Websites for occupational therapists have an unusual mix of visitors. A parent wants to know whether you can help a seven-year-old who melts down at sock seams. An adult with a healing wrist fracture wants a certified hand therapist near work. And a pediatrician, surgeon or school OT wants to know you'll take the referral and report back. This guide is a page-by-page spec for OT private practices, pediatric and hand therapy alike, with the referral pages and HIPAA-compliant forms that templates usually skip.
Who visits an OT practice website: parents, adults and referrers
| Visitor | How they arrive | What they look for first |
|---|---|---|
| Parent | A teacher's note, a pediatrician's suggestion, a school evaluation | The child's need named plainly, ages served, insurance, the wait |
| Adult patient | A surgeon's referral or their own search after an injury | Hand therapy or the specific condition, a CHT on staff, hours, location |
| Referrer | Looking for a reliable place to send patients | How to refer, what you treat, how fast you start, what report they'll get |
Each group needs its own entry point, and the homepage should route all three within one screen: "For parents," "Hand therapy," "For referring providers."
The owner side of the search is small but crowded. "Websites for occupational therapists" draws about 110 US searches a month at an average CPC of $5.71, and DataForSEO rates the term's keyword difficulty at 63 because template vendors dominate it. "Occupational therapy marketing" draws about 10 (Google Ads Keyword Planner data via DataForSEO, US, 12-month average to Sep 2026). For the referral, insurance and ethics side of the funnel, see our pediatric therapy marketing guide.
Pediatric OT pages: sensory, fine motor, feeding and handwriting
MedlinePlus lists "physical, speech, and occupational therapy" among treatments for developmental disabilities (opens in a new tab), and notes that early treatment "may help your child learn important skills." Parents rarely search for "occupational therapy" itself. They search for what they see at home.
| Page | What parents notice | What to cover |
|---|---|---|
| Sensory processing | Distress at noise, clothing textures, haircuts; constant movement | How you assess, what a session looks like, home strategies you teach |
| Fine motor and handwriting | Tight pencil grip, illegible writing, trouble with buttons or scissors | Evaluation, school coordination, practice at home |
| Feeding | Very few accepted foods, gagging, mealtime battles | Who's a fit, coordination with the pediatrician and SLP |
| Self-care | Dressing, toileting, toothbrushing beyond typical ages | Goals set with the family, routines practiced at home |
| Motor coordination | Clumsiness, avoids playground equipment, trouble with sports | How OT differs from PT here, if you work alongside PTs |
Each page should open with the parent's words, explain what your evaluation looks at, describe a typical session, and say how parents take part. Then link to your evaluation and insurance pages.
Avoid outcome promises such as "writing neatly by spring." AOTA's 2025 summary of its Code of Ethics (opens in a new tab) names veracity among its guiding principles and says the Standards of Conduct are the enforceable part, applied by AOTA's Ethics Commission. Read the communication standards before approving any claim.
Hand therapy and adult OT pages
Adults find hand therapy through a surgeon or a search after an injury. MedlinePlus's hand injuries and disorders (opens in a new tab) overview lists the common reasons: carpal tunnel syndrome, fractures, ruptured ligaments and dislocations, osteoarthritis, tendinitis, and finger and thumb problems. Give each its own page.
A strong hand therapy page covers:
- The condition or surgery, in plain terms, with a link to a reputable source rather than your own medical advice.
- What therapy involves: evaluation, exercises, custom orthoses (splints) if you make them, home program.
- Timing: how soon after surgery you usually see patients, and how you follow the surgeon's protocol.
- Who treats: list credentials exactly as held.
Credentials need care. OTR/L describes an occupational therapist with the NBCOT (opens in a new tab) OTR certification and a state license; COTA is NBCOT's certification for assistants. CHT (Certified Hand Therapist) belongs only to clinicians who passed the exam of the Hand Therapy Certification Commission (opens in a new tab), the credentialing body ASHT refers hand therapists to for the CHT designation. Name the CHT on staff rather than writing "certified hand therapy" for the clinic as a whole.
Many hand therapy clinics share space or ownership with physical therapists. If yours does, our physical therapy website design guide covers the PT pages.
Referral pages for pediatricians, surgeons and schools
Referral pages are the most underbuilt pages on OT sites and among the most valuable. Build one per referrer type.
For pediatricians: ages and needs you treat, accepted plans, current wait, how to refer (form, fax or e-referral), and what you send back after the evaluation.
For surgeons: the protocols you follow, how quickly you can see a post-op patient, how you handle orthosis fabrication, and how you report progress.
For schools: how outpatient OT complements school-based OT, and how you coordinate with the IEP team when a parent gives permission.
Every referral page needs a named liaison, a phone line answered during business hours, and a "what happens after you refer" list of three or four steps. Mark up your practice name, address, hours and services with structured data so search engines read them correctly; our guide to schema markup for practices shows how.
Insurance, evaluations and scheduling expectations
Families and adults decide quickly whether starting is realistic. Answer before they call.
