Top Questions to Ask When Finding a Therapist Website Designer
Creating your website can feel super overwhelming because although, when finished, websites are easy to look at, building one is a whole other story. There are so many layers – the words, the images, the design, all the technical stuff behind the scenes. It’s a lot.
If you’re staring at your current site thinking “this doesn’t feel like me at all,” or if you’re starting completely from scratch and just lost on where to start, you may be considering getting some help. And that’s actually a really good thing, that you’re recognizing what’s challenging for you and seeking out support shows you’re doing business the right way.
But the next challenge is finding alignment. You need someone who not only knows how to build websites, but who truly gets you and can create something that feels authentic to who you are as a therapist.
The truth is, therapists often get burned in this process. And if that’s happened to you before, firstly, good job for taking that risk in your business. (Seriously. It shows you’re trying to get help with the hard stuff, which is exactly what you need to do in private practice to grow).
But let’s talk about the key questions that can help you find a website designer who’s truly aligned with you.
What We’ll Cover
Start With What Matters Most to You
Do They Understand Therapists?
What’s Their Process Like?
How Do They Handle the Technical Stuff?
What Happens After Launch?
What’s The Investment?
If You Do Nothing Else, Look for These 5 Important Qualities
Finding The Right Designer For You
Start With What Matters Most to You
Before we dive into specific questions, take a moment to think about what you’re most concerned about. Maybe you’re worried about the technical stuff because you’re not tech-savvy. Maybe writing website content makes you want to hide under a blanket. Or maybe you’ve been burned before and you’re most concerned about finding someone trustworthy.
Whatever it is, let those concerns guide which questions matter most to you. You don’t need to ask every single question – focus on the ones that address your biggest worries.
Do They Understand Therapists?
Q: “Do you specialize in working with therapists, and can I see examples?”
This is huge. Therapists have completely different needs than a plumber or a yoga instructor. You’re offering healing, and that requires a totally different approach to websites and marketing.
When you look at their portfolio, pay attention to whether the sites feel authentic. Can you understand who each therapist is and who they help? Do they sound like real humans, or are you seeing a lot of therapy-speak like “evidence-based interventions for psychophysiological assessments” instead of “I help people with anxiety feel calmer”?
Keep in mind that designers can’t really change their visual language. You see their voice in their work. If none of their sites look or feel like what you want, that’s probably not going to change for your project. The portfolio has to resonate with you.
Q: “What do you understand about how therapists need to market?”
A designer who understands therapists knows that therapists aren’t trying to convince everyone to work with them and instead they want to help the right people recognize that they’re a good fit and feel comfortable reaching out. Most importantly, therapists want a website that truly reflects who they are as a person and practitioner. A good designer will prioritize authenticity over aggressive marketing tactics, creating something that feels genuine rather than pushy.
What’s Their Process Like?
Q: “What is your process from start to finish?”
You want to understand exactly how they work. A good designer should be able to walk you through their process step-by-step in plain English. This tells you two important things: if they have a system that can handle all the different layers of building a website and if they can communicate clearly with you without making you feel lost or confused. You work hard to translate complex therapy concepts for your clients and your designer should do the same.
Q: “How much will I need to be involved, and what exactly do you need from me?”
Designers work differently, some like lots of collaboration and check-ins, while others prefer to work more independently and show you options along the way. Whatever their working style is, you want to make sure their working style matches yours. If you like being hands-on, find someone who welcomes that. If you prefer to just hand them stuff and let them handle the details, make sure they’re aligned on that.
Q: “Do you write the website content, or will I need to provide that myself?”
Writing and design are totally different skillsets, so it’s pretty common for designers not to include copywriting. If they do offer writing, you’ll want to understand their process just like you would for the design work.
If they don’t write content, ask if they offer support through that part. Do they provide templates or frameworks to guide you? Can they refer you to copywriters who understand therapy? Or do they hand you a blank website and say ‘fill it in’?
Some design services do include writing, but how they handle it can look wildly different depending on where you go. Asking this question can help ensure you know if you’re getting the most aligned support with the writing part of the website creation process.
How Do They Handle the Technical Stuff?
Q: “How do you handle HIPAA and digital security?”
Website designers who work with therapists need to understand HIPAA and digital security best practices. While your website is a marketing tool rather than a practice management tool, it still has plenty of potential risk points like contact forms, online schedulers, payment processing that could create HIPAA concerns as well as ethical considerations like how to handle testimonials and dual relationships.
You want a designer who understands how to handle these areas properly and can offer guardrails to keep you compliant. They don’t need to become your legal expert but they should be able to demonstrate they know what HIPAA is and how to keep your website free of unnecessary risk. If they seem confused about HIPAA requirements or brush off your security concerns, that’s a red flag.
Q: “Will I be able to update things myself?”
