If you’ve ever wondered why your marketing efforts aren’t quite landing—or felt like you’re spinning your wheels trying all the things—this episode is for you. I’m digging into one of the most overlooked and underestimated pieces of a therapist’s marketing strategy: your website.

In this episode, we’ll talk about why your website should be your hardest working marketing tool, what it needs to do to actually convert curious visitors into confident clients, and how to tell if it’s quietly holding you back. Plus, I’ll share a real-life story of a therapist whose new website immediately brought in four ideal clients—all because her new site finally did its job.

Here’s what you’ll learn in this episode:

1️⃣ Why treating your website like a checklist item is costing you more than you realize—and what it should be doing instead

2️⃣ The five essential jobs your website must do to attract, convert, and connect with right-fit clients

3️⃣ Common signs your site isn’t working (and how to fix it without burning it all down)

Resources & Links Mentioned:

• The Walker Strategy Co website: walkerstrategyco.com
• Done-for-you services: walkerstrategyco.com/services

Connect + Subscribe

Enjoying the podcast? Subscribe so you never miss an episode—and feel free to share it with a fellow therapist who’s building their private practice.

Explore more marketing support for therapists: The Walker Strategy Co website: walkerstrategyco.com

About Marketing Therapy

Marketing Therapy is the podcast where therapists learn how to market their private practices without burnout, self-doubt, or sleazy tactics. Hosted by Anna Walker—marketing coach, strategist, and founder of Walker Strategy Co—each episode brings you clear, grounded advice to help you attract the right-fit, full-fee clients and grow a practice you feel proud of.

Hello.

2

Hello.

3

Welcome back to Marketing

Therapy, episode seven.

4

If you've ever said to yourself,

well, I have a website.

5

Now what this episode is for you, because

here's the truth, a lot of therapists

6

don't realize until much later on,

your website isn't a box to check.

7

It's the foundation of your

entire marketing strategy.

8

Too few therapists

actually treat it that way.

9

This is not something you build

after you decide to start putting

10

yourself out there when done right.

11

It's the thing that makes all

your other marketing efforts

12

work better because of that.

13

If your website is not doing its

job, that is the first place to

14

look before you touch anything

else related to your marketing.

15

You've heard out there how

important having a website is.

16

You know that, I don't have to tell

you it, but too many therapists

17

aren't treating their website like

the foundation that it actually is.

18

So today we're unpacking the

role your website really plays in

19

attracting the right clients and

how when done well, it makes every

20

other piece of your marketing easier.

21

More effective and also more sustainable.

22

And sustainability right

now is the name of the game.

23

Now, let's start with the

big misconception out there.

24

So many therapists treat their

website like a digital business card.

25

They make one because they're

quote unquote supposed to.

26

They throw up a few pages of copy.

27

They find a couple stock photos

of a stacked rocks or whatever.

28

They list their credentials box checked.

29

But here's the thing, your website

is your number one conversion tool.

30

It's the piece of your marketing

that turns interest it into action.

31

It's the place where someone goes

from, I think I might reach out.

32

I heard about this therapist,

to this is my person.

33

And if that isn't happening, if

that part isn't working, nothing

34

else in your marketing is going to

work the way that you want it to.

35

Now, there are a hundred

ways to market your practice.

36

It's one of the beauties

of being in this industry.

37

You get to decide how to do it.

38

You can decide to post on social media,

attend networking events, run ads, create

39

content, sign up for directories, but

none of these things are as foundational

40

as your website because all of those

strategies, every single one of them,

41

ultimately drive people back to your site.

42

It's where the decision gets,

and if your website doesn't feel.

43

Aligned, clear, compelling.

44

That decision is probably going to be no.

45

So if you've ever felt like your marketing

isn't working or that you're spinning

46

your wheels trying all the things, I

want you to pause and ask yourself,

47

is my website actually doing its job?

48

Can you honestly say your website is doing

heavy lifting for you and your marketing?

49

If so, great.

50

This probably isn't the episode for you.

51

If not, that's where the shift starts.

