what the link will send the reader to do.

EXAMPLE: Book A Free Consultation

Step 3: Design & Build Your Website

Now that you have the content you’ll need to fill it out, it’s time to assemble the pages of your website. But before you dive in, you’ll need to complete a few logistical steps and make some design choices.

Choosing a Professional Domain Name

A “Domain Name” is the web address that directs to your website.

To get started, first, brainstorm some domain name ideas that reflect your practice, such as your name or your practice’s name, or your specialty. Once you have a few options in mind, visit a reputable domain registrar or hosting provider like GoDaddy or Namecheap. Use their search tool to check if your desired domain name is available. If it is, great! Proceed with the registration process, providing your contact and payment details.

Keep in mind that .com is often the preferred extension for professional websites. If your chosen name is already taken, consider slight variations or alternative extensions like .net. Remember, your domain name plays a crucial role in establishing your online presence, so choose wisely!

Defining a Color Palette & Fonts

So many of the choices we make as consumers have to do with the “vibe” that a business or brand gives off. Choosing colors and fonts to apply across your website is the best way to create a cohesive aesthetic and convey your “vibe” to potential clients.

Start by considering the emotions and messages you want to communicate through these choices. It can be helpful to brainstorm some words to describe these messages and emotions, and then search them on pinterest for inspiration. For example, if the “vibe” I’m going for is both professional and feminine, I might search “professional and feminine branding,” “professional and feminine color palette,” or “professional and feminine fonts” on Pinterest, and then compile a board of options I like.

Remember to choose colors and fonts that complement each other and maintain consistency throughout your website.

We recommend using:

5 colors

1 light
1 dark
1 bright/accent
2 neutrals

2 fonts

Heading
Paragraph

Ultimately, the goal is to strike a balance between creating a visually appealing design and ensuring that your website remains accessible and easy to navigate.

Here’s an example:

Building Your Website

There are several platforms that boast beginner-friendly interfaces like Squarespace and Wix, where you can build your website from a blank page if you’d like. These platforms offer pages of tutorials and how-to videos to walk you through it from A - Z.

However, if you’d like to expedite this process and start your website design with a bit more structure in place, consider using a website template. Templates are the bare bones of a website that can be uploaded to their corresponding platform and then customized by you.

Our Template Shop has a variety of Squarespace templates for private practice therapists that are formatted to accommodate the copy structure described in the previous section. Every template is fully customizable and available in both individual and group practice versions.

Tips

Sourcing Images

If you’d like to include images on your website other than your headshots, you can find free, high quality images that are downloadable on Unsplash and Pexels.

Optimizing Image Size

If you have professional headshots on your practice’s website, or download images from the sites mentioned above, they are probably pretty large files due to their quality. The size of these files may affect how long it takes your webpage to load, and studies show that 40% of people will click away from a page if it takes more than 2 seconds to load. Resizing images to a file size less than 100kB ensures that they’ll load quickly. You can use a free, online software like this one from Adobe to do this.

Including Alt Text

Descriptive alt text is something you’ll be able to input when uploading images to your website. It exists to tell Google what each image contains, and can be read to visually-impaired people by their web browsers to improve their experience on your site. By adding descriptive alt text to your images, you boost your website's accessibility and improve its chances of ranking higher in search results.

Optimizing for Mobile Responsiveness

Statistically, half of the people who look at your website will do so on a mobile device. For that reason, it’s important to make sure that your site looks good and functions well mobily. Some website templates (like the ones in our Squarespace Template Shop) have mobile responsiveness built in, but if you’re starting from scratch it may be helpful to look for tutorials.

Step 4: Create a Stand-Out Psychology Today Profile

It’s not uncommon that therapists write off Psychology Today as being too oversaturated to be an effective marketing channel. The reality is that for just $30 per month, you can put yourself in front of hundreds (or even thousands) of your ideal clients. Additionally, including a link to your website on a professional online directory like Psychology Today can drive more traffic to it overall. With all that in mind, and a strategic approach that’s been proven to work, it certainly is worth a try.

For a variety of examples and templates that guide you through exactly what to put in each section of your profile, check out our PsychToday Success Pack.

Developing a Strategic Profile Bio

The first paragraph of your bio is separated from the rest and takes up prime real estate on your profile page. Here, it’s important to remember the state of mind your ideal client is in when searching for a therapist on Psychology Today. Be sure to use the first 2 sentences of your bio to speak directly to that person and their current situation and pain points. Then, briefly outline why you are the right choice to someone facing these challenges, and speak to the outcomes they desire in seeking therapy.

In paragraphs 2 and 3, you’ll want to make sure you touch on:

Your specialties or focus areas
What your existing clients say they like about working with you, or what sets you apart from other therapists
The environment you foster and process you use in-session
What they’ll take away from therapy
A call to action (i.e. “Schedule a consultation”)

If you serve multiple niches that are difficult to summarize in one bio without exceeding character limits, it can be helpful to write one bio specific to each niche, and rotate them every few weeks or months. There is also anecdotal evidence that changing up your profile can cause PsychToday’s algorithm to boost your position in search results, so it’s a good idea to update your bio now and then even if you only serve a single niche.

Recording a Scripted Video

Many therapists say they struggle with the idea of having to record themselves, but this short video could be the deciding factor in someone choosing to work with you over another clinician. The best way to approach recording your profile video is to start by writing a script. The whole video is only 15-20 seconds long, so you’ll just need to write 3 or so sentences.

In your script, you’ll want to:

Introduce yourself
Mention your ideal client type, their highest-priority problem, and what you can help them do through therapy
Conclude with a call to action, prompting them to schedule a consultation or reach out to you

When using your webcam or phone camera to record, you’ll want to make sure your face is centered in the frame and that there is nothing distracting in the background.

