So you’ve recently graduated school, from either Edison or another registered holistic nutrition school.
Congratulations!
There are a number of holistic career paths beyond going into private practice, of course.
However, it’s one of the most common.
Keep in mind, though, that even though you’re excited and can’t wait to begin practicing, in most cases the clients won’t just come pouring in.
Whether you’re flying solo or you’re part of a larger clinic, it’s a good idea to build a website for yourself.
But what goes on your website?
Keep reading.
Do People Even Read Websites Anymore?
Social media has been around in a big way for more than a decade now, and it’s clearly not going anywhere anytime soon.
So if you’re considering how to market your new registered holistic nutrition practice, you might be wondering how important a website is in the first place.
After all, isn’t it easier to reach people on social media instead?
The answer to that is… sort of.
Here are some of the reasons why a website is still important, even in 2021.
1. Social Channels Are Overwhelming
Sure, you might show up in someone’s feed when you make a post on your Facebook page.
Guess what else does?
Their best friend’s weekend photos.
Their favourite band’s upcoming tour dates.
A new crochet pattern posted in their crochet group.
Memes.
Pictures of cats.
The list goes on and on.
And sure, certain figures have been able to capitalize on social media’s reach.
But if you’re just starting out, it can be a lot.
2. Social Pages Don’t Rank In Search
A registered holistic nutritionist private practice is a service based business.
And service based businesses do particularly well in search.
This is because service based businesses are local by nature.
People look for specialists to help them, but they also look for nearby businesses.
But while Google may rank your website for search terms like “holistic nutritionist in [your city]”, they won’t rank your Facebook or Instagram page.
It’s just the way Google works.
3. You Can Be Banned From Social Media
Social media platforms each have their own community guidelines they operate on.
And while they make their guidelines public, people often find they’re banned for reasons that seem completely arbitrary.
We’re not here to debate the merits of freedom of speech on social media one way or another.
But the reality is that building your business around social media can lead to the rug being pulled out from under you.
You can be banned by your website host, it’s true.
But this generally only happens in extreme cases, like advocating outright hatred or vey illegal things.
Keep your nose clean and stick to talking about holistic nutrition on your website, and it’s very unlikely things will go wrong.
What Are The Most Important Pages On Your Registered Holistic Nutritionist Website?
Of course, you can make a website with just one page or hundreds of pages.
What’s the most important?
1. Your Home Page
This should go without saying.
Your home page is the core of your website.
In many cases, it’s the first page people will see when they arrive on your website.
This makes it one of the highest stakes pages on your site.
When designing your home page, build it with the idea that people visiting your website don’t know a single thing about you or what you do.
You want to catch their attention.
“I like to give websites what I call my two second test,” says digital marketer and SEO specialist Sophie Edwards of Cloud Surfing Media. “That means that within two seconds of looking at your website, I should be able to tell three things – who you are, what you do, and why I should care.”
This doesn’t need to be overly complicated.
A simple message, like “A natural approach to better health” or “natural solutions for your best health” can go a long way.
Along with a short sentence saying that you’re a holistic nutritionist can go a long way toward grabbing somebody’s attention.
From there, you can talk more about the specific solutions you offer on your home page.
Which leads us to the next point…
2. Solutions Pages
What kind of solutions do you offer?
If your answer is “holistic nutrition” or “better health,” you’re not in the right mindset.
If you want to grab someone’s attention, you need to be talking to them more directly about the problems they’re dealing with.
Think about the topics you found most interesting during school.
Is it how to improve mental performance?
Managing arthritis or chronic fatigue?
Helping manage stress or anxiety?
Providing natural weight loss solutions?
Whatever it is, make a page about it.
Not just a catch-all solutions page, but an individual page for each solution you want to offer.
“I’ve got dozens of solutions though,” you might be thinking.
Fine.
Make dozens of pages.
You don’t need to have every one of them live on your page right away.
3. Services Pages
Services are different than solutions.
A solution is the answer to a specific problem.
The page is focused on the problem and the solution.
Your service, on the other hand, is the various modalities you can use to provide your solutions.
Of course, holistic nutrition is one.
But if you have any additional certifications, like live cell microscopy, muscle testing, certified holistic cancer practitioner, or metabolic balance, these are great examples of service pages.
If you have other qualifications, like the homeopathy online courses Edison offers as affiliate, you can use that as well.
4. Your About Page
You can be forgiven for thinking about it this way, but your about page isn’t about you.
A new visitor to your website doesn’t know you one way or another.
They’re interested not in who you are, but how you can help them.
Remember, this is a business website, not a dating profile.
People aren’t here to read about your dog Fifi or how you love skiing on the weekends or that you play guitar.
Instead, they want to know how you can help them.
Talk about your treatment philosophy.
Talk about the certifications you hold.
Talk about why you decided to become a registered holistic nutritionist.
Talk about what a registered holistic nutritionist is in the first place.
The entire point of your website is to get people to contact you to book an appointment.
Don’t lose sight of that even on your about page.
5. Your Contact Page
Keep it simple.
Leave your information, include a contact form, and make it as easy as possible for people to use.
Speaking of which…
Contact The Edison Institute Of Nutrition
If you’re a recent graduate unsure about what next steps to take, consider our Business Of Wellness Consulting continuing education course.
It can help you gain a better understanding of how best to run your private practice.
And if you’re trying to decide how to change your career and become a registered holistic nutritionist, reach out to us today.
We’ll be happy to help you get a better understanding of your options.
