A physio, chiro, osteo, podiatrist or psychologist website has a different job from most small business sites. People arrive in pain or worried, they want to know if you can help, and they want to book without ringing around. At the same time, health advertising in Australia has rules most other businesses do not face. This guide covers both.
The basics every clinic page should answer
Put yourself in the shoes of someone with a sore knee at 9pm. Within a few seconds they should know:
- What you treat, in everyday words and not only clinical terms.
- Who you are, with each practitioner’s name, registration and qualifications.
- Where you are, with a map, parking details and public transport.
- When you are open.
- How to book, ideally with one tap.
If you want a general checklist for any business, our guide on what to put on a small business website applies here too. The clinic version simply adds trust and compliance on top.
Know the advertising rules
If you are a registered health practitioner, your website, your Google listing and your social media pages count as advertising. The National Law sets the rules, and Ahpra publishes guidance on them. We are a web studio and not a legal adviser, so treat this section as a pointer and read the source yourself.
Testimonials
This is the one that catches clinics out. Ahpra says the National Law does not allow testimonials, or purported testimonials, to advertise a regulated health service. In their definition, a testimonial is a recommendation or positive statement about the clinical aspects of care, such as the symptom, the treatment or the outcome. Comments about service or communication, such as friendly staff, are not treated as testimonials.
Ahpra also says that if you control a page, including your clinic’s own social media, you are responsible for what appears on it, and selectively editing reviews can be misleading. Their page on testimonials sets out the detail, including how reviews on third-party sites are treated. Read it before you add any review feature.
In practice, that means no “this clinic fixed my back” quotes on your pages, and no review widgets pulling in clinical comments. A good site can still feel warm and credible through clear explanations, practitioner bios and photos of your actual rooms.
Claims and results
Avoid promising cures, guaranteed outcomes or before and after claims you cannot back up. Keep the language factual. Ahpra’s advertising hub is the place to find the current guidelines and checklists.
Fees, Medicare and private health cover
Money questions are the top reason patients ring before booking. Answer them on the page and you save the phone call.
- State your standard consult fees or a range, and what a first appointment includes.
- Explain what your clinic offers on the spot. If you have a HICAPS terminal, say so, so patients know they can claim private health rebates at the counter. Only add that line if you actually offer it.
- Say whether you accept referrals under Medicare programs, such as a GP plan for chronic conditions, or workers compensation and other schemes you treat under.
- Keep a short note that rebates depend on the patient’s own cover, and that they should check with their fund.
Keep this section short and easy to scan. A small table of services against fees often works better than paragraphs.
Online booking that works on a phone
Most clinics already use practice software such as Cliniko, or a marketplace such as HotDoc, for their diary. The best setup is not to rebuild that on the website. The site should link straight to your booking page, and the button should be on every page, near the top, large enough to tap.
Test it yourself on a phone. Can a new patient find the right practitioner, pick a time and finish in under two minutes? If not, fix the booking page settings first, since that is what patients actually see. Our own sites link to the booking tool you already use, rather than replacing it, which keeps your diary and reminders in one place.
Practitioner pages build trust without testimonials
Since you cannot lean on patient quotes, put the effort into who you are. A short bio for each practitioner with their qualifications, areas of interest, how long they have practised and a friendly photo goes a long way. Add the associations you belong to. Say what a first visit looks like so people know what to expect.
Be found on Google
Most new patients search things like “physio near me” or “physio in your suburb”. A complete Google Business Profile with the right category, hours, services and photos matters as much as the website. Our Google Business Profile guide shows how to set it up. The same advertising rules apply to anything you publish there, so be careful about reposting reviews. If you want to build up a presence over time, see our SEO page.
Write for real people
Skip the jargon on the first screen. Someone searching for help with a sore shoulder may not search for the clinical name of the condition. Describe problems the way patients do, then add the clinical term underneath. Short pages with clear headings and a booking button beat long essays. Add a few answers to questions you hear every week, such as whether a referral is needed, what to wear, and how long a first appointment runs.
Include accessibility details too. Mention step-free access, parking close to the door, and whether you offer home or workplace visits. Those small facts decide whether someone with limited mobility books with you or goes elsewhere.
Privacy and contact forms
Do not ask patients to put detailed health information in a general contact form. Keep the form to name, phone, email and a short message, and tell people to discuss clinical details at the appointment. Link to your privacy policy from the footer.
What this costs with us
A five page clinic site is well within our $500 + GST build: home, services, practitioners, fees and booking info, and contact. We write the words, link to your booking tool and set up your Google Business Profile and Search Console. Care hosting is $49 a month + GST after the first three months. We are not a legal service, so we write in a compliant, plain style and ask you to check the final copy against current Ahpra guidance before launch. See our physio example, the health clinics page and the pricing, or get started when you are ready.