Your Contact Page: The Most Overlooked Page on Your Website (And How to Improve It)

Transcript of episode 255: Your Contact Page: The Most Overlooked Page on Your Website (And How to Improve It)
If you prefer to read or want to skim through what I've talked about, here’s the full transcript below.

[00:00:00] Jane: You've probably spent time working on your homepage. You've probably tweaked your About page, you know, worried about your wording, changed your photos, and tried to make sure that your website reflects who you are and how you work. But let me ask you this: when was the last time you looked at your contact page?

Now, it's often one of the most overlooked pages on a counselor's website, despite being the page that people visit when they're finally considering getting in touch. So in this week's podcast, I'm looking at why your contact page matters more than many people realize. I'm looking at how it helps to build trust and a few simple ways to make it feel warmer, more welcoming, and a whole lot more human

Hi, I'm Jane Travis and this is the Grow Your Private Practice show, the place for counselors who want to grow a thriving, ethical and sustainable business without selling out or giving up. So if you're looking for some encouragement, practical ideas and the occasional permission slip, you are in the right place 

[00:01:10] Jane: Hello, hello, hello, and welcome back. And if it's your first time here, I'm so glad that you found us. I hope you're having a good day so far. Now, I am not a huge fan of phoning people that I don't know. If I need to contact somebody, I'd much rather send a text or an email. When I pick up the phone, I always have this little voice in the back of my head that's wondering whether I'm, whether I'm bothering them.

You know, what if they're busy? What if I'm calling them at a bad time? And what if I don't quite know what to say? You know, I have been known to stammer and stutter and just get it all completely wrong. So, you know, I know it's irrational because if somebody's running a business, they probably want people to contact them, don't they?

But that little hesitation is still there, and the thing is, I know that I'm not alone in that. Do you ever have that? And this recently got me thinking. I was planning to write a blog all about contact pages and how counselors can make them more welcoming and more human. So naturally, I went over and had a look at my own.

And do you know what I found? Well, it was fine, and that was it, basically. It wasn't broken. It wasn't terrible. It told people how to contact me, and it gave them a form to fill in. Job done. Tick. Or was it? Because the more that I looked at it, the more I realized that it really wasn't doing much to help people feel comfortable about getting in touch.

So it was functional, but it wasn't particularly welcoming. And to be honest, it was really bor- really boring, and that made me wonder how many counselors have done exactly the same thing. Over the years, I've looked at a lot of counselor websites, and it's surprisingly common for the contact page to become an afterthought.

After all, most of us spend time working on our homepage, don't we? You know, or we tweak our about page, and we write blogs, and we update our service pages, and we worry about whether our website is saying the right things. But then the contact page, it tends to sit in the background, kind of twiddling its thumbs, waiting for someone to remember that it exists. Bless it. So the irony is that this is often the page somebody visits when they're finally thinking, "Right, okay, I think I'm ready to do this now." And that's why your contact page matters more than many people realize.

Now, I think one of the reasons contact pages get overlooked is because they feel so ordinary, don't they? You know, every website has one. Everybody knows what they're there for. You add a form, maybe an email address, perhaps a phone number if you're feeling brave, and then you move on to the more interesting pages. But if you stop for a moment and just think, you know, what's happening for the person reading it, the contact page becomes something that's much more important, because this is the page where somebody moves from reading and thinking into actually taking action. So for somebody who's thinking about coming to counseling, this can feel like a really big step.

It's possible that they've spent weeks, maybe months, maybe even years thinking about counseling before they landed on your website. They might have told themselves they should be able to cope and they're just being silly, or they might have worried that, you know, we've all heard this before, other people have things so much better, so I should just suck it up, buttercup.

And They might have spent weeks, months, or even years thinking about counseling before they landed on your website. So they might have told themselves that, I don't know, they should be able to cope, that maybe they've worried that other people have got it worse. I mean, that's a common one, isn't it? And that can put people off.

Maybe they've searched for counselors before, but then closed the browser before they got in touch because it just felt all too much, and then they find your website. They read your homepage, they look at your About page, per- perhaps they read a few blog posts, and they think to themselves, "Right, I think this person understands."

