Do I need a Website Designer?

Up until now, you’ve managed your own website.  Maybe it’s out of necessity….creating your own website saved some money.  Maybe it’s because you’re the DIY type.  I know there’s a huge thrill in creating something yourself AND it gives you the ultimate control over your own brand.

But let’s face it….managing your own website can be time consuming.  And sometimes pretty technical.  Even if you use a native-friendly platform such as Weebly or Wix, technical issues can still come up.  For instance, I’ve had SEO clients where we’ve discovered one thing holding their site back was several problems listed on Google’s Page Speed test.  Figuring out how to fix those things can be challenging…especially when the platform was designed for people who aren’t tech savvy.

You’ve honestly designed a good therapist website yourself…

Ok, some of you design AMAZING websites on your own.  The DIY websites I get to see when I consult with practice owners often blow me away!!!  Some are beautiful, have a consistent brand and include excellent, client-centered copy.

If this is you – you’re awesome! You know your own “brand” the best, and if you’ve really gotten this across and your website is converting clients, you deserve some major props!

You’ve wondered if you need a website designer…

Whether you are happy with the design of your website or not, maybe you’ve thought about having someone create a new site for you.  Maybe you’re sick of sinking the time into your site.  Or perhaps the design just doesn’t “wow.”  Or you are frustrated with the limitations of templates on the website platform you’ve been using…

Benefits of Hiring a Good Website Designer:

I’m personally a big fan of hiring a website designer.  Designing websites isn’t my strength, so it makes sense to outsource that to a professional who will do it more efficiently and better than I will.  It’s similar to the reason so many of you use our “Done for You” monthly SEO packages – because your time is better spent with clients or working on your business.

They can create a beautiful website with a consistent brand.

I highly recommend looking at several samples of sites they’ve created before to make sure you like their look.  But honestly, my favorite therapist websites I’ve worked on have been created by website designers.  There are some super snazzy looking sites out there!

You’ll have support for the technical stuff. 

When things come up, you have someone to turn to with questions.  And trust me, if you’re really paying attention to your site’s SEO, some technical questions will eventually come up!

Your time is valuable. 

Can you create a decent website?  Probably. But how much time is it going to take you?  Now take that and multiple it by your hourly rate.  Can you pay someone to create a site for that?  And the truth is that you’ve most likely underestimated how much time you’ll spend on the site.  It’s been my experience that website designers can usually do a better job in less time than we can as therapists.

Why I paid someone to create Simplified SEO Consulting’s site…

When I started Simplified SEO Consulting, I created our website on Wix.  And using Wix was pretty easy.  I had to look up a couple of things, but it wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be to learn a new platform (I was used to WordPress). To be honest, I even got it ranking for some keywords faster than I’d expected.

But it didn’t look right.  I’m just not a designer.  I am not great at figuring out what colors go well together or choosing the right font.  I realized that I needed help with the design portion.

If my problem was with Wix, I could have transitioned to WordPress on my own, because I actually took a course on building WP sites awhile back.  But my problem was with the design side of things.

So, I decided to hire Brighter Vision to create the site.  I knew once they created the site I could do most things on my own. I know my way around the backend of a WordPress site.  But I wanted them to put the time and effort into creating something that looked more cohesive than my first attempt. Since my site went “live” I’ve done most things on it myself.

But sometimes I get lazy…or busy.  Like last week, I wanted to add a page with the resources I recommend for therapists wanting to grow a private practice. But I had deadlines I was trying to meet and about a thousand things to do.  So, even though I know how, I just sent Brighter Vision the text I wanted to include.  They created the page and added it to the drop down menu. I still need to go optimize the page myself and will get to that. But in the meantime? They got the page up.

*Note I’m now an affiliate for Brighter Vision. The good news is that means if you use the code JT100 you’ll receive TWO months free!

And if you have truly mastered the art of managing your own counseling website?

Then you need to consider our SEO Training services. DIY type therapists who learn to make their own successful website also do really well learning to manage their own SEO!  Our SEO training sessions focus on teaching YOU to optimize your own site.  I teach you to do keyword research for your counseling website, write effective meta descriptions, optimize photos and write copy that will help convert website visitors to counseling clients.

Begin SEO Services with Simplified SEO Consulting

Simplified SEO Consulting is an SEO Service Provider for Therapists.  We offer both “Done for You” monthly SEO packages where we optimize several pages each month for you as well as SEO Training services.  Our SEO services go really in depth working to optimize every aspect of your page AND help convert clients once they do find your site! So, if you’re ready to get your page too the top of Google, e-mail us using the contact form on this page or schedule your free 30 minute consultation today!