Whether you are an established practice or just starting out, giving yourself well constructed therapist website is the norm these days. However, going out on your own through DIY providers like WIX or Squarespace can be fraught with technical challenges and an investment of time that may be better served with clients, CPD, or even just time to yourself.
As a result, many practices are using website design companies to create their online presence for them. Based on surveys and feedback from our existing clients, certain features are “must have” when it comes to a new website, including:
- Five pages of informative content, designed to establish rapport and introduce your practice to any prospective clients
- Friendly, jargon-free ongoing support
- Prompt assistance for any queries you might have
- Therapist-specific tools such as
- Ongoing SEO advice – rank higher on Google search engines
- Ongoing advice on marketing your practice online through free webinars
- Built promptly – weeks, not months
- Secure Hosting (Your space on the internet for your website)
- SSL Certificate
How much would it cost to get these features for a therapist website in 2021? To find out, we approached several website design companies across the country and asked them about their pricing for a website with the above attributes. The results can be seen in the below table.
Please note that the below prices do not include VAT.
| WebHealer | B**** | A*t A***y | SOS | M***n | |
| Setup Cost | £249 | £1500-3000 | £2250-2500 | £349 | £800 |
| On Going (monthly) | £18 | £50 per hour | £90+ | £20 | £65 |
| Therapist Specific Tools | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Build Time (weeks) | 2-3 | 4-6 | 3-4 | 4-6 | 4-6 |
| Copywriting/SEO Offered | Yes | £500 | £100 per 1K words | No | £80/mth |
| Hosting Included | Yes | £150 /yr | No | £18 /mth | £70 /yr |
As the table demonstrates, it is common for website design companies in 2021 to charge a four-figure sum for setting up and launching a simple practice website with basic functionality, taking on average around a month to finish. Many of these companies charge a flat fee for the build process and then charge additional fees for optional maintenance services such as support, security updates, and website backups. Our feeling is that this is simply too much.
Some therapists who have their websites built are happy to pay one lump sum and receive no further support with their website, while others appreciate the security that an ongoing monthly maintenance service brings and the ability to pick up a phone to someone who can provide evidence backed and industry specific advice. Throughout our 17 year experience in building websites for therapists, we find that ongoing collaboration between the therapist and ourselves will yield a better performing website.
On top of maintenance, more companies are offering copywriting as an additional service in 2021. Generally, practitioners are left to write their own copy upon acquiring a website. However, due to increased demand for ranking highly on Google and a growing need to save time, copywriting and SEO has become an important part of the website design process.
If you are looking to a practice website and want to know more about pricing, get in touch with WebHealer’s friendly team today.