Directory profile
Useful for being discovered within an established collection. You work within the provider’s fields, display choices, rules and subscription terms.
THE PRACTICE NOTES
Therapist website vs therapy directories
A directory profile and your own website can serve different purposes. Understand the trade-offs before deciding where to invest your time and budget.
Start with the job each channel does.
A therapy directory helps people browse a collection of practitioners using the directory’s search and profile format. Your website gives you more space to explain your practice, organise your services and guide visitors through your chosen inquiry journey.
Neither guarantees new clients. A directory’s usefulness depends on its audience, your eligibility, how your profile appears and whether enquiries are relevant. A website’s performance depends on its content, usability, visibility and how the practice responds.
Your own website
Useful for explaining your approach in depth, building a resource library and controlling the structure of your public information. It needs ongoing care.
A joined-up approach
Use consistent practice details and an accurate profile. Where the directory permits it, link to the relevant page on your website so visitors can learn more.
Compare control, not just appearance.
On your website, you can choose how to organise services, practitioner information, fees, locations and resources. Your level of control still depends on the platform, account ownership and agreements with your provider. Keep access to your domain, hosting or subscription and administrator account.
On a directory, the provider controls the profile format and wider experience. Read its rules about links, contact details, reviews, cancellation and data access. A listing can be valuable without being the only place your practice exists online.
Compare the costs you actually pay.
Directory fees and website costs vary. Compare current provider prices rather than relying on a universal monthly estimate. A website may involve an initial build plus a domain, hosting or platform subscription, updates and optional support. A directory may have recurring listing fees or different membership levels.
Consider the work you will do as well as the bill. Someone needs to keep availability, services, fees and contact information accurate on both channels. If you are assessing a new website, our website cost guide explains the questions to ask, and our website packages show the current starting scopes.
Understand search visibility and links.
A directory profile can appear in search results, and a practice website can appear for its own relevant pages. Neither has a guaranteed position. Your website gives you space to develop distinct, useful pages that answer questions about your actual services and locations.
Links from relevant profiles can help visitors reach your website. During a redesign, keep the destination URLs where possible and plan appropriate redirects when they change. Avoid deleting a useful page just because its design is old. Read more about SEO and migration planning.
Give visitors a consistent next step.
Check the journey as a prospective client: open the directory profile, follow the website link, read the service page and find the contact route. The practice name, practitioner information, session options and contact details should agree across the pages.
Review inquiry sources where you can do so appropriately. Compare relevant inquiries and the effort needed to maintain each channel. That evidence is more useful than assuming that a website or a directory will always be the better investment.
A practical way forward.
- Keep useful profiles current
Review eligibility, terms and the accuracy of the information. Do not remove a working source of inquiries simply because you are redesigning your website.
- Build a clear home for the practice
Explain your services and approach in enough detail for people to make an informed inquiry.
- Connect the routes
Use accurate links where allowed, consistent information and clear contact instructions.
- Review the evidence
Look at search data, relevant inquiries, cost and ongoing effort before changing your mix of channels.
A few useful answers
Should I leave every directory when my website launches?
Not automatically. Review the value, cost and terms of each profile. A useful directory presence can complement your website.
Will owning a website make me rank first?
No. Ownership gives you control over your website, not control over search results. Useful content and sound technical foundations support visibility over time.
Can I use the same biography on both?
Keep the facts consistent. Adapt the detail to the available space and the purpose of the page, while avoiding misleading claims or outdated information.
What should I preserve when redesigning?
Keep an inventory of useful URLs, linked pages, content and search metadata. Check redirects and internal links after the change, and monitor the existing search data.
A clear brief. A considered next step.
Tell us what you need your website to do. We’ll confirm the scope and next steps by email.