You also have 140 characters to use for a video caption. Here, you can describe your practice in a compelling, client-friendly way.

Optimizing the Rest of Your Bio

To make sure you’re getting the most out of your PsychToday profile, it’s important to utilize all the options available. Below are some of the elements you can include in your profile to increase the chances of your ideal client finding you.

A friendly, high-quality headshot
Intro to new clients statement
Update your availability (as needed)
Key specialties (3) that encompass your work
Finance quote
Credentials
Therapy types
Relevant zip codes

Step 5: Cultivate A Strong Network

One of the best ways to build a full-fee private practice is through networking. To start getting referrals, though, you’ll need to cultivate relationships with folks both inside and outside of the mental health field. Keep in mind that this strategy, like SEO, isn’t instantly gratifying, but the results you’ll get in the long-term will be well-worth the effort put in up front. Below, we detail some places you can start when beginning to actively network to grow your practice.

Facebook Groups

If you’re not networking with other therapists in Facebook groups, you’re missing out on TONS of opportunities to connect with people who could refer your next client to you. Below are a couple general groups for therapists to get you started.

You can also join groups related to your niche or location and post about your practice there if it seems appropriate. For example, if your niche involves working with moms, you can join local mom groups. There are also many Facebook groups for therapists in specific areas, but if your area doesn’t have one yet, consider starting one yourself!

Don’t Underestimate Personal Connections

This may seem obvious, but talk to the people in your life! When you talk about your job, get specific about the kind of work you do and the things you specialize in. If people in your community know what you do, they’re likely to keep that in mind when looking for someone in your field, whether it’s for themselves or they’re seeking resources for someone else. Even if you, personally, can’t help them, you can refer them to someone who can, and that clinician will remember that you referred them a client. An all-around symbiotic relationship.

Networking Scripts

It can be super helpful to have an idea of how you’ll approach someone, whether online or in person, to make a networking connection. Write out a few ways you could approach another clinician or a member of your community to tell them about the services you offer.

If you’d like pre-written scripts that have been proven to work by the hundreds of private practice therapists who have used them already, check out The Fill Your Practice Formula. This DIY marketing course gives a more in-depth look at the networking strategies we’ve seen work firsthand.

Step 6: Track & Analyze Results

You've put in the effort to build your website and implement various marketing strategies, now it's time to see how effective these things are over time. By doing so, you can gain valuable insights and identify areas for improvement. Here are a few ways you can go about finding out what’s working.

Setting up Google Analytics

To begin tracking your website's performance, you'll want to set up a reliable analytics tool like Google Analytics. This tool provides comprehensive data on your website's visitors, their behavior, and interactions. Follow these steps to get started:

If you don't have one already, sign up for a Google Analytics account using your Google/Gmail credentials.
After creating an account, add your website's URL to Google Analytics. Follow the provided instructions to install the tracking code on your website.
Once the tracking code is installed, verify that it's working correctly to ensure accurate data collection.

Monitoring Key Metrics

With Google Analytics up and running, you can gain some insight into your site's overall performance.

Some essential metrics to track include:

Website Traffic
Keep an eye on the number of visitors coming to your website. Monitor how this traffic evolves over time, and identify any spikes or dips in activity.
Bounce Rate
The bounce rate indicates the percentage of visitors who leave your site after viewing only one page. A high bounce rate may signal that your content or website experience needs improvement.
Conversions
Define your website's conversions, which could be inquiries, contact form submissions, or consultation bookings. Track the number of conversions and conversion rates.

Ask Clients How They Found You

While web analytics offer valuable quantitative data, don't underestimate the power of direct feedback from your clients. Consider including a question on your contact form or intake process that asks clients how they found your services. This simple yet insightful approach can help you understand which marketing channels are most effective in attracting clients to your practice.

This simple question can give you powerful information about which marketing strategies are working well for you.

Analyzing Results

Once you've collected sufficient data from both web analytics and client feedback, you can look for patterns and correlations between your marketing efforts and the results you've achieved.

Some questions to consider:

Which marketing channels are driving the most website traffic and conversions?
Are specific pages or content on your website performing better than others?
Do certain keywords or search terms lead to higher engagement and conversions?
Are there any notable changes in website traffic and conversions after implementing specific marketing tactics?

Implementing Feedback

Now that you’ve identified the marketing strategies that have been most successful in driving traffic, engagement, and conversions, you can double down on these tactics to maximize their impact. Likewise, consider the areas that could use improvement and brainstorm potential adjustments.

Here are some tips for refining your marketing tactics:

Focus on the most effective channels and “cut the fat” if you’re putting energy and resources into less effective channels
Explore additional marketing tactics that align with your niche and audience. Some ideas of places to expand include blogging and partnerships with other professionals.
Continuously test variations of your marketing efforts and monitor the outcomes to refine your approach over time.

Final Thoughts

Remembering that, overall, marketing your private practice is something that will happen over time can help take some of the pressure off. If you follow this 5 step guide, though, you’re guaranteed to make broad strides forward.

If you’re looking for more support, guidance, and personalized feedback, check out our 16-week marketing mentorship program designed for private practice therapists: Confident Copy.

If all of this still seems overwhelming, and you’d rather delegate the work of building a beautiful website for your private practice and writing copy that converts readers into clients, check out our done-for-you marketing services for therapists at WSC Studio.

Whatever route you choose to go, we at Walker Strategy Co. are rooting for you!

If you’ve read this far, stay in touch in our public Facebook group.

The Ultimate Marketing Guide for Therapists: How to Get More Therapy Clients with Less Effort

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