Questions Therapists Should Ask Before Hiring a Website Designer (+ What Good Answers Look Like)

May 20
2 min read

If you’re hiring a website designer for your therapy practice, it’s easy to focus on how their work looks. But what actually matters is how the site functions, especially if you want to be found online and have something you can manage long-term.

These are three questions I always recommend asking, along with what good answers should sound like.

1. “How do you structure SEO for therapists in my city?”

What a good answer sounds like: They should talk about location-based keywords (like “therapy in Mississauga”), creating separate service pages (not just one general page), and setting up proper page structure along with backend SEO (headings, meta titles, meta descriptions, alt text, internal links). Ideally, they’ll also mention connecting your site to your Google Business Profile and/or Google Search Console.

Red flags: Vague answers like “We’ll add keywords”, “SEO takes care of itself”, “We install an SEO plugin”.

What this actually means: You want a site that’s built to be found, not just something that looks nice. If they can’t explain their SEO approach clearly, it’s likely not part of their process.

2. “Can I edit everything myself after launch?”

What a good answer sounds like: “Yes, you’ll have full access.” They should mention an easy platform (like Squarespace or Wix), and ideally offer some kind of training or walkthrough so you know how to make updates.

Red flags: “You’ll need us for most updates”“It’s a custom backend”“We handle all edits for you”

What this actually means: You shouldn’t have to email your designer every time you want to change a fee or update a service. A good website should be simple to maintain on your own.

3. “How will this scale to multiple therapists later?”

What a good answer sounds like:They should already be thinking ahead—mentioning things like a team page, reusable therapist profile templates, and a structure that allows you to add new clinicians without redesigning the site. Bonus if they bring up booking systems that support multiple therapists.

Red flags:“We can redesign later”“We’ll keep it simple for now”

What this actually means:If your long-term goal is to grow, your site should support that from the beginning. Otherwise, you’ll likely end up paying for a second website later.

You’re not just hiring someone to design a website, you’re hiring someone to build something that works for your practice over time.

A good designer will be able to explain their decisions clearly, think ahead to your future growth and make sure you’re not left with a therapy website you can’t use or update yourself. If their answers feel vague, it’s usually a sign to keep looking.