52

Let's start by getting clear on

what a strong website is actually

53

responsible for, because this is what

so many therapists don't realize.

54

It's not just about

having something pretty.

55

Although design absolutely

matters and it's definitely not

56

about proving how smart you are.

57

We talked a few episodes back about

having a smart website isn't actually

58

gonna turn into the results we want.

59

At its core, your website exists

to do one thing very, very well,

60

and very, very consistently.

61

For you, that thing is to turn a curious

visitor is into a confident client.

62

To do that, it needs to

do a couple key things.

63

One, it needs to convert visitors into

inquiries, the whole goal of your website.

64

Is to take someone who's thinking about

therapy, who has realized they need some

65

support and get them to take action, not

by shouting at them, not by selling in

66

a slimy way, but by building a really

clear, confident journey and case for

67

why you are the right fit for them.

68

If your site isn't converting

visitors into inquiries, then your

69

other marketing efforts are basically

funneling people into a dead end.

70

I've used the.

71

Metaphor before of pouring

water into a leaky bucket.

72

Why would you wanna do that?

73

If you're out there pounding the

pavement, digital pavement, real

74

pavement, whatever, to market your

practice and is leading back to a website

75

that won't convert them, then in so

many ways you've wasted those efforts.

76

The other thing your website has to do

these days is communicate premium value.

77

Not just value, but premium value.

78

That's where everything

starts to work together.

79

The design, the copy, the flow, it all

sends a message about how professional

80

and high caliber your work is.

81

And it's like we've talked about in

past episodes, when you are charging

82

premium fees, people are looking

for proof that you are worth it.

83

Your website is where that proof lives.

84

Your website is where that proof lives.

85

The next thing your website needs

to do, it needs to reinforce your

86

niche and your point of view.

87

I should be able to land on your

website and immediately know who

88

you help, where you do it, what

you help your clients accomplish.

89

If I can't figure that out within

10 seconds of landing on your

90

homepage, I'm probably clicking away.

91

So we've got to make sure

that niche is shining.

92

And that point of view, you have

that philosophy, that unique flare

93

or approach you take to therapy

that needs to be shining too.

94

And then the last thing, this is that

intangible that happens with a good

95

website is that it starts to build

trust before your clients even meet you.

96

That's how we get those.

97

I read your website and I know you're

the therapist for me, consultations

98

and emails because a good website

isn't just informing, it's connecting.

99

I.

100

It is mirroring your

client's inner experience.

101

It's making them feel seen.

102

It's helping them imagine what it

might feel like to be in the room

103

with you and to do the work with you.

104

I worked with a therapist recently in

our Done for You program who had all of

105

the right ingredients, super compelling,

super, just fun to be around, great

106

clinical skills, really great results

with clients when they were the right fit.

107

But her old website,

you would never know it.

108

It was vague, outdated.

109

It had no real message or niche to it.

110

We rebuilt it with clear copy, really

bringing her personality through

111

visually is definitely not your

standard cookie cutter therapy website.

112

A really clear call to action

and description of what

113

it's like to work with her.

114

And the difference was

quite literally immediate.

115

She sent me an email a month

after launching and she'd gotten

116

four new ideal fit clients.

117

Every single one of them had mentioned the

website as the reason they reached out.

118

That's not magic, that's just strategy.

119

She was the same clinician

before and after.

120

We had simply changed the experience

people were having, the trust

121

that we were building and the

conversion that was happening.

122

As a result, this is what happens

when your website stops sitting in the

123

background of your marketing or just being

another box to check and actually start.

124

Doing its job.

125

One of the biggest mistakes I

see therapists make is treating

126

their website right alongside

the rest of their marketing.

127

So whatever it is that they've decided

to do, whether that's SEO, podcasting

128

ads, networking, whatever it might be,

their website is just another line item.

129

Your website is not like those activities.

130

It comes before them.

131

It is the foundation for them.

132

And when your website is set up, well,

whatever you do to market yourself, the

133

SEO, the podcasting, the ads, it makes

all of those things more effective.

134

Let's walk through what I mean here.