And then they click on your contact page. So from your side of the screen as the counselor, you might feel that it's a very simple thing. They fill in the form, you reply, and the conversation begins. But let's just think what that's like from their side. You know, because from their side it may feel like so much bigger than that.

They might be wondering what they're supposed to write. They might be worried that they'll just sound silly. They might be wondering whether their problem is even serious enough. They might be unsure whether counseling is the right thing for them at all, or whether you'll have availability, or whether they'll know what to say if you reply.

And because people are people, there may also be a part of them that's thinking, "Oh, do you know what? I think I'm gonna do this later." Because, because we all know that one, don't we? So later is very seductive, isn't it? Later sounds responsible. I'll do it later when I've got more time, or I can concentrate.

Later sounds calm and organized, but unfortunately, later can also become three months, a half-written message in the drafts folder, and another evening spent feeling rubbish. So if your contact page can make that moment feel even a little bit easier for people, that's gonna make a massive difference. So let's think about your contact page.

You know, the job of your contact page is obviously to let people contact you. Now, I appreciate this is not revolutionary, but I think there's a deeper job of a contact page, and that is to reduce uncertainty. Because when somebody arrives there, they may need more than a box to type into. They may need some reassurance that they don't have to write a perfect message, or they may need to know what happens after they press send, or they may need to see your face again and remember that there is a real person on the other side of the form.

So a good contact page doesn't have to be long or complicated. In fact, on the contrary, please do not turn it into a War and Peace statement. You know, it doesn't need to be very long. The aim isn't to make people wade through another page of information before they can get in touch. The aim is to make the next step feel really clear, really simple, and feel safe enough for them to take, and that's where small tweaks can make a massive difference. Now, one of the simplest things you can do is to add a short, warm introduction before the actual contact form. Now, many contact pages go straight to the mechanics, name, email, message, send, and that works perfectly if you're ordering, I don't know, a replacement part for the Hoover. But counseling is different.

Your potential client is not just making an inquiry. They may be reaching out at a point when life feels difficult or confusing or painful. And if you're somebody that struggles with anxiety or if you've ever struggled with depression, you'll know that reaching out feels almost impossible sometimes, and that's why a few friendly sentences can just help to soften that moment.

So doesn't have to be much. You could say something really simple like, "If you're thinking about getting in touch, you're very welcome to send me a message using the form below. You don't need to know exactly what to say. Just tell me a little bit about what's bringing you here, and I'll get back to you as soon as I can."

So I hope you can see that that's not pushy. It simply acknowledges that getting in touch can feel difficult, and it gives people the permission to just, get started, and that permission really matters. Some people won't contact you because they don't know what to write. They'll sit there trying to craft a perfect message as though they're entering a counseling inquiry competition.

So they might worry about explaining too much or not enough or using the wrong words, and they might even worry that they don't know who's going to see it. They might worry that you might have a receptionist that might see it. So a simple line that tells them that they don't need to know what to say can remove a surprising amount of pressure, and also a simple line to say that it's you that sees it, that you're going to read it. It's only gonna be you that actually, reads it Now, one of the most important things you can do on a contact page is, once somebody sends the form, what happens? Tell them what's gonna happen next. So do you reply by email?

How long does it usually take? Do you offer a short introductory call? What happens if you're full? What if you're not sure whether you're the right counselor for them? Now, you don't need to answer every possible question on the contact page, but you can give enough information to reduce the mystery.

So for example, you could say something like, "Once you've sent your message, I'll reply by email within two working days. If I have availability, we can arrange a brief initial call to see whether working together feels like a good fit. If I don't currently have space, I'll let you know as soon as I can."

So that kind of wording is really simple, but it lets people know what to expect. And when people know what to expect, taking action can feel a lot easier. Also, think about your own boundaries. I know a lot of people will say, "Leave me a message and I'll get back to you as soon as I can." But just really be clear about this.

You know, what does that actually mean? What happens if you get a message on a Saturday morning and you're just about to go out for the day? You know, you don't want to feel beholden to sending a message immediately. You know, that's not something you can always do. Although it's great to get back to people really at the earliest possible moment, that's not always gonna be able to happen.

