A therapist marketing agency can save you hours, but only if the work is ethical, the accounts end up in your name and the agency signs a business associate agreement for anything that touches client inquiries. Most agency pages are written to sell you. This one gives you the questions, contract terms and red flags specific to therapy, plus an honest comparison with doing it yourself or using a software platform.
Why so many pitches? Agencies pay heavily to reach you. A click on "therapist marketing agency" (about 40 US searches a month) costs about $63.65, and "google ads for therapists" about $67.35 (Google Ads Keyword Planner data via DataForSEO, US, 12-month average to Sep 2026). A vendor paying that much for one click has every reason to follow up, and to prefer long contracts.
What therapy marketing agencies usually do
Most offer some mix of the following. Few are strong at all of them, so ask which they do in-house.
- Websites: building or rebuilding your site, hosting it and writing service pages.
- SEO (search engine optimization): blog posts, local pages and technical fixes so you appear in Google for searches such as "anxiety therapist in Denver."
- Listings: setting up and maintaining your Google Business Profile and directory profiles.
- Paid ads: running Google Ads or Facebook and Instagram ads, which is a separate discipline with its own health rules (see our guide to therapy advertising).
- Content and social: writing posts and managing your social accounts.
- Reporting: monthly reports on traffic, calls and form submissions.
What good looks like for a private practice: copy that sounds like a clinician and respects your code, consult forms that are HIPAA-compliant, accounts you own, and reports that count consult requests rather than impressions.
How agencies charge, and what to ask about each model
Pricing varies by agency and scope, so compare models, not headline numbers. The general guide to healthcare marketing agencies covers these across specialties; here is what each means for a therapy practice.
| Model | How it works | What to ask |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly retainer | A fixed fee for an agreed scope of work | What exactly is delivered each month? What happens to unused hours? |
| Setup or website fee | A one-time charge to build or rebuild | Do you own the site and its content when it's paid for, or is it licensed while you stay? |
| Percentage of ad spend | A management fee tied to your ad budget | Does the fee rise automatically as they raise your budget? Who approves increases? |
| Per lead or per consult | You pay for each inquiry delivered | How is a lead defined? Are duplicate, spam or out-of-area inquiries charged? |
| Bundles | Website, SEO and ads in one package | Can you drop one piece without losing the others? |
Cost drivers worth knowing: how many specialties and locations need pages, whether ads are included, how often content is produced, and how long the minimum term is. Ad spend itself is usually billed separately; ask whether it passes through at cost or carries a markup.
Questions to ask a therapy marketing agency
Bring this list to every sales call. The longer checklist of questions to ask any agency works for other specialties too.
- Which therapy practices do you work with now, and may I speak to one? You want clinicians, not just "healthcare."
- Who writes the copy, and do they know my ethics code? Ask how they handle testimonials, outcome claims and descriptions of specialties.
- Will you sign a business associate agreement (BAA)? Required if they host your forms, run your inbox or keep a CRM of inquiries.
- What tracking do you install, and where? Ad pixels should not run on consult forms or pages that collect health details.
- How do you report results? Ask for consult requests by source, not just clicks and impressions.
- What is the minimum term and notice period?
- What do I keep if I leave? Domain, site files, content, listings, ad accounts and data.
- Will you ask my clients for reviews? The right answer is no.
If you'd rather see where your marketing stands before any sales call, run a free audit before you hire. It scores your website, SEO, Google listing, AI visibility, social and ads, and flags privacy risks such as pixels on patient forms.
Contract terms: domain, website, listings and ad accounts
Ownership is where leaving an agency gets expensive, because a lost domain or Google listing can take years of referrals with it. Our guide to marketing agency contract terms has sample clauses; for a therapy practice, insist on these:
- Domain: registered in your name, with your login. The agency can have access, not ownership.
- Website and content: you own the copy and images you paid for, and get an export when you leave.
- Google Business Profile and directory listings: you are the owner; the agency is a manager.
- Ad accounts: created under your business, with your payment method. If the account belongs to the agency, its history and settings may stay behind when you leave.
