How to Build a Website for Dietitians and Nutritionists

by | Aug 27, 2022

Congratulations! You’ve done the hard work and have now attained the much coveted title of accredited dietitian. Now that you’re ready to begin your dietetics career you may be considering the ways in which you can attract new clients, share nutrition information, publish recipes, sell your own products (ebooks, courses, etc.), share meal plans and connect with your patients. A website provides the perfect platform for achieving these goals and helps you create an individualised space that sets you apart from the crowd.

But how does one with expertise in nutrition but no skills in website design create a website? If you’re minted, you could go and hire a web designer to do the work for you. I’m guessing that many people fresh out of uni won’t be so cashed up which is why I’ve created the following guide on how to create a website on your own with minimal upfront costs.

Whilst it may seem daunting at first glance, I assure you that setting up a website isn’t as hard as it looks. There are many resources today that take the hard work out for you, most with drag and drop functionality so you don’t need to know an ounce of computer programming – phew! The following post will discuss what makes a good website, how to build a website, ideas of what to include in your nutrition website and some examples of great dietitian websites for a little inspiration.

What makes a great dietitian website?

Website showcases your dietetic products and services

People generally visit a website to find an answer to a question or solution to a problem. Make sure to dedicate a page to the products/services you offer, explaining simply and thoroughly how you can provide a fix to what they’re looking for. Remember, business is all about providing value, so you want to make it clear what value it is you’re bringing to the table. It’s also a good idea to list prices for your products/services so people can see whether your business is a right fit for them.

Website provides a way to sell your dietetic products and services

Once a person has decided they’re keen to opt-in for your product/service, you need to provide a way for them to easily access these things. There are a number of plugins (more on this below) that allow you to integrate eCommerce software so customers can buy a product (e.g books, meal programs, courses, etc.), making a payment directly through your site. In terms of providing your dietetic services, either 1:1 or in groups, there is customer relationship management software that helps you to book clients, schedule appointments, deal with invoicing and payments, etc.

Website provides a way for people to contact your dietitian business

It’s a good idea to create a dedicated contact page on your website so your audience has a way of connecting with you if they have any queries. Info you could also provide includes a business phone number and map details if your clinic has a physical location where people can meet you.

Website provides a way for you to share your dietitian expertise

You’ve gained the medical knowledge now it’s time to spread your understanding of the dietetics field with the world. One way to do this is to create educational blog posts focusing on your niche. This will help build trust with your audience and strengthen relationships with potential clients. Other platforms for sharing your expertise through content is through social media (e.g. instagram and youtube), email – a valuable marketing channel, ebooks and online courses.

Website is aesthetically pleasing

While a website with all the bells and whistles seems appealing, it’s not the be all and end all for a successful site. A website that’s easy to navigate, able to convey messages clearly and exhibits a cohesive theme throughout will make your users happy, which is really what it’s all about.

How to build a dietitian website

Now that you know the types of things that make a great website, let’s delve into how to incorporate them into your new site:

Before you begin: have on hand…

  • Email address: you can set one up that’s specific for your business with gmail.
  • Word document: to keep a list of your log-in information.
  • Credit card: for recurring payments associated with your website.

Step 1: Choose your website software

The software you choose is important as it will determine your website’s eventual functionality, user experience, customisation, ongoing maintenance, etc. I (and my software developer husband) recommend using WordPress as your website software. It’s what I use for this site and can attest to it being very user friendly allowing you to add pages, images and blog posts with ease without having to know how to code. It also has a huge array of plugins (we’ll get to those later) and is very flexible giving you control over design and functionality.

When you decide on your software, you’ll need to decide whether you want to go down the hosted or self-hosted route (WordPress provides both options):

Hosted

A hosted site allows for fast and easy website setup however customisation options can be very limited. It’s a good option for those that want a simple one stop shop solution as it provides you with your domain name, hosting and blogging software all in one place.