So just let them know that they... it might not be immediate. Now, if somebody's spent time reading your website, they're already building a sense of who you are. They see your words, your tone, your photographs, and your approach to help them. That all helps them to decide whether you feel like somebody that they could talk to.

So it makes sense to me to include a photograph on your contact page too. Now, if somebody spent time reading your website, they've already built up a sense of who you are. They get to see your words, your tone of voice, they have a look at your photographs, and your approach all help them to decide whether you feel like somebody that they could talk to. So for me, it kinda makes sense to include a photograph on your contact page too.

Now, this is something where it makes sense to have it something that's quite informal, so I probably wouldn't put a formal headshot here. In fact, depending on your style, a, a really natural photo, even a selfie might work better. So I would definitely choose your friendliest one, have a smile. You know, the point here is to help the page to feel more human. And if you feel comfortable doing so, you could even include a short video. It doesn't have to be fancy, just a simple introduction, maybe 30 seconds long, where people can see you and hear you just for a few moments. Because for some people, hearing your voice and seeing how you come across can really help them feel more at ease. It can also help to build trust because they begin to get a stronger sense of who you are before they ever make contact. Now, trust tends to build through lots of small moments. So it builds through things like a reassuring blog post, a warm About page, a friendly photograph, and a short video.

Now, none of these things really particularly works on their own, but together they're helping people to feel that little bit more confident about reaching out. Now, when I did this, what really surprised me was how much difference this made when I updated my own contact page. Now, I've spent years talking about the importance of helping people to get a sense of who you are through your website.

So intellectually, I've already known that photographs matter, But it wasn't until I added one to my own contact page and I saw the before and after difference that I realized just how much warmth a simple photograph can add. Because before, the page felt very functional, but afterwards it felt a whole lot more personal. And suddenly the page felt less like a form and more like an invitation from a real person. And when somebody's considering reaching out for counseling, that human connection really matters. By the time somebody reaches your contact page, they're already forming an impression of you. So they're asking themselves whether you seem approachable, and they're working out whether they think they'd feel comfortable with you and whether you might be somebody that they could talk to or share their story with.

And that's why your contact page should feel like a continuation of the rest of your website. So if your homepage and about page and your blog posts are all warm and compassionate and thoughtful, your contact page should be too. You know, it makes sense, doesn't it? So it should sound like the same person is speaking throughout the whole of your website.

So the last thing you want is for someone to spend ten minutes feeling connected to your writing, and then they arrive on your contact page, and that sounds like it was generated by, you know, a robot. People come to counseling 'cause they want to connect with a person. Your contact page is another opportunity to just help them feel like that person is right there waiting for them Now, your contact page doesn't need to answer everything, but it should help people find the information that they might need before they get in touch.

So if you have an FAQ page, and if you don't know what FAQ page, it stands for frequently asked questions, and I usually recommend that you have a frequently asked question page that talks about things like your fees and your availability and, you know, where you are or online counseling options or things that are explained elsewhere.

Make sure that these links are easy for people to find. So you might include a short line on your contact page that says, "If you have any questions about fees, availability, or how sessions work, you may find the answer on my FAQ page. If not, you're very welcome to ask them using the form below." And obviously you'd link them to the FAQ page.

This gives people some options. Now, some visitors to your website will want to find the answer themselves before making contact, and they'll just have a good look around, but others prefer to ask directly. And both of these are fine, aren't they? But the easier you can make it for them to get what they need, the less likely they are to click away or, like I say, think, "Oh, I'll do this later So let's have a look at some small things that can influence how your page feels.

So for instance, have a look at the wording on your button. Does it say something like Submit? So they leave con- they leave a message, and it just says Submit. Now, there's nothing actually wrong with that, but it can feel a little bit impersonal. So just changing the wording on your button can make a real difference.

So something like Contact Me Now or Get in Touch can feel a lot more warm and more conversational. And you need to keep your contact form very simple. There's a balance here. So you need enough information to reply properly, but you don't need someone's entire life history before you've even said hello.

