The copy (text) on your therapy or counseling website is actually more important than your design in terms of keeping visitors on your website and driving traffic to the site from the search engines. Many therapy websites make the mistake of putting such a large focus on the design and completely ignore the copy when creating their website. Here are some basic tips to keep in mind when creating the copy for your website:

* 300-500 words of text per page are optimal.

* Target 2-3 keyword phrases per page (each page should target different phrases).

* Sprinkle your keyword phrases throughout the text, 3-4 times for the #1 term for the page and 2-3 times for the other top phrases (only if it reads well).

* When inputting your meta-tags, use your top keywords first and then include other relevant terms.

* Include the keyword phrase for the page in your Meta-Description that describes your services/business. This becomes the short blurb of text when your page shows up in a search engine. The search engines are more concerned with keywords or phrases in your web pages' text than in the meta-tags. It is important to include and update the keywords in the content of the web pages as your business evolves.

* Make sure to include the name(s) of the towns, cities, counties, etc. in your keywords. The more specific you are, the less competition you will have when it comes to targeting keywords.

You have on average about 30 seconds to engage a website visitor with the message on your counseling website before they leave your site. It is very important to keep the message simple and concise. Include only enough information to encourage your visitor to take some action such as either contacting you or signing up for your newsletter. Most therapy websites try too hard to impress their prospects with a wealth of information about them and their services. In many cases their intention is to sell themselves and their services with the text on their websites. Selling a service is the last stage of the sales process and in many cases should be done either face-to-face or over the phone. The job of the text should be focusing on the earlier stages of the sales process which are to develop interest and to create desire. This can be done with minimal content and then a call to action such as a prominent link to your contact page. Mikel Bruce with WebFlexor Counselor Websites (www.counselorwebsites.com) always recommends hiring a professional copywriter to at least review the text on your website if not help create it for you.

Use the text on your website to highlight your Unique Selling Proposition (USP). This is the marketing-based content on your website that separates you from your competition. If your focus is ‘Marriage and Family Counseling, you would want to stress the benefits of your service relative to your direct competition (other MFT's in your area). Because of the importance of your USP, it is recommended, in addition to hiring a copywriter, to get marketing advice when writing your text and creating your USP. If you are looking to develop a professional web presence and succeed on the Web, WebFlexor Counselor specializes in affordable and quality websites for Therapy and Counseling Professionals. Customized Websites start at only $199!