Top 5 Web Design Trends for Your Therapy Website
When it comes to mental health services and therapy, teletherapy has seen a surge in popularity since the global pandemic hindered everyone’s ability to seek treatment in person. With online therapy becoming more popular, mental health providers seek to grow their practices using robust web design and practical tools for data analysis.
In 2021, we have seen riveting changes in web design that have capitalized on consumer behavior and achieved maximum exposure by pinpointing what viewers focus on and how long they stay on a site. Therapists and psychologists can maximize their website’s efficacy by taking note of some of these trends.
Sites like MindDiagnostics, for example, provide self-administered tests so clients can assess whether they have a mental health condition. Their site is designed to engage with the viewer as soon as they access the site. The user provides their information and immediately gets their choice of diagnostic sent to their inbox, tests such as a PTSD test, depression test, or social anxiety disorder test. For more information, visit MindDiagnostics today.
Behavior-centric design
The concept of behavior-centric web design (BCD) is relatively simple. The gist of it is to create your website with the user’s needs and behavior in mind. Your website can target potential clients with easy tools and tabs to navigate effortlessly through your website. Knowing which information is most important to your prospective clients will help you create your website to quickly give them what they need. BCD takes a viewers’ feelings, desires, and time into consideration when designing a website.
For example, a therapists’ homepage should have all of the answers to a potential client’s questions:
- What are your areas of expertise?
- What are your rates? Do you take insurance?
- What are your qualifications?
- How long have you been practicing
These are only a few examples, but a potential client may get frustrated if they can’t find an answer to these fundamental questions quickly. If your website is a long blurb of text that buries critical information and doesn’t use bullet points or quick lists, it may discourage viewers from seeing treatment and moving on to another therapist. BCD makes sure a user’s experience is considered from the inception of the website.
Smart CSS Grids
Smart CSS grids are layouts that take into account different platforms like mobile devices and tablets. Before Smart CSS Grids, all websites used CSS grids but were at the mercy of the code of it’s intended device. If you’ve ever accessed a website designed for a computer screen on your phone, you’ll know how frustrating it is to navigate through the site. Floating boxes fill the screen, the text gets cut off, and ads become harder to close. A smart CSS grid considers the size of the device screen and adjusts tables, windows, and text accordingly.
Having a smart CSS grid layout ensures that all users will get the same great experience regardless of which device they use. For therapists and psychologists, it’s essential to make sure their page remains accessible to every potential client. People without access to computers may rely solely on their phones or tablets to access the internet. Tele-therapy has also seen a boost in low-income communities because of its accessibility. A CSS grid that works on all platforms lets users know their virtual experience matters and adds to the overall user experience.
Choosing illustrations over stock photos
Many therapists with an online presence have web design experience, but most outsource their websites to experts and preset themes on WordPress, GoDaddy, BlueHost, SquareSpace, etc. These themes come with stock photos that are free to use. Images of picturesque, calming landscapes or serene waterfalls have been used for many early home pages. Presently, the internet has become saturated with stock photography, and users can’t differentiate between a therapist’s homepage and a spa’s homepage.
While it’s fine to use nature on your landing page, many pages use original artwork and illustrations to make their websites different. Users can experience a unique website when the website has beautiful, tasteful artwork designed by a graphic designer or artist. This unique experience will stand out in the users’ minds and may be a deciding factor when selecting a therapist. Just please don’t use a picture of a man or woman sulking if you specialize in depression.
The essentials
While website hosting services have given therapists the power to make their sites as unique as they are, there are essential elements every site should have if you’re building a website around your practice. There are the elements that have not changed and should be included on your website:
- A locked menu that moves as you scroll
- Contact page with all relevant information
- A tab or page with a list of all services and specializations
- An FAQ section with prices, fees, and insurance
- A call-to-action form for users to input their email
These elements are crucial to any practice and should be available for anyone to find.
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Search Engine Optimization
Search Engine Optimization is crucial for any website but is especially important that therapists know what people search for when looking for mental health professionals. While it may seem intuitive to those who develop websites, there are many examples of expertly designed websites that don’t receive much traffic due to a lack of SEO understanding.
Having a solid SEO strategy is one of the most effective ways of increasing traffic to your site. The costs associated with an SEO specialist may be pricey, but this cost is worth it for the increased internet presence. Essentially, a site with a strong SEO strategy gets bumped towards the front of a Google search. Being the first website on a search over millions of others has serious benefits.