What Makes Your Therapist Website Copy Most Effective: The 3 C’s
If you’ve spent any time searching for a therapist online, you know how difficult it is. As a client, when you’re already struggling and reaching out for help, navigating finding a therapist feels almost impossible.
So many of the therapist websites out there seem the same. They say the same thing. The writing is often vague and doesn’t specifically say who or what the therapist does. It’s hard to tell by looking and reading through their site whether or not the person knows what they are doing or even if they understand the people they work with.
Sometimes you can’t even tell who they work with.
This is where the three c’s come in. If you make sure that you are hitting these 3 C’s, you know that you are writing a website where your clients will feel seen and heard. And they will take the steps they need to work with you.
So what are the 3 c’s?
The 3 c’s that will help your website be effective and successful in bringing full-fee clients into your practice are these: Connection, Clarity, and Conversion. If you can hit these three points throughout and on each page of your website, you will consistently attract the right-fit clients.
Let’s go into each c with a little more depth.
Connection
This is where your ideal client comes in. If you want to be able to write copy that connects, it’s necessary to have a client in mind that you’re writing to. If you need more information about finding your ideal client, check out my blog here.
Once you know who your ideal client is, you can really write to their problems and pain points. You really want to show them during this section that you understand them. You understand what they’re going through and why they’re seeking therapy. Not only do you understand the struggle that they’re experiencing, but you also understand what they are hoping for.
Remember, your clients are probably feeling anxious, overwhelmed, skeptical, and helpless when they reach out to you. It’s important to talk about that point directly in your copy.
You want them to walk away from reading your website with the feeling of “they are talking about me”.
Not only do you need to show them that you understand them, but you also want to show them that you are a real person. That you understand them and that you are approachable and available to help them.
One way to do this is to make sure that you are showing a little bit of personality in your website copy. Some examples of this are to share some of your humour or how direct you are in your copy. Don’t just write a professional description of what you do. Let your personality shine through.
Another way to approach this is to be really aware of the language that you are using and make sure that it is everyday language.
You can show them that you are smart through what you write about; you don’t have to use big words and technical jargon. These things actually make most of our clients feel like we think we are better than them and makes you seem unapproachable, which actually works against you when it comes to building a connection.
So act like a real person in your copy and make sure they know that you understand them. Make sure that you are addressing as many aspects as possible of their experience when they are reaching out for help. What is pushing them to reach out for help, and what is holding them back?
The last part of this that can make a big difference is using stories and examples that are relatable and that many of your clients can see themselves in. If it is an experience that many of your clients have talked about, use this as an example in your writing, as it shows that you understand them and that you have experience with what they are going through.
For example:
Vague: “I help people with depression.”
Connecting: “You are tired of struggling to get out of bed every morning, holding back tears, and no longer finding anything that you enjoy in life.”
As therapists who have worked really hard to get our degrees and credentials, we often think this is enough. But listing off degrees and all your hard work doesn’t help you connect with your ideal clients, really, if you aren’t careful it does the opposite and drives them away.
Start by really connecting with your ideal clients, and then we can move on to the next C which is clarity.
Clarity
Once you have built a connection with your prospective client, the next step is providing clarity. If the client can’t figure out the details of who you are, what you do, who you see, and where you see them. Then it doesn’t matter how beautiful your website is and how understood they feel by your copy. They need to be able to figure out the logistics of your practice.
First, here are a couple of tips about how to provide clarity. Avoid therapist jargon and academic language. This makes it really hard for your clients to connect with you, as mentioned earlier, but also, the only people that talk this way are other therapists, so if that isn’t your ideal client, try to write as your clients talk.
Jargon: scapegoat
Clarity: Talk about being the person in the family that everything is blamed on, even when this can’t possibly be true and isn’t.
You also want to use short sentences and break up your paragraphs so that they are easy to skim and read.
If you have to use technical jargon or therapy speak, use “this means” or another transitional sentence to explain what you are using a word that isn’t just plain English.
Jargon: We will explore any tendency you might have towards catastrophising.
Clarity: (add) Which means that we will talk about the times when your brain automatically heads directly towards the worst case scenario. We will talk about where this thought pattern may have developed, how it has served you and ways to break yourself of this habit.
Try to be as specific and clear as possible. Basically, avoid kind of vague airy statements that really don’t mean anything.
Vague: I create a safe, judgment-free space where you can learn to be your true self (raise your hand if this is on your website).
Clarity: I am a neurodivergent affirming provider, which means that I help you identify the places where your brain works differently and help you learn to not just accept those differences but learn how to work with those differences instead of against them.
Or
I help you to look carefully at the regrets you’ve been carrying around, and take action in order to move on with forgiveness instead of living in constant self-loathing.
Describe in concrete detail with examples what therapy looks like in the room with you.
Vague: We will work on setting boundaries.
Clarity: When we are working on setting boundaries, we will talk about what a boundary is and how to set one. We will problem-solve boundaries that you would like to set and how to set those specific boundaries. As time moves on, we will discuss the roadblocks that interfere with your setting them the way you want to.
So now that you know how to be clear, here are the things that you need to be really clear on in your website copy.
