A functional medicine website has one job: help a prospective patient decide, in a few minutes, whether your program fits their problem, their schedule and their budget. Many practice sites are a long founder bio and a blog. That leaves the decision-making information (programs, prices, credentials, next steps) for the phone, where it costs you staff time.
This is a page-by-page build spec for program-based practices. Patient demand is clear: about 40,500 US searches a month for "functional medicine doctor near me." The practice-side term "functional medicine website" gets about 90 searches a month at $6.86 a click, and DataForSEO rates it hard to rank for (keyword difficulty 74) because template vendors and directories dominate it (Google Ads Keyword Planner data via DataForSEO, US, 12-month average to Sep 2026).
What visitors need to decide in the first minute
Above the fold and within one scroll, a visitor should be able to answer five questions:
- Who is this for? "Adults with long-standing digestive, metabolic or fatigue concerns who want more time with a clinician."
- What do you actually do? One sentence on the approach and the first visit.
- Who will I see? Names, licenses and a photo.
- What does it cost? A link to program pricing, not "contact us."
- What's the next step? One clear call to request a consultation.
The Institute for Functional Medicine describes the model as one that "restores healthy function by treating the root causes of disease" (IFM (opens in a new tab)). That's useful language for an approach page; on the homepage, patients respond better to what happens to them: long first visits, lab review, a written plan.
For general principles such as navigation, accessibility and mobile layout, see our guide to medical website design.
Program pages: what's included, length, price and insurance
Your program pages do the selling. Give each program its own page with the same structure:
| Section | What to include |
|---|---|
| Who it's for | Typical concerns, in patient language, and who should see another specialist first |
| What's included | Number and length of visits, messaging access, coaching, labs included |
| Length | Months, and what happens at the end (renewal, maintenance, discharge) |
| Price | Total or monthly price, payment options, what's billed separately |
| Insurance | Whether you're in network, and whether you provide paperwork for out-of-network reimbursement |
| Next step | Consultation request, with expected response time |
Write prices as numbers. "Investment varies" sends patients to a competitor's page that answers the question.
Practitioner pages: credentials, training and titles
Every clinician gets a page with their license type and number or state, education, functional medicine training, other certifications and the services they personally provide.
Titles must match licensure. Write "MD", "DO", "ND", "DC", "NP" or "LAc" accurately, and present functional medicine certification as training, not a license. If your practice includes naturopathic doctors, state and provincial rules on "Dr." differ; our naturopathic marketing guide covers them. Acupuncturists' pages should state their state license and certification; see acupuncture marketing.
Consistency matters beyond the site. Google's Business Profile guidelines (opens in a new tab) allow individual practitioners their own profile, and the name, title and address there should match the practitioner page exactly.
Condition and approach pages that cite evidence
Condition pages bring search traffic; they're also where claims go wrong. Use a three-part structure on each:
- What research shows, linked to sources such as MedlinePlus (opens in a new tab) for plain-language background, PubMed (opens in a new tab) for studies, and NCCIH (opens in a new tab) for complementary approaches.
- What's uncertain, said plainly.
- What you offer: how you assess the concern and how you work with the patient's other clinicians.
The FTC's Health Products Compliance Guidance (opens in a new tab) expects "competent and reliable scientific evidence" for health claims and treats implied claims the same as stated ones. "Root-cause healing for autoimmune disease" implies an outcome; "we review labs, diet, sleep and medications with you and your rheumatologist" describes a service.
Illustrative example (fictional Maple Hill Integrative): a page titled "Bloating and IBS" opens with a two-paragraph MedlinePlus-linked summary, lists what the first visit covers, notes that evidence on some popular tests is limited, and ends with "Request a consultation."
Lab testing and supplement pages: claim boundaries
Labs and supplements are where functional medicine sites most often overreach.
Labs. Explain which tests you commonly order and why, which are included in a program, which are billed separately and by whom, and that results are reviewed by a clinician. Avoid presenting a test as diagnosing a condition it isn't validated for.
Supplements. FDA allows claims about effects on the body's normal structure or function, but not that a product will "diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease," and the manufacturer must hold substantiation (FDA (opens in a new tab)). NCCIH's guide to supplements (opens in a new tab) adds that FDA generally doesn't review supplements for safety and effectiveness before sale and that some interact with medications. Say both on your site.
