Physiotherapist website: what to look out for

What do patients look for on a physiotherapist's website?

Someone with back pain or a sports injury asks themselves a few questions. Build your website around them:

• Can I come here with my complaint?
• Do I need to see my GP first, or can I come straight in?
• Is it covered by my health insurance?
• How soon can I be seen, and how do I book?
• Who will treat me, and where is the practice?

Many practices open their website with a long text about their vision. Patients rarely read it. Put the practical answers at the top and save the story about the practice for your about page.

The key pages for a physiotherapy clinic website

• A homepage with your town, your specialisms, a clear button to book and your phone number.
• Pages per common complaint, such as back pain, neck problems, knee injuries or recovery after surgery.
• Pages per specialism, such as sports physiotherapy, manual therapy, pelvic physiotherapy or paediatric physiotherapy.
• A page about insurance cover and fees.
• A team page with photos, specialisms and registrations of the therapists.
• Practical information: first appointment, what to bring, cancelling, accessibility of the building.
• Contact details, address, parking and opening hours.

Pages per complaint are good for your visibility too. People don't search for 'physiotherapy'; they search for 'physiotherapist back pain' plus their town. Write those pages yourself or with your team, using real expertise. Generic copy from the internet doesn't help patients, and it doesn't help Google either.

Explaining insurance cover and referrals clearly

Questions about money and referrals are the biggest barrier for many patients. So explain them simply on one page.

• Say that in most cases patients can see a physiotherapist without a GP referral, and when a referral is needed or useful.
• Explain that cover depends on their supplementary insurance and that patients should check their own policy.
• List which health insurers you have a contract with.
• Show your fees for patients who pay themselves.
• State what happens if someone cancels too late.

Keep this page up to date. Contracts and rules change regularly, and outdated information leads to unpleasant surprises at reception.

Booking a physiotherapy appointment online

Some of your patients prefer to call. Others want to pick a time themselves in the evening. So offer both. An online sign-up form is the simplest start: the patient leaves their details and a short description, and the practice calls back.

If you want patients to choose a time slot directly, you connect your website to your calendar. Many practice management systems have their own module for this. Want to go further, for example with your own intake or an integration with other systems? Read software for a healthcare practice. More about online scheduling options can be found in online booking system.

Also think about what happens after sign-up. Send a confirmation explaining what the patient can expect: when you will call back, what to bring to the first appointment and how to find the practice. If there is a waiting list, state it honestly on your site. Someone in pain wants to know whether they can be seen this week or should look elsewhere. Honesty about this builds more trust than an empty promise.

Privacy on a healthcare practice website

Health data is special category personal data under the GDPR (AVG in Dutch). Stricter rules apply to it. That affects your website too.

• Don't ask for more than necessary in a contact form. A short description of the complaint is often enough, not a full medical history.
• Make sure forms are sent over a secure connection and the data doesn't sit around in an ordinary inbox.
• Don't use trackers or advertising pixels on pages with health-related forms.
• Put a privacy statement on your site that matches what you really do.

This is not legal advice. If you are unsure about your situation, ask your professional association or a lawyer, or check with the Dutch Data Protection Authority (Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens).

Making your physiotherapy practice easy to find

Patients almost always search locally. Complete your Google Business Profile with photos of the practice, your opening hours and a link to your booking page. Mention your town and neighbourhood clearly on your site. If you have several locations, create a page per location with real information: address, team, facilities and parking. Ask happy patients for a review, but never in exchange for a discount. Read more tips in local SEO.

Common mistakes on physiotherapist websites

• No information about insurance cover or referrals.
• Only a phone number, with no way to get in touch outside opening hours.
• Stock photos of models instead of your own team and practice.
• A team page that hasn't been updated in years.
• A website that is hard to read on a phone, while that is where most visitors come from.
• Jargon without explanation. Patients often don't know what manual therapy or dry needling is. Explain it in one sentence.
• No vacancies page, even though your website is also where new colleagues get to know your practice.

Having a website built for your practice

At Violexa we build clear websites that point patients in the right direction quickly, with forms that are set up neatly and securely. Through a CMS you update copy, fees and the team yourself. A custom website through websites and apps starts from €1,799 excl. VAT (€2,177 incl. VAT), including design, build, a design that works on every screen, basic SEO, Google Analytics and guidance on the CMS.

Want to know what your practice needs? Book a free quickscan. It is a 30-minute conversation, online or at your practice. Afterwards you get short written advice with a price indication, with no obligation.

Frequently asked questions