How To Advertise Your Website & Promote Your Private Practice Online

So, you've invested your time and effort and created a beautiful website, or perhaps even hired someone to design a professional website for you, but you're unsure how and where to advertise it?

A professionally designed website can easily cost a few hundred pounds and of course, you wish to see a return from this investment. I often ask counsellors how they're planning to promote their website once it's live. Counsellors spend much time with their clients, so they have a great insight into what they need. However, before clients book a session with you, they start their research on their own, and often online.

To help you advertise your website and private practice online, I created a quick overview of practical ideas.

Have a read through and if you have any questions or thoughts on the ideas provided, feel free to drop me a comment. Your feedback is valuable, and I look forward to hearing from you!

Social Media Marketing For Private Practice Owners

Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and even LinkedIn are great ways to promote your website and get found by potential clients. Each platform has its advantages, and it's worth considering your "ideal client" before starting your social media marketing. Consider who your clients are, where they would spend their time, and what they're interested in or looking for. Consider posting in local community groups on Facebook if you're working face-to-face in the local area. Platforms like LinkedIn let you publish articles about your services, interests, and expertise, helping establish yourself as a therapy expert. Pinterest and Instagram are visually engaging, with many options to create posts, stories, and reels.

Paid Media Campaigns To Advertise Your Private Practice

Paid campaigns, i.e., on Google Ads, Facebook, and Instagram, will place adverts on clients' screens and send traffic to your website. Depending on the target group and medium chosen, this can be quite cost-effective. For example, Facebook and Instagram ("Meta Advertising") lets you define your target group to match your "ideal client" group based on age, gender, location, interests, and more. It's worth thinking about who you want to send to your website and then building your target group based on that. You can easily define a budget and running time for your advert, so you're always in control of your spending!

Business Directory Profiles To Promote Your Counselling Services

Directories, i.e., profiles on Counselling Directory and Psychology Today, allow you to connect your website with your profile. When clients search for a counsellor on any of those platforms, chances are they want to learn more about who you are and how you work. Adding your website can help improve your reach and, with that, get more clients onto your website.

But not only dedicated counselling directories are beneficial. Research local community notice boards and general business directories that let you create a profile for free. Some directories to start your research: Yell, UK Small Business Directory, local council website, or Local Pages UK.

A Free Google Business Profile For Counsellors And Therapists

The Google Business Profile is the profile that people see when they search for you specifically or when they search on Google Maps (for example "counsellors in London"). It's free and easy to create this profile, and you can connect your website with it as well. To create a free lisitng on Google, follow these easy steps.

Search Engine Optimisation For Your Therapy Website

Optimising your website for search engines to generate so-called "organic traffic," involves making it functional, engaging, and well-organised. Popularity with website visitors boosts your ranking on Google. Consider using relevant keywords (e.g., "CBT Therapist working with teenagers in London & Online" vs "CBT Therapy London") in your content, titles, meta descriptions, and alt texts. Ensure your site is user-friendly, fast, and mobile-friendly to encourage return visits and sharing. Starting a regularly updated blog can also enhance SEO. Achieving a fully optimised website is challenging but possible, and consulting a professional designer or SEO specialist can be beneficial as they can guide you on maintaining and improving your SEO efforts.

I hope you found this guide useful and it generated some ideas to promote your website online and start advertising your counselling services. If you have any questions, feel free to drop me a comment and I will respond as soon as I can.