What a physiotherapy clinic's website needs so patients book instead of phoning around

Someone with a bad shoulder, or a car accident behind them, is in pain and wants it sorted this week. They go down a list, in this order.

1. Is it near me, and are you open?
2. Can I book now?
3. Who will treat me?
4. Do you treat my problem?
5. Will my insurance work?
6. What will it cost?

I read five Vernon physiotherapy sites. All five answer the first four. Two or three answer the fifth. Not one answers the sixth.

1. Is it near me, and are you open?

All five give a street address with a phone number. Four of the five give their hours, and one covers a full day, "7 AM – 7 PM, Monday – Friday". That matters to a person who works days and can only come before or after.

Two of the five put "Physiotherapy" and "Vernon, BC" in the first heading. A visitor lands, reads one line, and knows they're in the right place. Do that.

Only one of the five names the towns it serves. Patients come from Lumby, Armstrong and Silver Star, and they check before making the drive. A line like "Patients from Lumby, Armstrong, Coldstream and Silver Star" answers it.

2. Can I book now?

All five have a booking button, and all five send you to the same kind of booking page. So you can't lead here, but you can fall behind by hiding the button. Keep it in the header on every page, and on your phone number's line on mobile.

3. Who will treat me?

All five name their practitioners with their title, such as "Registered Physiotherapist". Four of the five keep a team page.

The BC register of health professionals is public, and it lets anyone search by name, registrant number, profession and city. None of the five links to it. A "check my registration" link takes one line and answers the doubt a first-time patient won't say out loud.

4. Do you treat my problem?

All five list services. Only one lists the problems by body part: back, neck, shoulder, jaw, vertigo. That's the one that matches what a person typed into Google. "Physiotherapy services" doesn't. "Neck and shoulder pain" does.

Two more questions come up here before anyone books:

• Do I need a doctor's referral? Two of the five answer it, and both say no, with a note that some insurers want one before they reimburse. Say it the same way: no referral needed, but check your plan. Three clinics make the patient phone to find out.
• What happens at the first visit? One of the five describes it. A person who has never been to physio doesn't know if it's an exam, a treatment or both. Three or four sentences ends the not-knowing.

Virtual visits are on two of the five. If you do them, say so near the top: they bring in seniors, shift workers and people who live out of town.

5. Will my insurance work?

Three of the five address ICBC and WorkSafeBC patients, one with a page of its own. For a Vernon clinic that's a large share of the work, and a patient hurt in a crash is looking for exactly this.

Nobody says anything about extended health plans. Not one of the five says whether they bill Pacific Blue Cross or any other plan for you. A patient with a plan wants one line: "We direct bill most extended health plans" if you do, or "We give you a receipt to claim" if you don't. Both beat silence.

6. What will it cost?

None of the five shows a price. None states a cancellation policy either, though it might sit inside the booking tool.

You don't need a price list. You need to tell the patient what an initial visit costs and what a follow-up costs, or a range, and to say what happens if they cancel late:

> First visit (60 minutes) $__. Follow-up (30 minutes) $__. Please give 24 hours' notice to cancel or reschedule.

A patient who sees the number can book. A patient who doesn't phones the next clinic.

The four answers nobody gives

1. A price. Nobody shows one.
2. Whether you bill extended health. Nobody says.
3. A cancellation policy on the page.
4. A link to check your registration.

Add those four to what you already have, and you've answered every question on the list that the five clinics I read didn't.

One more option: one clinic offers a free 15-minute phone call before booking, for people who aren't sure yet. Only that one does.

Where this goes on your site

The first heading names the town. The booking button, phone number and hours sit beside it. The price and the insurance line come straight below.

Want it done? Text me your business name at 778 808 5385. I'll look at your site and tell you what I'd change, and the rebuild is free. Here's a site I made up for a different kind of business, so you can see the layout.

Written by Mackenzie Bowes in Vernon, BC. October 27, 2026.