Building a website for a physiotherapist: the complete guide
A physiotherapist's website needs to answer three questions in under ten seconds: which conditions or specialties are treated, how to book an appointment, and where the practice is located (or whether the practitioner makes home visits). Everything else — presentation, reviews, practical information — supports these three answers.
The real problem: a generic site doesn't say what you treat
Most physiotherapist websites look alike: a photo of the practice, a list of vague keywords ("rehabilitation", "wellbeing", "holistic care") and a link to an online calendar. A visitor looking for a sports physio for an ankle sprain, or parents looking for a practitioner trained in pediatrics, find no clear answer to their specific need.
Physiotherapists often practice several approaches at once: post-surgical rehabilitation, sports physio, pediatric care, respiratory physiotherapy, lymphatic drainage. A site that doesn't name these specialties clearly forces the visitor to call and check whether the practice matches their need — which loses part of the contacts before booking even happens.
Presenting specialties without overwhelming the visitor
A page or a dedicated section for each major area of practice lets a visitor quickly recognize themselves. A few common ways to structure this:
- Sports physio: physical preparation, rehabilitation after a sports injury, return to play.
- Post-surgical rehabilitation: hip or knee replacement recovery, ligament reconstruction, spinal surgery.
- Pediatrics: children's respiratory disorders, congenital torticollis, developmental delay.
- General physiotherapy: low back pain, neck pain, tendonitis, sprains.
There's no need to create a separate page per specialty if the practice is small: a section per topic on the homepage, with two or three explanatory lines, is generally enough to reassure the visitor without multiplying pages to maintain.
Booking: Doctolib, a dedicated solution, or both
Most physiotherapists use Doctolib or an equivalent tool to manage their calendar. It's effective for logistics, but it doesn't replace a website: Doctolib doesn't present your specialties in detail, doesn't tell your story, and you depend on its visibility in search results rather than your own.
The most common solution is to keep Doctolib (or another calendar tool) for the booking itself, and integrate it as a call-to-action button on a website you own. This lets you:
- Keep control over your image and content, independently of the booking platform used.
- Be found on Google for your own keywords, not just through the Doctolib directory.
- Change booking tools later without losing your online presence.
Some practices choose a dedicated online booking solution, integrated directly into the site, particularly when slots are managed internally without going through a third-party platform. The choice mostly depends on the size of the practice and the volume of appointments to manage.
Service area: practice, home visits, or both
Many physiotherapists also make home visits, particularly for patients with reduced mobility or recovering from hospitalization. This information needs to be visible right on the homepage, with the geographic area covered specified (towns or radius in kilometers). A visitor looking for a home-visit physio quickly gives up if they have to search for this information or call to check it.
| Element | Why it's expected |
|---|---|
| Home visit area | Avoids an unnecessary call if the practice doesn't cover the patient's area |
| Hours and any on-call days | Reduces calls for information that's available online |
| Address and access (parking, floor, elevator) | Useful for patients with reduced mobility, common in post-surgical care |
| Insurance coverage or extra fees | Avoids misunderstandings about pricing from the first contact |
Legal notices and patient data: what changes for a physiotherapist
A physiotherapist isn't subject to the same health data hosting (HDS) obligations as a care facility that stores complete medical records on a dedicated server. But as soon as a contact or pre-registration form collects personal information (name, phone number, reason for consultation), GDPR applies just as it would for any professional handling identifying data.
In practice, this requires a clear notice about how data submitted through the site is used, a reasonable retention period, and avoiding form fields that would ask for sensitive medical details not necessary for making contact. A simple "name, phone, brief reason" form remains largely sufficient for most practices — no need to collect more.
Key takeaways
- A physio's website needs to answer three questions within seconds: specialties, booking, location.
- Presenting specialties by section is generally enough; there's no need for a page per specialty for a standard-sized practice.
- Doctolib handles booking, but a dedicated website remains necessary for the practice's visibility and image.
- The home-visit service area must be clearly displayed if the practitioner travels.
- GDPR applies as soon as a form collects personal data, even without a strict HDS obligation.
- With a traditional agency, this kind of site generally costs between 2,000 and 6,000 euros, delivered in 4 to 8 weeks.
Frequently asked questions
Does a physiotherapist need a website in addition to Doctolib? Doctolib handles booking but not the presentation of your specialties, your background or your practice. A dedicated website puts you back in control of your image, ranks your activity on Google outside the Doctolib directory, and stays yours even if you switch booking platforms later.
Do you need a separate website for each specialty (sports, pediatrics, post-surgical)? No, a single homepage is enough, with one section per specialty. This avoids multiplying sites to maintain and lets a visitor see at a glance everything you handle, which is often more readable than one site per specialty.
Does GDPR apply to a physiotherapist's website? Yes, as soon as a form collects identifying data (name, phone number, reason for consultation), GDPR applies. This requires a privacy notice about how the data is used, a defined retention period and, where possible, hosting in France for health-related data.
How much does a website for a physiotherapy practice cost? With a traditional agency, expect generally between 2,000 and 6,000 euros for a showcase site with integrated booking, delivered in 4 to 8 weeks. A subscription plan can achieve a comparable result for a reduced monthly budget, with a shorter delivery time.
In summary
An effective physiotherapist website clearly names its specialties, makes booking easy and displays its service area without ambiguity. VeryAppi doesn't yet offer a dedicated package for physiotherapists as it does for lawyers, but the general subscription plan (99 euros excl. VAT/month, 69 euros excl. VAT/month for the first three months, delivery in 7 days, unlimited changes within 48 hours) covers the same needs: presentation by specialty, a booking call-to-action button and a clearly displayed service area. See the plan on the dedicated subscription website page.
Frequently asked questions
›Does a physiotherapist need a website in addition to Doctolib?
Doctolib handles booking but not the presentation of your specialties, your background or your practice. A dedicated website puts you back in control of your image, ranks your activity on Google outside the Doctolib directory, and stays yours even if you switch booking platforms later.
›Do you need a separate website for each specialty (sports, pediatrics, post-surgical)?
No, a single homepage is enough, with one section per specialty. This avoids multiplying sites to maintain and lets a visitor see at a glance everything you handle, which is often more readable than one site per specialty.
›Does GDPR apply to a physiotherapist's website?
Yes, as soon as a form collects identifying data (name, phone number, reason for consultation), GDPR applies. This requires a privacy notice about how the data is used, a defined retention period and, where possible, hosting in France for health-related data.
›How much does a website for a physiotherapy practice cost?
With a traditional agency, expect generally between 2,000 and 6,000 euros for a showcase site with integrated booking, delivered in 4 to 8 weeks. A subscription plan can achieve a comparable result for a reduced monthly budget, with a shorter delivery time.