Insurance. Name commercial and Medicaid plans, say whether you're in network, and publish private-pay rates for evaluations and sessions. Whether a physician's referral or prior authorization is needed depends on the state and the plan, so say you'll check and tell them before the first visit.
Evaluations. Describe the steps: inquiry, intake call, forms, the evaluation, results and the plan. Say how long the evaluation takes at your clinic and what to bring (school work samples, splints, surgical paperwork).
Scheduling. Be honest that after-school slots fill first. Post dated waits for evaluations and ongoing therapy, and say how session frequency is set after the evaluation.
Children's photos, privacy and HIPAA-compliant forms
A video of a child's handwriting or a photo in your sensory gym is identifiable, even if the face is cropped: a voice, a school logo, a name on a worksheet. Using it in marketing needs a written HIPAA authorization under 45 CFR 164.508(a)(3) (opens in a new tab). For a child, the parent or guardian usually signs as personal representative under 45 CFR 164.502(g)(3) (opens in a new tab). Explain where the content will appear, and remove it if the parent withdraws.
Your inquiry form needs the same care. A parent describing feeding problems, or an adult naming a recent surgery, sends protected health information. The form and the place submissions are stored must be covered by a business associate agreement (BAA). Ask only for what you need to call back: name, contact, age or date of surgery, ZIP code, insurance.
Keep ad and analytics pixels off form pages. HHS's online tracking guidance (opens in a new tab) says tracking where people schedule appointments or enter symptoms can disclose PHI. A June 20, 2024 court order vacated only the part about IP addresses on unauthenticated public pages about health conditions, and HHS says it is evaluating next steps.
Builder templates vs a managed rebuild
Templates make a site look finished quickly. The gaps are the referral pages, the per-condition pages and the form behind the "Contact us" button.
| Option | BAA position (checked October 22, 2026) |
|---|---|
| WordPress | Open-source software you host yourself; every vendor that stores or transmits submissions (host, form plugin, email service) needs its own BAA. See is WordPress HIPAA compliant. |
| Wix | Signs a BAA on specific premium plans (opens in a new tab) after PHI protection is turned on; only new Wix Forms are covered |
| Squarespace | BAA covers only Acuity Scheduling (opens in a new tab); its form block can't be used for HIPAA purposes |
| Managed rebuild | The vendor builds the pages and signs a BAA for forms and stored submissions |
Builder and plugin terms change, so confirm each vendor's current BAA status before you collect patient information.
Evaluation checklist
- A BAA covers every tool that touches form submissions.
- Separate entry points for parents, adult patients and referrers.
- A page for each condition or need you treat.
- Credentials listed exactly as held.
- Waits, plans and rates you can update without a developer.
- No pixels on form pages; fast on a phone.
What drives the cost
The number of condition and referral pages, who writes them, whether compliant forms need a higher plan or a separate service, plugin maintenance on WordPress, and how often you'll need edits. A template is cheap to launch and expensive to keep accurate if every change goes through a developer.
Red flags
- Templates with stock photos of children presented as clients.
- "Contact us" forms that email full submissions to a shared inbox.
- Copy promising results by a date.
- A vendor that won't name who signs the BAA.
Where Medfy fits
Medfy rebuilds your website and hosts it on your own domain, with a page per service, structured data and HIPAA-compliant forms. Medfy signs a BAA with your practice before any patient data flows, and submissions are stored in separate, encrypted HIPAA databases in the US or Canada. You see a free preview of the rebuilt site before paying. The base plan is $349/month, billed monthly, cancel anytime; see Medfy pricing. Medfy doesn't provide scheduling software or intake packets, and it doesn't certify accessibility.
Start with the free audit and site preview. If your practice also offers speech therapy, see speech therapy websites; for autism services, see ABA advertising.
Frequently asked questions
What should an occupational therapy website include?
Pages for each need you treat, in patients' words: sensory challenges, handwriting, feeding, self-care and, for adults, hand injuries and post-surgery care. Add a referral page for pediatricians, surgeons and schools, an insurance page naming plans and private-pay rates, an evaluation page, dated wait times, accurate credentials such as OTR/L and CHT, and a HIPAA-compliant inquiry form.
How do OT practices get referrals from pediatricians?
Give them a reason to pick you over the clinic down the road: a clear list of the ages and needs you treat, the plans you accept, your current wait and a one-step way to refer. Put all of it on a referral page and a one-page sheet. Send a short evaluation summary back, with the parent's permission, so the pediatrician knows the family was seen.
Do OT websites need HIPAA-compliant forms?
Yes, if the form can receive health information, which almost every inquiry form can. A parent describing a child's feeding problem or an adult naming a recent wrist surgery is sending protected health information. The form and the place submissions are stored need a vendor that signs a business associate agreement. Ask only what you need to call back, and keep ad pixels off the page.
Should a pediatric OT clinic list insurance plans online?
Yes. Insurance is often the first filter parents apply, and a clinic that names its plans saves both sides a phone call. List commercial and Medicaid plans by name, say whether you're in or out of network, and publish private-pay rates. Add a line saying you'll confirm benefits before the evaluation, since coverage and visit limits vary by plan.