While you can technically start a hosted Worpress.com site for free, there are some significant limitations:

  • you can’t customise your site
  • you can’t install plugins
  • your monetisation avenues are limited
  • you have to pay to remove WordPress branding

Fortunately you can pay for upgrades to be able to do these things, but it gets pricey quickly. If upgrading, you’ll most likely want to fork out for a small business plan (A$394 per year) which will give you everything you need to create a polished website (e.g. domain name, hosting, customer support, security, premium themes and plugins, video uploads, analytics, SEO tools, automate site backup, etc.).

Basically, a hosted site requires a much lower learning curve than a self-hosted site, but the caveat being you have much less control and flexibility over what you can do – unless you want to fork out the cash.

Self-hosted

A self-hosted site requires an initial setup which can be a little daunting if you’re not super computer savvy, but allows you to do pretty much anything you like if you invest time in learning the software. Unlike a hosted blog, you’ll always have complete control and ownership over your site which is a huge advantage if you want to customise it to suit your niche and website goals. It also allows you to have full control over your monetisation strategy.

With a self-hosted site you have access to thousands and thousands of free and paid plugins that make building a website a lot easier. A customised site also looks more professional than a free hosted site, important if you want to stand out and gain the trust of your audience.

While the self-hosted WordPress.org is completely free, you’ll still need to buy a domain name and pay for someone to host it, however the cost comes in at a fraction of the price of the hosted site small business plan (A$97 a year for domain + hosting package). You’ll also need to be responsible for making backups, updating plugins and the security of your site – but there are plugins that can do this for you with one click of the button (more on this below).

Final thoughts

Ultimately your decision on whether to go hosted or self-hosted will come down to what kind of website you want, your ambitions for the site and how much time and energy you have to dedicate to building and maintaining the website over time. If you’re a hobby blogger, WordPress.com will more than suffice. However if your website is for business purposes or you’re a nutrition blogger who wants the flexibility to grow and eventually make money from your site, I recommend going with self-hosted WordPress.org.

Step 2: Select your domain name and hosting site

Once you’re clear on your website niche you’ll want to choose and register a domain name (e.g. yourbusinessname .com). The domain name ideally should be unique, match the theme of your business, avoid the use of numbers and not be too long. You can use GoDaddy’s search function to see if your domain name idea is available.

Once you’ve found an available domain name it’s time to register it. If you’re paying for a hosted site this will be included in the cost. If you’re going the self-hosted route, I recommend finding your hosting provider first as they will usually offer a domain name + hosting package.

A self-hosting provider is essential as it enables you to make your website available online. It holds all of your website information 24/7 and includes services such as domain name registration, storage space, integration with WordPress (often a one-click installation), automated backups, SSL (security), email accounts, and customer support.

Our preferred self-hosting sites (my husband also runs his own website business) are:

  • MDD Hosting: the budget-friendly option that’s competent and reliable. Also known for its great customer service.
  • Kinsta: premium host site that’s good if you have a high volume of traffic. It provides very fast load times and amazing technical support.

Once you have paid for hosting and filled out the required forms you are now ready to install WordPress. Kinsta preinstalls WordPress for you so that your site is ready to go straight away. MDD hosting provide you with instructions on how to install WordPress.

Once WordPress is installed (may take up to an hour for this to happen), head to yourwebsite.com/wp-admin – replacing yourwebsite.com with the domain name you registered – and fill in your login details.

Now the fun really begins!

Step 3: Set-up the Akismet Plugin

Spam comments are a huge problem on the web. Fortunately, WordPress comes pre-installed with one of the best (and free) spam prevention plugins going: Akismet. From your WordPress Dashboard, click on “Plugins” in the sidebar menu. This will bring up a list of the plugins installed on the site. Click the “Activate” link next to the “Akismet Anti-Spam” and then follow the prompts to configure the plugin. This will hugely cut down on the number of spam comments you have to content with on your site.

Step 4: Check that WordPress is updated and permalinks are correct

To see if WordPress is updated, click on “Dashboard”. Underneath you will see an Update category. A red number will show up if there are any updates which you can then click on. Clicking on the red number will take you to an update button which you click to give you the most updated version of WordPress. It’s highly recommended you update WordPress whenever you see a red number.

To check permalinks go to your Dashboard, then go to the Settings category. In the dropdown menu select Permalinks. Here you’ll want to click on the option “Post Name” which will put the post title at the end of your link. Click “Save Changes”.