If you recommend products you sell, disclose that financial interest and check your licensing board's rules. Medfy does not provide a patient portal, lab ordering or supplement e-commerce; those stay with the specialist tools you already use.
This is general information, not legal advice. Confirm how it applies to your practice with a qualified advisor.
Consultation requests and HIPAA-compliant intake
Split contact into two steps:
- Consultation request: name, contact details, preferred times and a short "what brings you here" field. Short forms get completed.
- Secure intake: the detailed health history, medications and prior labs, collected only after the patient books, in HIPAA-compliant intake forms covered by a BAA with the vendor.
Keep ad and social pixels off both. HHS OCR's tracking guidance (opens in a new tab) says tracking on pages for scheduling, symptom checking and patient login can involve protected health information. A federal court vacated part of that guidance on June 20, 2024 (American Hospital Association v. Becerra): the part saying HIPAA applies when an IP address is linked to a visit to a public page about health conditions. The rest stands. Our guide to tracking pixels and HIPAA shows how to audit your tags.
This is general information, not legal advice. Confirm how it applies to your practice with a qualified advisor.
Structured data and fast pages for program searches
Search engines and AI assistants read your site's structure as well as its words.
- Structured data: mark up the practice (for example, schema.org's MedicalClinic type) with name, address, phone and hours, and each practitioner as a Physician or Person with their credentials. Keep it identical to your Google Business Profile.
- One URL per program and per practitioner, with descriptive titles: "6-Month Gut Health Program | Willow Creek Functional Medicine."
- Speed: compress images, avoid heavy page builders and video backgrounds, and test on a phone over cellular data.
- Internal links: condition pages link to the programs that address them; program pages link to the practitioners who run them.
From your current site to a rebuilt one
Red flags on your current site
- No prices anywhere, or "starting at" prices nobody pays.
- Condition pages that promise to reverse or cure disease.
- Health-history questions in a general contact form or a form-builder without a BAA.
- Ad pixels on the contact or intake page.
- Practitioner titles that differ between the site, Google and directories.
Cost drivers for a rebuild
Costs scale with the number of programs and practitioners (each needs its own page), how much condition content needs rewriting with sources, form and intake requirements, migration of existing content and redirects, and who maintains the site afterward.
Where Medfy fits
Medfy rebuilds your practice's website and hosts it on your own domain: a page per service, structured data, fast pages and HIPAA-compliant forms covered by the BAA Medfy signs with your practice. It's part of the $349/month base plan, which also includes weekly researched articles drafted from MedlinePlus and PubMed that you approve. Before you pay anything, Medfy rebuilds your current site so you can see a free preview of your new website. Start with the free audit and site preview. For the broader strategy, see functional medicine marketing.
Frequently asked questions
What should a functional medicine website include?
A clear statement of who you help and how, a page for each program with what's included, length and price, a page for each practitioner with license and training, condition and approach pages that link evidence, a short HIPAA-compliant consultation form, and your location, hours and contact details. Fast pages and structured data help search engines and AI assistants describe your practice accurately.
Should functional medicine practices list prices online?
Usually yes. Most functional medicine care is cash-pay and program-based, so patients want to know total cost before they book a consultation. List each program's price and what it includes, which labs and supplements are extra, and whether you provide paperwork for out-of-network reimbursement. If prices vary by case, publish a range and explain what moves it. Clear pricing filters out poor-fit inquiries.
Can we sell supplements on our practice website?
You can, but the claim rules follow the product. Under FDA rules, supplement claims may describe effects on the body's normal structure or function but can't say a product will diagnose, treat, cure or prevent disease, and labels need FDA's disclaimer. Check your licensing board's rules on selling products to patients and disclose any financial interest. Medfy websites don't include supplement e-commerce, so use a separate dispensary platform.
Do functional medicine intake forms need to be HIPAA compliant?
If your practice is a HIPAA covered entity and the form collects health information, yes: it should use a HIPAA-compliant form vendor that signs a BAA, store submissions securely, and keep ad pixels off the page. Keep the first consultation request short and save the detailed health history for a secure intake step. Cash-only practices should confirm their HIPAA status with counsel.