• Home
  • Free Library
  • Blog
  • Contact
Menu

Family Therapy Basics

1830 North University Drive
Plantation, FL, 33322
Phone Number
Save Time and LOVE Your Work

Your Custom Text Here

Family Therapy Basics

  • Home
  • Free Library
  • Blog
  • Contact

Turn Your Grad School Writing Skills Into Excellent Therapist Website Copy

August 21, 2018 Ili Rivera Walter, PhD, LMFT
Therapist Website Copy | Family Therapy Basics

This post is by Katie Censky Read, of Katie Read Katie Write. 


Hey, Therapist.

You’re a good writer.

Always have been.

You #grammarsnob your Facebook friends with pride.

You’re a human spell check, thank you very much.

So why is no one reading your blog posts?

Why is your website not getting traffic?

It’s time to talk web copy.

Writing for the web is different from all other writing.

This is a whole new skill set.

And if you’re *ahem* over 27, it’s not one you’re used to.
 

Internet writing can be harder for the highly-educated.

I know, it’s bizarre. But think about it: all those years in school you were trained in proper long-form essay writing.

You kill it at scholarly articles...but scholarly articles don’t kill it online.

The style of writing that earned your seat in that therapist chair will not build you a compelling website.

Here are some tips to improve your online writing:

1 |  Everything you did to get A’s on your school papers is out.

Except that perfect spelling. Please use your perfect spelling. The internet needs more of it.

2 |  Your sentences.

Are.

Too.

Long.

(And don’t even get me started on your paragraphs.)

When I was editing an online psychology magazine, I felt like most of my job was adding extra periods and hitting the return key.

So many returns, so many times.

Online, even smartpants-types suddenly have the attention spans of gnats. (*Raises hand.*)

We want writing we can take in at a glance and scroll through in seconds, without having to concentrate much.

If your writing is quick, bouncy, energetic—we’ll stick with you.

As soon as we hit a long block of text, we’re out.

3 |  Fragments (used well) are totally acceptable.

I have some in here, and you probably barely noticed them. When you trust the writer to use them well, they’re no biggie.

Online writing is a kind of...poetry?

Two things are obvious from this sentence; Shakespeare would kick me if he read it, and I was a high school poetry nerd. (And no, you can’t see the pictures.)

So why do I say that?

When we write online, we are using the white space.

We’re controlling how the reader reads our words.

The cadence.

The speed.

The...emphasis!

Write this way enough and you’ll get frustrated going back the long clunky paragraphs of print work. I poetry-nerd-promise.

So Let’s Improve Your Site

1 |  Improve Your Words

Perhaps you want to give your readers tips on overcoming anxiety when it hits. Should you start by saying, “Here are some tips for overcoming anxiety when it hits?”

I mean, for old-school SEO-sticklers, maybe?

But SEO is a long, slow seduction, and you want readers NOW.

If you can tell us very clearly what our pain is and how you might guide us through it, we’ve booked our first appointment by the end of the page.

Maybe it’s a story. An example. A short list of symptoms that anxiety-sufferers instantly resonate with.

You gain immediate authority when you can describe our pain, and we’ll keep reading to hear your solution.

2 |  Improve Your Positioning

Everyone is the hero of their own life.

Everyone is Luke looking for a Yoda to guide them to the next stage of development. (Yes, #boymom, all my metaphors are Star Wars and Lego.)

Don’t present yourself as another Luke: present yourself as Yoda.

The guide. The helper. The trusted confidant on the hero’s journey.

When we spend the precious seconds we have to capture a client’s attention listing our accolades, education, and achievements, we’re saying, “I am SO LUKE. Just LOOK AT ME OVER HERE BEING A HERO.”

The truth is, most of us got into this profession because we’re less comfortable in the hero role and more comfortable in the guide role, anyway.

So do what’s natural for you: be the guide. Talk about your client’s journey, and how you might help along the way.

This positioning alone can make all the difference.

3 |  Improve Your Readability

The Flesch-Kincaid Readability test immediately calculates the grade level of your text. You can run your text through the test free and in seconds here.

Recommended level for online reading? Third grade.