To make sure your website is discoverable by search engines, under Settings, click “Reading”. Uncheck the box that says “discourage search engines from indexing this site”. Save changes.

Step 5: Install a website theme

The theme is basically the design layout of your website. To find a theme, head to dashboard and on the sidebar, click “Appearance”, then Themes. Select the Add New button which will bring up a number of themes to choose from.

Scroll through the themes and see if any catch your eye. Don’t be stressed about finding the perfect one, you can change your mind at any time. I recommend using a theme called Astra (one of the most popular themes out there plus it’s free!).

Once you’ve selected a theme, select the theme thumbnail then click “Install”. Once it’s installed, click “Activate”.

When you click on your website name in the black bar at the top of the page it will bring you to a pretty basic-looking website. But that’s ok, now you’re going to install a plugin that will enable you to import an entire website into your website as a starting point (you’ll see what I mean in a second).

To do this, click on “Plugins” in the dashboard sidebar. In the search box type Starter Templates and press enter. Install the one that says “Starter Templates – Elementor, Beaver Builder, Glutenberg & Britzy Templates”. After it has installed, click “Activate”. Please note, the Starter Template plugin only works with the Astra theme.

A page will then come up that says Select Page Builder. Select the Elementor option which will bring up a number of design options. You can choose between free and paid designs and whether you would like a blog, business or eCommerce design. Some examples of themes that might suit your dietitian website include Qwery, Rosaleen, Albertino and Asclepius.

Once you’ve decided click on the design option of your choosing, click on “Import Complete Site”, then click on “Import”. Once import has finished, click “Visit Site” which will take you to a much more professional-looking website.

Step 6: Backup your website

Head to Plugins in your dashboard and click “Add New”. Search for All-In-One WP Migration. Click Install Now then Activate. The plugin will now be added to your sidebar. Click on it then Export To: File. Click on the Download button which will backup everything on your website. If you ever find that you make a huge mistake on your site you can just press the Backups button in your dashboard sidebar and click restore on your last backup which will bring up the previous version (before the mistake).

Step 7: Install Google Analytics

To ensure your website is providing as much value as possible, it’s important to understand how your audience interacts with your site and how you can modify it to better suit their behaviour. Google Analytics allows you to get to know your audience through traffic stats (e.g what type of links they click on, how they get to your site, bounce rates, etc.) so you can find out what type of content they’re most attracted to so you can make more of the good stuff.

Installing analytics on WordPress

To install Google Analytics go to your dashboard, click on “Plugins” and “Add New”. Type in the search box Site Kit by Google. Click “Install Now” and then “Activate”.

Click “Start Setup” and then “Sign In With Google”. Fill in the verification form. Click “Allow” for all the queries. Click “Proceed” to verify ownership then click “Allow” two more times.

Click “Go to Dashboard” and under the Analytics button click “Connect Service”. Click “Allow” on both the pop up options. Finally click “Configure Analytics” which will connect Google Analytics to your WordPress. Click the “Ok Got It” button and wait for all your info to be gathered (give this a week or two). When you head to Googleanalytics.com you can bring up your website and see all the stats laid out before you.

For a tutorial on how to use google analytics see this video:

Step 8: Customise your website

Now it’s time to change things up so you can create a website specific to your niche.

To edit the website, click on “Edit with Elementor” on the black bar at the top of the page. You can then click on any part of the webpage and edit it.

For instructions on how to customise your website, I think it is much more useful to watch a video. Here’s one which clearly explains the process, giving you tips on how to:

  • put your business/blog name into your website
  • add a menu item
  • add and design a blog page and blog post
  • add an about page, a service page and a contact form
  • add a live chat option
  • customise the homepage and footer
  • make your site mobile friendly
  • create and insert a logo (see Canva below for simple logo creation)

Step 9: Install WordPress plugins

Plugins, much like apps on your phone, help to extend the functionality of WordPress. E.g if your theme doesn’t have a contact form, you can install a contact form plugin. There are thousands and thousands to choose from, basically any idea you want for your website, plugins will usually have it covered.

