How to Choose Your Website Platform
A clean, client-friendly website doesn’t require custom code or a weeklong bootcamp. The right beginner-friendly builder will let you launch fast, keep things simple, and still look polished and professional. Below is a practical guide to picking a platform—plus a 60-minute “test drive” you can run today to make a confident decision.
First, What Actually Matters
For a wellness or mental-health practice, focus on the handful of factors that change outcomes (not just looks):
Ease of use: Can you add pages, rearrange sections, and edit text without a tutorial every time?
Design quality: Modern templates, mobile-ready layouts, consistent typography, clean spacing.
Core features: Blog, contact forms, basic SEO settings, simple booking or an easy embed for your scheduler, email capture.
Integrations: Can you connect to your CRM/HubSpot or embed intake/booking forms?
Ownership/portability: Can you export content (posts, images) if you ever move?
Price & limits: Will you outgrow the plan in six months (pages, storage, contributors, ecommerce)?
Support & learning curve: Real-time chat, help docs, or a community that actually answers.
Keep these front and center as you compare.
The Contenders (Beginner-Friendly Builders)
1) Squarespace
Best for: A clean, modern site that looks “designer” with minimal fiddling.
Why practitioners like it
Beautiful templates that feel professional out of the box.
Structured drag-and-drop sections (services, FAQs, testimonials) that keep spacing and type consistent.
Built-in blog, basic SEO, forms, and light commerce if you ever sell a workshop or digital guide.
Easy to embed schedulers (Calendly/Acuity) and intake forms.
Watch-outs
Less free-form than Wix (that’s also a strength).
Some advanced tweaks live behind design settings you’ll learn as you go.
Choose it if you want a polished site fast and prefer helpful rails over total freedom.
2) Wix
Best for: Creative control—place nearly anything anywhere.
Why practitioners like it
True drag-anywhere editor; hundreds of blocks and components.
Big template library; lots of ways to create unique layouts.
App Market for extras (members area, bookings, etc.).
Watch-outs
With great freedom comes… chaos. It’s easy to make things busy.
Changing templates later can mean rebuilding—plan your structure first.
Choose it if you want maximum visual control and don’t mind a little tinkering.
3) Weebly
Best for: Simple brochure sites with a very fast learning curve.
Why practitioners like it
Extremely straightforward editor; minimal learning curve.
Great for a lean site: Home, About, Services, Blog, Contact.
Basic SEO, forms, and a simple blog—often enough for solo practices.
Watch-outs
Fewer design flourishes than Squarespace/Wix; limited advanced layouts.
You might outgrow it if you plan bigger features later.
Choose it if you want something ultra-simple you can maintain in minutes per month.
4) HubSpot (CMS + Websites & Marketing)
Best for: Rapid launch with your website, CRM, and email under one roof.
Why practitioners like it
Guided site builder plus built-in CRM, email marketing, and simple automations.
Easy lead capture: forms flow directly into contacts and lists for follow-up.
Tidy templates and a single login for site edits, email sends, and contact management.
Watch-outs
Design flexibility is more “guided” than “freeform.”
As your brand matures, you may want deeper visual control—or you’ll lean on HubSpot’s modules.
Choose it if you value speed, integrated tools, and minimal moving parts in one dashboard.
Your 60-Minute Test Drive (Do This Today)
The goal isn’t a perfect site; it’s choosing with real, hands-on experience.
Before you start (5 minutes)
Gather essentials: business name, logo (or wordmark), 3 brand colors (hex), two fonts (or one family, two weights), a headshot, 2–3 lifestyle images, and a 2-sentence value proposition.
Decide your primary CTA: “Book a Free Consult” or “Get the Guide.”
Pick two platforms to test (e.g., Squarespace vs. Wix, or Weebly vs. HubSpot).
Step-by-step build (25 minutes each platform)
Create a trial and pick a calm, modern template with generous white space.
Set global styles: fonts, colors, button styles.
Build five core sections on Home:
Hero: outcome-first headline, subhead (who + how), CTA button.
Problem → Outcome: 2–3 lines naming your client’s pain; 2–3 lines painting success.
Services Snapshot: 3 cards (service name → one-line benefit → “Learn more”).
About Preview: headshot + short “why I do this” paragraph.
Final CTA: repeat the same button text (consistency wins).
Add a Contact page with a simple form and your booking link.
Check mobile: spacing, button size, headline legibility.
Evaluate (5 minutes total)
Which one let you move faster with fewer “how do I…?” moments?
Which looked more professional with the least tweaking?
Which felt clearest on mobile?
Pick the winner. If it’s a tie, choose the one you’ll enjoy maintaining—that’s the one you’ll actually update.
Essential Pages & Blocks (Regardless of Platform)
Home: Outcome-first headline, 3-step plan, services preview, proof (testimonial/affiliation), CTA.
About: Your “why,” grounded credentials, values, what working together feels like, photo.
Services: One page with 2–4 service cards, each linking to details.
Contact: Short form, expected response time, non-emergency note, location/licensure.
Blog/Resources: Optional at launch, powerful for SEO and trust.
Footer: License/jurisdiction, location, email, social links, privacy/terms.
Must-Have Features for a Practice Site
SEO basics: editable titles/meta, clean URLs, alt text for images.
Blog: an easy way to publish articles on your platform
Forms: newsletter sign-up, content download, contact form
Scheduling/Embeds: an option for visitors to schedule an initial consult without emailing about days/times.
Email capture: a clear way to trade a guide/checklist for name + email.
Accessibility & Performance (Quick Pass)
Contrast: aim for high level of contrast and readability even at a distance from the screen
Type: body text should be at least 16px
Buttons: large enough to tap on mobile; clear labels (“Book a Free Consult”).
Images: add alt text that describes purpose (“Therapist in a calm office, smiling”).
Speed: save images in a smaller size or compress with a web tool.
Pricing (Sanity Check)
Entry-level plans for a small practice usually land in “a couple of coffees per week,” billed monthly or annually. The range is typically $15-$50 per month, depending on the platform and additional features. Upgrades unlock custom domains, commerce, or advanced add-ons.
Make the Decision (and Move On)
If your 60-minute test points to Squarespace or HubSpot because they keep you inside helpful rails, go with that. If you want canvas-level freedom (and will respect spacing/typography), Wix might be the better fit. If you crave the simplest possible brochure site, Weebly is hard to beat. The right choice is the one you’ll maintain consistently—because fresh, clear content beats “perfect design” every time.