So a long contact form can feel really off-putting. It can also give people more chances to get stuck or overthink or decide to just come back to it later. So for the majority of counselors, a really simple form is enough. So all you really need is name, and really you only need the first name for this.

So name, email address, and message. If people have to put too much into that contact form... I know what I'm like. I... If there are lots of things to fill in, like phone number, makes me worry, are they gonna phone me out of the blue? So just keep it really clear: name, email address, and message. You can always ask for more details once the conversation's started.

So this first inquiry is not a whole assessment process. It's simply the first step. Now, one of the things that I found most useful when I looked at my own page was I stopped looking at it as the person who owned the website, i.e. me, and I started looking at it as someone arriving there for the first time, and that immediately changed what I noticed.

So instead of asking whether the page technically worked, I started asking myself whether it felt welcoming. Did it sound like me? Will it help someone know what to do next? Did it answer the, the quiet little worries that someone might have before they press send? So try doing that with your own contact page.

Read it slowly. Imagine someone who's nervous about starting counseling has just landed there. They've had a look at your website. They're feeling interested about coming to counseling, but they're really unsure. They want help, but part of them is still looking for a reason to put it off. So what does your contact page do for them in that moment?

Does it reassure them? Does it tell them what happens next? Does it make it really clear that they don't need to find the perfect words? Does it help them to feel there's a real warm human being on the other side that's going to be reading this? Because if not, well, it doesn't mean that your page is awful, you know, but it just means that there may be some small changes that you could make to make it more helpful, and these small changes are often all it takes.

Because a contact page might just seem like a very practical page for people, but for a counselor, it can be a part of the care that you take with potential clients. You know, you are helping people to make a good decision, and you're making it easier for them to take that next step if it feels right for them.

So that might mean adding a warmer welcome. It might mean explaining what happens next. It might mean linking to an FAQ page, or it might mean just simplifying the form. It might mean adding a photo or a video, or just changing the wording on your button so that it feels human. None of this needs to be complicated.

You know, I'm not talking about redesigning your whole website or buy s- you know, 17 new plugins or just disappear into a website rabbit hole. We don't need to do that. But look at your website page and just ask yourself, "What would make this feel easier for someone who's nervous about reaching out?" And that one question can change the feel of the whole page.

Because getting traffic to your website is one thing, but helping people that are considering counseling feel like they're in the right place is another, and that's where your contact page really earns its keep

Now, one of the things I hear from counselors all the time is that they know they need to improve their website, but they're not always sure what to say or where to start. And that's exactly the kind of thing that we work on inside the Grow Your Private Practice membership. So whether you're writing your homepage, or you're improving your About page, or you're creating blog content, or just making changes to help more of the right people get in touch, you'll find practical support, training, feedback, and encouragement from me in the Grow Your Private Practice membership.

Because your website doesn't need to be perfect, it just needs to help clients to feel like they're in the right place. So if you'd like some support with your website, or your blogging, or your marketing, or anything to do with that, I would love to welcome you inside the membership. I'll put the details in the show notes and, I hope to see you in there.

So before you head off, I have a little challenge for you. I'd like you to go and have a look at your contact page, not as the owner of a website, but as somebody who's visiting it for the very first time. Imagine you've been thinking about counseling for a while, and imagine that you're feeling nervous and anxious and unsure what to say and wondering whether you should really get in touch at all.

And then ask yourself, does this page make that next step feel easier? You might be surprised what you notice. And like I say, if you need some help with your website, your blogging, or your marketing, come and take a look at the Grow Your Private Practice membership because it's where I help counselors turn ideas into action with practical support, training, and encouragement.

Like I say, you'll find the link in the show notes. 

[00:23:57] Jane: Okay, so that's it for today. I hope that you found this useful. It's one of those simple things that can make a world of difference. Now look, if you've enjoyed today's episode, you'll find a link to buy me a coffee in the show notes.

There's no obligation whatsoever to buy me a coffee, but every coffee is very gratefully received, and it really helps to support the podcast. Plus, it gives me something to drink whilst I'm thinking about what I'm gonna talk to you about next week. So that's it. You take care, and I look forward to speaking to you again soon. Bye