How to Choose the Best Images for Your Therapy Website
After spending hours looking for a Play Therapist for my kiddo, I got lost down a rabbit hole of websites and what people consider to be “the best therapist websites” and “the 10 best website designs for therapists.”
Looking at these lists, I started to notice a trend (one that turns me off both as a website designer and as a potential patient) – generic beach and plant images as soon as I land on a website.
50% of the websites – even those on the “best of” lists – have an image that tells me absolutely nothing about what they do or who they work with in the hero section. And if I’m noticing it, your patients are too.
When choosing the images you include on your website, start by avoiding anything that’s pretty, but generic.
Usually this looks like:
Sunsets
Plants (either trees or on a desk)
Beaches
A boring headshot
Mountains (usually at sunset)
Your logo
City skylines (for some reason?)
These might look nice - and tend to be easy to find - but they aren’t actually benefitting your practice.
Lack of Specificity: Generic nature images do not convey the specific services or expertise you offer. Potential clients visiting your site want to immediately understand what sets you apart from other practitioners.
Emotional Disconnect: While these scenes can seem are calming, they don't create an emotional connection related to health outcomes. People are looking for solutions to their concerns and want to see evidence that you can provide these solutions.
Missed Opportunity for Trust-Building: Trust is crucial in the health and wellness field. Images of real interactions between you and your patients can significantly enhance trust and credibility.
Reduced Engagement: Authentic visuals of patient experiences and outcomes are more engaging and relatable. They tell a story that resonates with potential clients, making them more likely to stay on your site longer and consider booking a session.
So types of images should you choose instead?
The best options for your hero image are either:
Working with you: Genuine photos of you working with patients, demonstrating care and expertise. (This doesn’t have to be a real patient – you can get someone to model for you.)
Outcomes: Showcasing real people experiencing the outcomes your patients desire, whether it's improved health, confidence, or happiness. Think about the ideal outcome for your patients and feature that – whether it’s playing with their kid or feeling more confident in their body.
What your clients actually look like: If you work with (or want to work with) children, use images of kids. If you help families, use photos of families enjoying time together. If you want to serve marginalized groups, make sure they are featured in your images.
You should also be using these types of images throughout your site (although you can throw a few plants in on your About page or blog).
These are some of the client websites I’ve designed so you can see the difference that the right images can make:
Bliss Fertility Center: a natural fertility clinic in Florida. We chose this image to highlight that fertility is a couple's journey and to avoid triggering potential clients by starting with images of babies. We feature different types of families throughout the site.
Brave Wings Therapy: a pediatric occupational and speech therapy clinic in New Jersey. We chose this image to reflect the color of the website and to reflect the joy that children feel working with the Brave Wings team. Throughout the site, we use images of actual patients and some stock image, all featuring diverse groups of kids.
Leahy Chiropractic: a pediatric chiropractor in Kansas who also works offer scoliosis treatments and works with adults. We chose this image to highlight the outcome for both adults and children after experiencing chiropractic. We wanted to highlight that this clinic works with families so they can enjoy their life without pain.
Magnolia Aesthetics Co: a medical spa in Richmond, Virginia. We chose images to reflect the design of the physical space and people who feel confident in their skin. We mixed images of the team, the space, and stock images of both services and outcomes.
If you’re looking for better images for your website, these are my go-to resources:
Unsplash is perfect if you need images and are on a budget. The only caveat here is that many of these images have been used over and over, so make sure to take some time to dig deeper.
Styled Stock Society has a fantastic library of images including health and wellness focused collections. You can sign up for a quarterly or annual membership.
Or work with a brand photographer to get professional images of you and your space that reflect what it’s like to work with you. I absolutely love Maddie Peschong and Natalie Amlani.
When I design websites for my clients, I always prioritize branded images, but I also create an image library of stock photos that we can use on their website and throughout their marketing. This makes it easy for my clients to have consistent visuals without spending hours trying to find the perfect image.
Need to give your hero section a makeover with new images? Book a Refresh Session and I’ll help you decide what images to use, help you find them, and give your website a glow-up so you can start attracting the patients you want to work with (and getting them booked – plants not included).
