I am a clinical psychologist who wanted to get on the Web because I know it's the wave of the future and because I use it so often to find local services. I employed an online sitebuilder to construct a basic five-page site (since expanded to nine pages). I used a submitting service. At the time I built the site I did not know anything about search engine optimization.
Pay Per Click Ads Specific for City
I pay 5¢ to 10¢ per click for Google AdWords Select (https://adwords.google.com/select/?hl=en) and Overture (www.overture.com) listings. My ads only appear if the searcher uses a keyword that includes Charlotte, the city in which I live and work. I am seeking local visitors only as these are the folks who might want to see me for professional services.
Listings on Industry Sites
I've also placed listings with online mental health websites. This has helped a lot because many people seem to use these services when looking for a psychologist, psychotherapist, counselor, etc. The most successful listing has been Find-a-Therapist.com (www.find-a-therapist.com) at a cost of about $65 per year. I believe this works well because they have a top listing on the search engines and their site is user-friendly. I didn't expect much -- perhaps an occasional referral.
Web-Based Scheduling Service
I have been pleasantly surprised. I am now receiving about three new patients per month directly from my Internet marketing efforts. I charge $120 per session for psychological services so the return on investment has been quite good! I also use an online scheduling service TimeTrade.com (www.timetrade.com) which my patients like a lot. They can schedule appointments at any time of the day or night. They receive e-mail reminders and, if needed, they can reschedule or cancel appointments quickly. Since I'm essentially a one man show (only a part-time administrative assistant) the online scheduling has saved me a bundle of time. (Note: If you're interested in the TimeTrade.com service they have a refer-a-friend program in which you receive 10% off the monthly fee if I refer you. I receive a 15% referral commission. Once you're a customer you can do the same. Feel free to contact me at drworthen@drworthen.com if you want me to refer you.)