I confidently ran this blog through the test and found that even this is sixth grade level! (Luckily, you folks are an educated crowd…)

Run your words through and see how they rate.

4 |  Clear Before Clever

This is an old adage in marketing. Make your message clear before you try for clever, voice-y writing.

In the case of a website, the repeated message should be, “Call for an Appointment.” Get your contact info on every page, make your booking button clear, and keep aiming your reader back to that main goal.

Do these things and your website will start converting more clients!


Additional Resources for Writing Better Web Copy

If you need instructions on writing a better About Me page, click here.

If you need instructions on writing a great PT profile to drive more traffic to your site, click here.

If you’re stuck on the whole niching question, click here.

To your success!


Tired of doing the therapist life alone? Find support in through the Refreshed Therapist Network. 


RELATED POSTS
Five Benefits of Using A Streamlined HIPAA-Compliant Solution for Phone Calls and Texts with Therapy Clients
How To Become Known For Your Expertise: Four Steps for Therapists
Contracts and Non-Competes: What's a New Therapist to Do?
What You Must Consider Before You Offer Online Therapy
Turn Your Grad School Writing Skills Into Excellent Therapist Website Copy
More Than Facebook: How To Use The Web To Get More Therapy Clients
De-Clutter Your Email Inbox! Three Quick Steps for Busy Therapists.
sanoMind: A Mental Health App Where Therapists Shine
The Therapist's Guide to Generosity and Pricing in Business, Part 2: Q + A
The Therapist's Brief Guide to Generosity and Pricing in Business
Need a Therapy Blog?: How to Get Started
Three Ways Strategic Content Marketing Prevents Clinician Burnout, and How You Can Use Them to Build a Practice You Love

In business
← Family Therapy Basics Annual Reader Survey, 2018A New Adventure: On Letting Go And Living Forward →
Interested in information that clarifies, simplifies, and enhances your therapy work? You're in the right place. Learn more . . .

Interested in information that clarifies, simplifies, and enhances your therapy work?  You're in the right place.  Learn more . . .



S A Y H E L L O


F O L L O W  T H E  B L O G

SUBSCRIBE

S U P P O R T T H E B L O G

DONATE ANY AMOUNT

B L O G S P O N S O R S

Thera-link | Family Therapy Basics

A F F I L I A T E S

 
 

P O P U L A R  P O S T S

Blog
10 Therapist (and Child)-Approved Activities to Support Kids with Anxiety
The Art and Science of Therapy as Craft, Part 2:  Crafting Questions
Therapist Self-Disclosure Simplified
Solution Focused Brief Couples Therapy Tips, with Elliott Connie
Family of Origin Exploration for the Therapist:  How to Create Your Genogram
5 Tips for Keeping Up with Therapy Paperwork
Solution-Focused Brief Therapy Client Types, and Their Relevance To Every Session
How to Ethically Offer Coaching as a Licensed Therapist:  A Step-By-Step Guide
5 Step Plan for De-escalating an In-Session couple Argument

#5 on Feedspot's Top 40

 Family Therapy Blogs

T O O L S  WE  L O V E

SEE THE LIST

I N S T A G R A M

@driliwalter

I was speaking with a couple this week, and the wife explained that she retaliated toward her husband, because she wanted him to feel the way she feels when he does the same thing to her.

Of course, when we feel unheard, we will result to desperate
Focusing on changing our partner is a waste of energy. We can make requests and express our desires, but when this turns into consistent criticism, it harms everyone involved.

Oftentimes, wanting to change another stems from our own unhappiness. Ins
Sure, it makes sense that when spouses are best friends, the first thing we wonder is if they are isolating from having interests outside their relationship. In reality, many couples who are each other's best friends do enjoy separate activities and
Safe connection is a gift that heals us. ♥️
@realterryreal

#familytherapybasics


COPYRIGHT 2016, FAMILY THERAPY BASICS | ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

ABOUT SUBMISSIONS PARTNERSHIPS SUPERVISION

copyright © 2016-2025 | Family Therapy Basics | All Rights Reserved | Legal, Privacy, + Disclaimer | Site Credits, Affiliations, + Stuff