A directory profile or your own website, and when each one brings you clients
Directory profiles and your own practice website both bring inquiries, in different ways. What each does well, what each costs, and how to use them together.
Most therapists get new clients from two places online: a therapist directory profile, such as Psychology Today, or their own practice website. Many put real effort into one and almost none into the other. That can leave your caseload depending on a channel that is not the right fit for where your practice is now.
Here is how each one works, what it costs, and when to lean on it.
How directory profiles work
A directory is a marketplace. People searching for a therapist filter by location, insurance, specialty and approach, then scroll through profiles. Yours is one card among many.
What it does well:
- It brings people who are ready. Someone filtering for "anxiety, Aetna, telehealth, evenings" is close to booking.
- It is cheap and quick. A monthly listing fee, often in the range of $20 to $40 depending on the directory, and you can be live the same day.
- It ranks on Google. Large directories often appear near the top of searches like "therapist in [city]," which a brand-new practice site cannot do.
Where it falls short:
- You are compared side by side. A client sees your photo, a short paragraph and a dozen other therapists at once.
- You do not own it. If the directory changes its layout, its rules or its prices, you live with it.
- Space is limited. One profile cannot explain a niche specialty, a group program and how your fees work all at once.
How your own website works
Your website is where you explain yourself fully. Nobody else is on the page.
What it does well:
- It shows depth. A page for each specialty, an about page that sounds like you, clear fees and a simple way to reach you.
- It feeds your Google profile. Google weighs your site when it ranks you in the map pack. Practices with a website hold a median of 9 Google reviews, against 1 for those without one.
- It is what AI answers read. When someone asks ChatGPT or Google's AI for a therapist who treats a specific issue nearby, the answer is built from text on practice websites. The AI search guide covers what those tools look for.
- You own it. No one can change the rules on you.
Where it falls short:
- It takes time to rank. A new site may take months before it shows up for broader searches.
- It costs more up front. A simple, well-built practice site often runs several hundred to a few thousand dollars, plus hosting.
- Many sites never get finished. A homepage and a contact form does not give Google or a client much to work with.
83% of the practices in our data have a website linked to their Google profile, so most of your local competition already has one. The difference is in what is on it.
When a directory profile wins
Lean on directories when:
- You are just opening. You need inquiries this month, and a new website will not deliver them yet.
- You take insurance. Insurance filters on directories match exactly what many clients search for.
- You are in a city with heavy directory traffic. In large metros, directory pages often rank above most individual practice sites.
- You have openings now. Some directories let you mark yourself as accepting new clients, which helps fill a gap quickly.
When your own website wins
Lean on your website when:
- You have a clear specialty. A page about perinatal anxiety or couples work after an affair, written plainly, can rank and convert far better than a directory blurb.
- You are private pay. Clients paying out of pocket want to know who you are before they spend money. Your site has room for that, and for a clear fee page. The private pay fees guide covers how to present it.
- You want to depend less on any one platform. Over time, a site with steady traffic is a channel you control.
- You run groups or intensives. These need a full page and an easy sign-up, which a directory cannot hold.
How to use both
Most full practices use both, in a specific order.
- Start with a strong directory profile. Write it in the first person, name the two or three issues you see most, and say how a first call works.
- Build a simple site with a page per specialty, a fee page and a clear contact option. Link it from your directory profile and your Google profile.
- Ask satisfied clients for Google reviews where your ethics and local rules allow it. The reviews guide covers how to do that carefully. The median practice in our data has 6 reviews, so a few make a visible difference.
- Each quarter, ask new clients how they found you. When your site starts bringing in a steady share, you have a second channel you own.
Respond to every inquiry quickly, whichever channel it comes from. Use the calculator to see what slow replies may cost you, and compare your profile on the benchmark report.
If you want help with your website or your profiles, the free 14-day trial covers any one service, no card. Text or call (385) 217-8216.
Steven has spent the last several years running growth campaigns for local service businesses, therapists among them, and builds the benchmark datasets on this site from public Google listings. About the editor