135

So in terms of SEO I'll see

people come to me and say, I want

136

to get clients through Google.

137

If you don't have a strong website, you

don't have strong SEO period, bar none.

138

I just talked to a therapist recently

who wanted to insert keywords for

139

postpartum depression into her website.

140

Her website wasn't doing anything

to enhance her authority in the

141

realm of postpartum depression.

142

We couldn't just insert

keywords into the site.

143

The site itself has to be strong.

144

. SEO isn't just about keywords.

145

It's about how your site is structured,

how clear your content is, what the

146

journey is like, how well it answers

what your clients are searching for.

147

All the things that come

with a strategic website.

148

If you want to get found on Google,

your site has to be set up to actually

149

receive and convert that traffic.

150

So that one's SEO, and website

are very, very closely tied.

151

Let's look at something like directories.

152

I will die on the hill that

Psychology Today still works and

153

other directories do as well.

154

They help you get found, but

they rarely get you chosen.

155

Sometimes they do.

156

Sometimes.

157

If your psych today is structured

really, really well, people will

158

reach out to you directly via there.

159

More often than not, they're

going to visit your website first.

160

They're gonna read your profile.

161

Start to form a connection and

then click over to your site.

162

If your site is vague, generic,

outdated, that person's gone.

163

If your website is strong,

interesting connection focused,

164

they'll click book consult.

165

So all of a sudden your directory

just started performing better and

166

you receive a contact form submission.

167

How did you hear about me?

168

Psychology Today?

169

What about networking?

170

Let's say someone refers a

client to you, they talk you

171

up, they say, you're amazing.

172

You'd be a great fit for this client,

for whatever reason, and then the

173

client visits your website and

they are completely underwhelmed.

174

Now, we've created a disconnect between

how awesome they thought you were and the

175

experience they're having on the site.

176

The trust built in the referral

conversation is getting lost.

177

Conversely, if your site reinforces

what they've already heard, if you

178

are talked up by a referral source

and then they visit your website and

179

holy cow, that is just shining, then

it becomes easy to say yes to you.

180

All of a sudden, your

networking got better.

181

What about social media?

182

Social media is often

where people meet you.

183

Your website is gonna be where they

choose you, so they might see a reel.

184

They might interact with you

on your Instagram stories.

185

But what are they gonna do after that?

186

They're going to visit your website.

187

Your website is the continuing

conversation after someone meets

188

you somewhere, like social media.

189

It's where the decisions happen.

190

So if your website is strong, then

a strong social media presence is

191

only going to be made stronger.

192

So yes, these other strategies,

they can work on their own.

193

Sure.

194

Psychology Today can work

on its own social media.

195

Sure.

196

Networking.

197

Absolutely.

198

But when your website is dialed in,

they work better, faster, smarter, and

199

most importantly, they don't fizzle out.

200

Because a good website gives you

leverage, it allows the other pieces of

201

your marketing to carry more weight with

less effort, everything gets better, but

202

your website does not belong on the same

checklist as the rest of your marketing.

203

It comes before that.

204

And that's something that I

just don't see enough therapists

205

embracing and understanding.

206

Okay, so by now you might be

wondering, well, how do I know if

207

my website is actually helping?

208

I don't know, Anna.

209

I dunno if it is or not.

210

Is it helping me or is it holding me back?

211

Here are some of the more common signs

that your website might not be doing.

212

Its job.

213

One is that you're getting

traffic but not consults.

214

Now, I wanna give a caveat here.

215

You need sufficient

traffic to your website.

216

You need eyeballs in order

to turn into consults.

217

So if you don't have enough traffic

coming to the site, it can be difficult to

218

know, is this a website issue or is this.

219

A traffic issue, so please know that.

220

But if you know people are landing on

your site, if you are boots on the ground

221

out there, marketing your practice, maybe

net networking directory, social media

222

what have you, but you're not hearing

from them, that's a conversion problem.

223

And it tells us that something

on your site might be unclear,

224

forgettable, giving them some reason

to not reach out or to click away.