Who you see- So this is where prospective clients decide whether you are the therapist that specializes in them. It’s important to be really clear with examples and connection points of who the clients are that you actually want to see.
Who you don’t see- Your prospective clients also need to know who you don’t see. If you work with moms but find that working with dads is triggering, then let them know that. If you work with anxiety but don’t work with OCD, be careful about describing the type of anxiety that you work with in your copy.
What you do- This is the section where you talk about what modalities you use and your unique approach to their problem. Remember, there are a lot of CBT therapists out there, but that doesn’t mean they are all the same. You have a specific blend of CBT, and you need to help your clients understand that.
Your personality and who you are in the room- Your prospective clients don’t just need to know the basics about what you do. They need to know who you are. Fit is the number one indicator of whether or not therapy will be successful. So you need to give them some inkling of whether or not you are going to be a good fit for them. When you’re writing your copy, try to add a little bit of your personality.
For example, if you swear tell them that or if you bring your own brand of spirituality into therapy let them know. You want to show them through your copy that you are a therapist that will be a good fit for them as a person.
Success or Progress- You also want to let them know what you view as progress in therapy. This is really important because if you are on different pages when it comes to what the goal of therapy is things are going to get really frustrating for both of you. So in your copy, you want to talk about what progress looks like to you.
Logistics- This includes things like whether or not you take insurance, how much you charge for non-insurance clients, whether you are fully online, or if you have an in-person office that you use. Your clients will also want to know if you are full or taking new clients. That information will help everyone, including you.
Clarity helps your ideal clients figure out that you are the right therapist for them. The therapist who helps them to become the best parts of themselves. If you achieve clarity on your website, your ideal client will say I saw myself described on your website, and I know you were the one.
Now we’re going to talk about how those new clients actually end up on your consultation page. The last C conversion.
Conversion
For many therapists, when they hear the word conversion, it brings up a mild ick feeling. We see images of manipulative sales tactics and sleazy sales guys. But that really isn’t what we mean here.
When I talk about conversion in terms of therapist websites, I am talking about making it as easy as possible for a client who already wants to work with you (because you did the work with connection and clarity) to get to your contact page and fill out the form.
Clarity is also a part of conversion, but it’s creating clarity about the things that might get in the way of clients reaching out. We’re trying to remove the barriers to working with you and make this step as easy as possible.
Remembering that our clients, when they reach out, are often in crisis or at least struggling. So you want to do the best you can to address fears, financial questions, and frustration points that get in the way of reaching out.
We address fears by making sure we are clear about what therapy looks like. How long they might be in therapy, how long the sessions are, and how often you will work together.
You also need to address financial questions and make sure that you are answering them clearly. Do you take insurance? How much is private pay? If you provide a super bill, what does that look like?
And last, you want to address sticking points by making sure that they can figure out how to take the next step with you.
We want there to be as little confusion as possible. Make sure you have multiple clear calls to action (CTA’s) on your page and website so that whenever the client is ready to schedule, they can find a way to do so. For example, don’t just put a call to action at the bottom of your page; make sure there is one at any point where they might decide to work with you.
Once they get to the contact form. Make it as easy as possible so that the form can be filled out and submitted without issues. Keep it simple for confidentiality purposes, you want to have just enough information, but not all of the information. Only ask for what you need so that they can take the next step.
You also want to be clear on what is going to happen after you hit submit. How long will it take you to respond, and how will you respond?
For example, “Interested in working with me? Fill out this form, and I will email you within 48 hours to schedule a free 15-minute consultation.”
Also, be respectful of everyone’s time and make sure you mention if you are on a wait list, so if they can’t wait, they will look for another therapist.
So now the question is how to put these 3 C’s into practice.
How to Apply the 3 C’s in Your Therapy Website Copy
Now you know what the 3 C’s are, but how do you get them to work for you? It’s important to remember that all 3 work together and build on each other. So if you are nailing the connection aspect, you will have people willing to overlook the lack of the other 2 C’s. Other people will just move on their way. But if you have all 3 C’s on point, your ideal clients will land on your site, feel understood, know who you work with, how you work, and will easily take the next steps to work with you.
Having any of the 3 on their own can feel uncomfortable to many people. The reason conversion feels icky is that it is when you don’t have clarity and connection. So focus on figuring out all 3.
Most therapy sites struggle to nail all three, and this means that they aren’t getting all of the clients they want. When you connect with your clients, are clear about what you do and who you see, and your conversion is right, you will get the right-fit clients that land on your website.
Start with one step at a time with the goal of eventually hitting all three. The order is important because the three build on each other, and go in order. For example, start by making sure that your page connects well with your clients, and then move on to clarity and lastly conversion.
It’s too much to try to overhaul everything all at once (ask me how I know). Start with one part at a time, and you’ll be done with all 3 in no time. Your website copy is a work in progress, and it’s okay to focus on a little bit at a time.
Don’t forget to have someone who is close to your ideal client read through your website and suggest any changes.
Getting Help with the 3 C’s in your website copy
If you are reading this and feeling overwhelmed or confused. I would love to help you apply this to the copy that you already have on your website, or just completely rewrite it. If you are interested in how I might be able to help you, contact me here, and we can talk about it.