Some recommended plugins for your dietetics website include:

  • Yoast SEO: shows you what you need to improve on every time you write a blog post to make your site more SEO (search engine optimisation) friendly.
  • WP Tasty: everything you need to publish beautiful recipes on your website.
  • LearnDash: allows you to create and sell courses on your website using a simple drag-and-drop editor – no coding skills required!
  • WooCommerce: a simple way to create and manage an online store. Features include inventory and tax management, secure payments and shipping integration.
  • iThemes Security: a powerful plugin that allows you to manage many security options for your site in one place.

Step 10: Create content

Because this is already a mammoth post and there’s so much advice that goes into creating compelling website content, I’ll leave you with a few links to read through in your own time:

As someone who has been blogging for years, the best advice I can give is to always ask yourself with each post you write, not “what can I get out of this?”, but “what can I provide for others?”. Using your niche as a framework, think about what it is your reader really wants, not just what you feel like writing. To make your content easy to digest, use language catered to your audience (e.g. limiting use of medical jargon) and don’t be afraid to bring your unique voice to the table.

Another little tip is to aim for consistency, posting at least once a week to build up your content over time. So many people start off with good intentions but give up after 6 months because they’re not seeing results. Be the person that goes the extra mile and with time, your blog will grow and improve, lending itself to a wider audience.

When it comes to content ideas, I like to keep a running list of about 40-50 blog post suggestions so each Sunday when I sit down to write I just have to scan the list and pick which topic appeals the most at the time. This tactic helps alleviate the barrier of having to think what to write, instead you can just get straight to it.

What to include on your dietitian website

Here are just a few ideas of what to include on your website:

  • Home page
  • About page
  • Sales page for services
  • Bookings and pricing page
  • Blog and/or recipe pages
  • Page promoting a course, ebook or cookbook you’ve created
  • Resources page
  • Contact page
  • Videos and photos (I use Unsplash to source my stock photos)
  • Newsletter signup
  • Disclaimer
  • Social media integration

See this article for an explanation on the difference between posts and pages on your website.

Best business tools for your dietitian website

Practice Better: an all-in-one client management software tool that allows you to book clients, schedule appointments, send intake forms and waivers, deal with invoicing and payments, create session notes and share with patients, etc. Bonus – they offer a free plan for students and recent grads.

That Clean Life: easy-to-use software that allows you to create personalised nutritional plans for your clients, find recipes based on diet type and nutrition needs, develop meal plans using one of the 100+ templates available, connect with recipe developers and send your clients everything they need through a secure link.

Calendly: an organisation tool for scheduling appointments. You let Calendly know your availability preferences. Calendly then gives you a link to share with your clients who can pick a time that suits them based on your availability. The meeting is then added to your calendar.

Loom: a great tool for communicating through video. It’s a quick way of making a video of yourself, your screen or both and share it instantly via a link. Instead of a meeting, your patients can watch videos on their own time allowing them to pause when needed. Great for introduction videos and/or as a teaching tool (e.g how-to videos and case-study videos)

ConvertKit: an email marketing tool that allows you to create branded email templates, send automated emails, create sign up forms and landing pages, organise your subscriber list as well as provides you with subscriber stats helping you to understand how your audience interacts with your emails.

Canva: an excellent online graphic design tool. You can use it for photo editing, logo creation, designing social media images, website banners, presentations and documents. There’s a free version or a Pro version which is recommended for entrepreneurs and branding.

Codeable: if you find that after giving it a good shot, you need more help with your webpage development, the excellently reviewed team at Codeable will connect you to the right developers that can help you with small fixes, tasks, custom design, queries, etc. Each project you post to them gets its own price estimate based on the complexity and urgency of the work you require.

Dietitian website inspiration

Useful links summary

Here is a summary of the top links recommended to get your website up and running:

Happy website building

I hope this post has been helpful in providing you with the tools and resources you need to start building your very own dietitian website. While it may seem like an overwhelming task, I assure you, once you’ve overcome the small learning curve needed to use WordPress, you’ll find yourself having fun creating a site that is both engaging and useful for your current and potential clients.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Brigid xx

DISCLAIMER: This article is for informational purposes only. It is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. 

0 Comments

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *