Coach or therapist website: what to include

If you coach or offer therapy in the Netherlands, the people who find your website want answers to four questions before they get in touch: do you work with people like me, how do you work, what does it cost, and what's the first step? When your site answers those clearly, the first conversation starts with less uncertainty on both sides.

This article covers what belongs on a coaching or therapy website, what to watch out for in your contact form, and what not to promise. There's a checklist at the end, and our prices if you're thinking of having your website built.

What a client wants to know before the first session

• Who you work with. Which people, and with which questions.
• How you work. What a session looks like, how long it lasts, and whether you work in a programme or per session.
• What it costs. Your rate per session or per programme.
• Where. Online, in person or both, and where your practice is.
• Who you are. Your background, your training and the registrations you actually hold.
• Which language. If you work in English with international clients, say so near the top. Someone who has just moved here and doesn't speak Dutch wants to know that straight away.
• The first step. An intro call, a phone call or a message.

Your services in plain language

Write in your client's words, not in the jargon of your field. People don't search for the name of a method, they search for what they're going through. If you mention a method, explain in one sentence what someone notices of it in a session.

Give each service its own paragraph: who it's for, what happens, how long it takes and what it costs.

Describe what you do, not what it will achieve. Don't promise results you can't guarantee. "I help you to..." is more honest than "After three sessions you'll...".

Rates: state them clearly

Put your rates on your site. People then know where they stand, and the first conversation is about the content rather than the money. It's your call, but a clear price avoids surprises.

At least include:

• your rate per session or per programme;
• how long a session lasts;
• whether the intro call is free or not (that's up to you);
• what happens if someone cancels.

On reimbursement by a health insurer or an employer, only write what you know for certain about your own practice. If you're not sure, point clients to their own insurer or employer.

Letting clients book an intro call

There are two ways to let someone book an intro call.

Phone, WhatsApp or the contact form. Simple. Someone gets in touch and you agree on a time together.

An online calendar. Clients pick a free slot in your calendar themselves. There are separate services for this, such as Calendly. We mention it only as an example; we have no ties with it. Check what such a service costs and which client details end up in it.

Connecting an online calendar so clients can book an intro call themselves is possible. It isn't included in the standard price; the cost is in the proposal.

Privacy: what your contact form should and shouldn't ask

Under the GDPR (in Dutch: AVG), data about someone's health is one of the special categories of personal data. Processing it is prohibited, unless one of the exceptions in the law applies. That's in Article 9 of the GDPR and in article 22 of the Dutch GDPR Implementation Act (in Dutch).

Which exception applies to your practice is a question for your professional association or the Dutch Data Protection Authority (Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens). For your website, one thing is clear: don't ask for more than you need.

• Only ask what you need to get back to someone: name, email address or phone number, and a short question.
• Don't ask about symptoms, diagnoses or medication. You discuss that in the conversation.
• Say so next to the form. For example: "Briefly tell me what you'd like to talk about. Personal or medical details are best kept for our conversation."
• Only make fields required when they really are.

This isn't legal advice. On a site we build, we set up the form fields and the text next to the form along these lines.

Building trust without overdoing it

Someone looking for a coach or therapist wants to know whether they can trust you. You show that with real things:

• Client experiences. Only real ones, and only with permission. Ask for that permission in writing, for example by email. If someone prefers to stay anonymous, use a first name or initials only. Never make up an experience, not even as an example.
• Registrations and memberships. Only list what you actually have, with a link to the register so people can check.
• A real photo of yourself and, if you have one, of your practice room. We can pick licensed stock photos for you. What that costs is in the proposal. Only use them for atmosphere.
• Your training and experience, described concretely.

Writing about your work

You don't have to write articles. If you do, you publish them yourself in WordPress, just as you update your texts and photos.

Only write as much as you can keep up. Three good articles that answer your clients' questions say more than twenty short posts. Articles can help people find you, but they're no guarantee.

Dutch, English or both?

If most of your clients are international, an English site may be all you need. If you work with both Dutch and international clients, you might want both languages. Whether your site gets a second language is something we discuss in the intro call, and the price is in the proposal.

One page or several?

Below is an example layout, not a fixed package.

One-pager, $299.99. Everything on one page: who you are, your services, how you work, your rates and contact.

Multiple pages, $499.99. Up to 5 pages, for example home, services, about me, rates and contact. Each extra page costs $49.99, for example if you want a separate page for each service.

A client portal, online payments or a link with your practice software falls outside these fixed prices. Tell us what you need in the intro call and we'll tell you honestly whether it's something we do. All amounts are on our pricing page.

We don't charge VAT on our invoices. If you're exempt from VAT or use the small business scheme (KOR), ask your accountant what that means for you.

You buy hosting and a domain name yourself, in your own name. After launch, you maintain the site yourself, or leave maintenance and security to us, from $19.99 a month, cancel any month.

Build it yourself or have it built?

Building it yourself is an option. With a template in a website builder, you can put together a simple site on your own. WordPress vs Wix explains when that's the smarter choice.

Having it built makes sense if you'd rather spend your time on your clients. A site with a few pages can be online within two weeks, once your texts and photos are ready. Read how long it takes to build a website and what you can prepare. What you get from us is on the page about having a WordPress website built. We can work with you entirely in English.

Running a practice with several practitioners, or working with referrals and health insurers? Then your site often needs more than this article covers. Tell us about it in the intro call.

Checklist

• Who you work with and with which questions
• Your services, one paragraph each
• How you work: online, in person or both
• Which language you work in
• Your rates and what happens if someone cancels
• Who you are, with your training and real registrations
• How someone books an intro call
• A contact form that doesn't ask for health information
• Your name and contact details

Want a website for your coaching or therapy practice? Request a quote or book a free half-hour intro call.

Information from the Dutch GDPR Implementation Act checked on 25 October 2026.