- Business associate agreement: HIPAA defines a business associate as a vendor that creates, receives, maintains or transmits protected health information on your behalf (45 CFR 160.103 (opens in a new tab)), and requires your assurances from that vendor to be documented in a written agreement (45 CFR 164.502(e) (opens in a new tab)).
- Exit terms: a notice period, a handover list and no fee to release what you own.
Have your attorney review the contract before you sign.
Ethics and HIPAA red flags in agency work
Your license, not the agency's, is on the line. The APA Ethics Code says psychologists who engage others to create or place public statements promoting their practice "retain professional responsibility for such statements" (Standard 5.02(a) (opens in a new tab)), and the ACA Code asks counselors to make reasonable efforts to keep statements others make about them accurate (C.3.c (opens in a new tab)).
Walk away if an agency proposes:
- Soliciting client testimonials. APA 5.05 bars soliciting testimonials from current clients; ACA C.3.b covers current and former clients; NASW 4.07(b) (opens in a new tab) bars soliciting testimonial endorsements from current clients, including consent to reuse something a client said.
- Fake, bought or incentivized reviews. The FTC's final rule on fake reviews and testimonials (opens in a new tab) bans fake reviews, insider reviews without disclosure and incentives tied to a positive review. It took effect on October 21, 2024, according to the FTC's Q&A (opens in a new tab), and courts can impose civil penalties for knowing violations.
- Condition-based retargeting. Following visitors of your depression page with ads tells an ad platform who may have a condition, and Meta's personal attributes policy (opens in a new tab) bars ads that imply a person's mental health.
- No BAA for forms, inbox or CRM. If inquiries pass through their systems, they need one.
- Agency-owned domain or ad account. It turns leaving into starting over.
- Outcome promises in copy. APA 5.01(b) covers claims about the results or degree of success of your services.
Agency vs doing it yourself vs a platform
Each route suits a different practice. The table compares them on what you'll actually notice.
| Item | Agency | Do it yourself | Platform (Medfy as one example) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | Retainer, setup, percentage or per-lead fees, set by the agency | Your time plus tools and directory fees | Medfy: $349/month base; add-ons Google Ads management $199, Meta ads + AI creatives $199, HIPAA AI chat $49 |
| Your time | Lowest once set up; review calls | Highest | Approvals and occasional edits |
| Ownership | Depends on the contract | Yours | Medfy hosts the site on your own domain |
| Ad spend | Ask whether it's marked up | Paid to Google and Meta directly | Paid directly to Google and Meta, never marked up |
| Commitment | May include a minimum term | None | Medfy is billed monthly, cancel anytime |
Medfy's base plan covers the website rebuilt and hosted on your domain, automated SEO, AI visibility tracking, website analytics, an AI CMO dashboard with a weekly brief and a patient CRM and inbox. Prices are on Medfy pricing.
When an agency is the better fit: you want a human strategist on calls, custom brand work or photography, PR, someone to run your organic social accounts, or support for a group practice with several locations. Medfy doesn't post to social media or offer multi-location features.
When doing it yourself is the better fit: you're building a caseload slowly, enjoy writing and have a few hours a week. Start with the therapist website options and the wider therapist marketing plan.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a therapist marketing agency cost?
It depends on the pricing model and the scope, which vary from agency to agency, so get every number in writing. Common models are a monthly retainer, a setup or website fee, a percentage of ad spend, a fee per lead or consult, or a mix. Ask what is included, who owns what you pay for, whether ad spend is marked up and what it costs to leave.
Should a solo therapist hire a marketing agency?
Only if the agency fills a gap you can't fill yourself and you can fund it long enough to judge results. A solo practice can often fill a caseload with a specific directory profile, a clear website, a complete Google listing and a few referral relationships. Hire help when you lack time for those or want paid ads managed, and get an audit first so you know which gap you're paying to close.
What should be in a marketing agency contract for a therapy practice?
Your domain, website content, Google Business Profile and ad accounts owned in your name; a business associate agreement if the agency touches forms, inboxes or a CRM; a written list of deliverables; how ad spend is billed and whether it is marked up; reporting you can read; a notice period; and what the agency hands over when you leave. Have your attorney review it.