225

Another sign your site might not be

doing its job is if your consults

226

feel really vague or disconnected.

227

Like a shot in the dark.

228

If people are showing up saying things

like, I'm still looking around, or I'm

229

not sure what I need, that tells us that

your website didn't help them pre-qualify

230

themselves for being a good fit.

231

And that's not to say every single

right fit client is going to show

232

up 100% sold to a consult, but we

should see a trend in their openness.

233

And awareness of the work that you do

and how it aligns with their needs.

234

Because a strong site helps people

see themselves in your message.

235

So they come in already

halfway to saying yes, right?

236

So we should see a theme of that, and if

we're not, then it tells us that something

237

might be missing in that connection.

238

Another thing, if you don't feel

proud to share your website.

239

If you hesitate before sending

someone your link, if your gut

240

reaction is, it's not great, but

here you go, hear me, that matters.

241

And this is one of those intangible

things that is hard to measure, but if

242

you don't feel good about your marketing,

your clients can sniff that out.

243

Your referral can sniff that out.

244

A lack of confidence trickles into

how you talk about your work and

245

how people experience you online.

246

If you don't feel good about

sending people to your website, if

247

you know it's not doing its job,

that will impact your marketing.

248

I've seen it happen and it's one of

those, like I said, strange intangibles,

249

but the transformation that comes

when you feel good about talking about

250

your work, when you feel good about

sending people there, dropping your

251

URL when responding to a Facebook post,

whatever that might be, that matters.

252

And then of course, if you're not getting

inquiries that reflect your ideal client.

253

We talked about this in a past episode.

254

If you're attracting people who are fee

resistant, who are not aligned with your

255

niche, not a good clinical fit, this

might not be because your practice is off.

256

It's just the way that

you're presenting it.

257

So we might see some opportunity

there for improvement as well.

258

The bottom line is that if

your site is not consistently

259

leading to RightFit consults.

260

Right fit inquiries that are

converting into clients, then

261

it's time to take a closer look.

262

Your website in this market absolutely

needs to be one of the hardest

263

working parts of your business.

264

And if it's not pulling its weight,

it's a signal that we need to revisit.

265

We need to realign.

266

Now, what does a strong strategic

conversion, friendly, all the

267

things website actually include.

268

Now there are a lot of bells and whistles

you can add to your website, and I love

269

a good bell and I love a good whistle.

270

But here's the fundamentals we have got

to have clear and client-focused copy.

271

Number one.

272

At the end of the day, the number one

determining factor in whether people reach

273

out to you are the words on the page.

274

Your site should speak directly to

your ideal client's experience less.

275

Here's my resume, what

I'm passionate about more.

276

Here's how I help people like you.

277

This means having specific emotionally

resonant conversational language.

278

If you wouldn't say it out loud,

don't write it on your website.

279

That is centered around what

your client is going through and

280

how you help them move forward.

281

So that's the first thing.

282

We have to have that

clear client focused copy.

283

If you're wondering where to start

to improve your website, your copy is

284

100% where I would suggest beginning.

285

The next thing we have got to have

a clear brand and visual presence.

286

The words that you work so hard

to write and your design, they

287

need to feel cohesive together.

288

They need to reflect the tone,

the energy, the personality of

289

your work and your practice.

290

If you're very warm and relational in

real life, which I imagine you are,

291

your site shouldn't feel clinical and

stiff and robotic, we need your brand

292

voice, and that is ultimately your voice.

293

And your visuals to align so that people

are really trusting what they see.

294

It feels consistent.

295

We also really need to make sure that the

journey through your website is clear.

296

So an easy to navigate structure

is also very important here.

297

Your website should not

feel like a scavenger hunt.

298

Today I was looking at a therapist's

website trying to get to her

299

specialty pages, and they were

all named really strange things.

300

I could barely make my

way around the menu.

301

One of the pages was hidden in the footer.

302

If I was a client, I

would've just clicked away.

303

It was genuinely confusing.

304

Your website shouldn't

feel like a scavenger hunt.

305

Make it simple for people to

find what they need, whether

306

that is your specialties, your

about page, your contact form.