Websites need to change and shift as you grow. You’re going to want to add blog posts, update your services, maybe change a photo, list the new details of your therapy group every quarter. Different designers handle this differently – some will train you to make updates yourself, while others prefer to handle all updates for you. Just make sure their approach matches your comfort level and preferences.
Q: “Who owns the domain and hosting, and how does that work?”
This might get a little technical, but it’s important to understand. Your domain is basically your website address (like yourname.com) and hosting is where your website actually lives on the internet.
Some designers will set everything up in your name, you’ll get your own accounts and passwords, and you’ll manage the technical side going forward. Other services prefer to handle all the technical stuff for you as part of their ongoing support.
The deeper questions you can ask here include: Will I have my own accounts? What am I responsible for? And what ongoing costs should I expect?
All websites anywhere, whether DIY or with a designer, have ongoing fees just for the tech. You don’t need to know how it all works, but you should understand the different options and pick what feels right for you.
What Happens After Launch?
Q: “What kind of support do you offer after my website goes live?”
Websites aren’t “set it and forget it.” You’ll have questions. Things will need updating. Sometimes you’ll try to update a photo on your about page and something goes wonky (not just you, it happens to everyone).
Find out what kind of ongoing support is included in your initial investment and what costs extra. If there are additional fees, ask what those typically run. You might also ask what other clients usually spend on follow-up projects or updates in their first year which will give you a realistic idea of what you’d need to budget for ongoing website needs.
Q: “Will you teach me how to use my website?”
This question mainly matters if you’re getting a hand-off style service where you’ll be managing updates yourself after launch. If that’s the case, you’ll want to know how to do basic things like adding a blog post or updating your contact info. You also want to make sure the system is straightforward enough that you could hire a virtual assistant to help with updates if needed.
The last thing you want is to feel stuck every time you need to make a small change, or to discover that your site was built with so many custom elements that even tech-savvy people you could hire would struggle to update it.
If the designer offers ongoing support and handles updates for you, this becomes less critical but it’s still good to know the platform is user-friendly.
Q: “Does my site need updates and backups? And if so, who will be responsible for that after launch?”
Whether or not your site needs ongoing updates and backups depends a lot on where your site is built and how it’s set up. Some platforms (like Squarespace) handle security updates automatically and don’t require traditional backups. Other platforms (like WordPress) need regular updates and backups to stay secure and work properly – kind of like those app update notifications you get on your phone.
Some designers include ongoing maintenance as part of their service, while others expect you to handle it yourself or find someone else to do it. Just make sure you understand what’s needed for your specific setup and who’s responsible for what. This isn’t something you want to discover after the fact.
What’s The Investment?
Q: “What’s the total investment, and what exactly am I getting for that?”
Get a clear breakdown of everything that’s included in your initial investment versus what requires ongoing fees. No one likes surprise costs, so ask about potential extras like additional revisions, extra pages, or future updates and changes. Some designers charge one flat fee and you’re done, while others have ongoing monthly or annual fees for hosting, maintenance, or update services.
Understanding both the upfront costs and any ongoing expenses helps you find someone whose pricing model works within your budget and avoid those “oh, by the way, that costs extra” moments later.
If You Do Nothing Else, Look for These 5 Important Qualities
Based on what I’ve witnessed as therapists find website help, these qualities make the biggest difference:
Look for great communication. You want someone who responds promptly to emails, returns calls, and makes you feel heard during your conversations. Good communication during the selection process usually means good communication throughout the project.
Find a portfolio that speaks to you. You want to see examples of their work that feel like something you’d be excited to have. When their visual style resonates with you, that’s a great sign you’ve found a good match.
Look for realistic expectations and honest timelines. Great designers are upfront about what’s possible and what takes time. They’ll give you realistic expectations rather than promising overnight miracles.
Find someone with a clear, organized process. You want a designer who can walk you through exactly how they work and put everything in a formal agreement. This shows they’re professional and organized.
Choose someone who understands therapy. The best designers for therapists recognize that therapy marketing requires a different approach and understand considerations like HIPAA. When they get what makes therapy different, they can create something that feels authentic to who you are as a therapist.
Most importantly, trust your gut. If something feels off in your conversations or their approach doesn’t match how you like to work, pay attention to that feeling. You want to work with someone who makes you feel seen and confident about the process and can explain it all along the way.
Finding The Right Designer For You
The best way to find a good designer? Hit the streets and talk to other therapists. Services should have a reputation in the therapy world if they’re good. Maybe you can find someone through a therapist friend or another business owner you trust. It’s not a complete safeguard – sometimes even good matches don’t work out for various reasons – but it’s a good starting point.
Your website is often the first impression potential clients have of your practice. It’s worth taking the time to find someone who can create something that truly represents who you are and how you help people.
It may be helpful to keep in mind that it’s about finding alignment between your needs and their services, between your voice and their design style, between how you like to work and their process. When you find that alignment, you’ll know it.
You’ve got this.