307

Make it easy for them to find

the information that is going to

308

lead them to realize you are the

therapist they've been looking for.

309

The easier that journey, the more

likely they will take action with you.

310

And then finally, make sure that

your website has a confident, a

311

clear invitation to reach out.

312

This sounds obvious, but you would

be surprised how many therapists bury

313

or kind of downplay getting in touch.

314

They don't wanna have too many buttons

because they don't wanna be pushy.

315

We call this your CTA

or your call to action.

316

It should be clear, warm, easy

to find from every single page.

317

Not if you want or no pressure, but

something that really feels like, Hey,

318

if this sounds like what you need.

319

Let's go.

320

Let's get started.

321

Remember, your RightFit client is

here because they are motivated

322

and ready to do the work.

323

Don't bury the lead or make that

more difficult than it needs to be.

324

Invite them to take the next

step by having really clear

325

invitations to do that.

326

And then one bonus sign

of a strong website.

327

You feel proud of it.

328

You should be excited to

send people to this truly.

329

It should reflect your values and your

voice and your vision for your practice.

330

It should be something you actually

want people to see, because again,

331

when you have that foundation and

you have the confidence in it,

332

everything else starts to get easier.

333

You might be sitting here

thinking to yourself, okay, Anna,

334

but I already have a website.

335

It's not perfect, but it's fine.

336

Isn't that enough?

337

And here's my honest answer, maybe,

but good enough isn't good enough.

338

If you're not getting consistent

results, if people aren't reaching

339

out to you because of your website,

if you're not hearing your website

340

really spoke to me on consult calls, if

it's not leading to right fit private

341

pay clients, then good enough might

be costing you more than you realize.

342

Only you can decide that.

343

Now, this doesn't mean you

need to burn it all down.

344

It doesn't mean you need a $10,000

rebrand or six months to start

345

from scratch, but it does mean

it's really time to get honest.

346

Is this site really doing

the job you need it to do?

347

Is it helping people say yes, or is it

quietly creating confusion, hesitation,

348

distance with your ideal clients?

349

Get really honest with yourself because

only you know the answer to that.

350

And I get it.

351

Sometimes more often than not, you've

poured a lot of time, energy, and

352

or money into your current site.

353

I understand that.

354

And the idea of reworking it

can feel incredibly exhausting.

355

But your website is one of the

very few business investments

356

that touches every single part of

your marketing, every single part.

357

It is the foundation.

358

And if that foundation isn't solid.

359

Anything you build on top of it is

going to feel shaky and stressful,

360

So if you're feeling overwhelmed by

your marketing or maybe frustrated that

361

things aren't working the way you feel

like they should, your website is the

362

place to start, not because you should

have one, not because it's a box to

363

check and everyone tells you to, but

because it is the piece that has the

364

potential to make everything else you're

doing to grow your practice easier.

365

No other part of your marketing

plan has that potential.

366

When your website.

367

Is set up correctly and strategically.

368

Your SEO gets better.

369

Your referrals convert faster,

your consults feel smoother.

370

You feel more confident sending people

there, and it becomes the marketing tool

371

that really holds the rest together.

372

It's the one tool that can work

quietly in the background day or

373

night while you are in session or out

of it on vacation, doing whatever.

374

That's really doing the

heavy lifting for you.

375

This isn't an autopilot situation.

376

It's not launch your website and income

the clients, but it is set this up

377

to succeed and have an engine, have

a muscle, have a system running in

378

the background that you can trust,

knowing that whatever you pour into

379

that system, whether that's networking.

380

Social media or any one of the hundred

other ways you can get clients these

381

days, that system is churning and working

and set up for success because once

382

your foundation is in place, everything

you build on top of it starts to click.

383

So maybe you don't need a

fancier strategy maybe right now.

384

You just need a foundation

that works better.

385

One that reflects your values

attracts the right people.

386

And gives you the confidence

to grow on solid ground.

387

You deserve a website that

pulls its weight and you

388

are capable of building one.

389

Thanks for listening.

390

I'll see you next time.