The Nuts and Bolts: creating a site

[Art Matthews, MA LPC DCC]

O.K. It's been a few months now since I completed the Distance Credentialed Counselor (DCC) training seminar, and I'm still not off the ground from a private practice standpoint. The biggest hangup has been finding a web address that 1) hasn't been used, 2) is easily memorable, and 3) I like. My criteria has perhaps been part of the problem.

Succinct - I don't want some sentence like "Your Changed Life" that, when converted into an address, looks like a bunch of unconnected characters.

Memorable - Unless you have a massive advertising budget, choosing a word like "Google" to be your site address could be really ineffective. Short, must have a .com, not a .info or a .biz Everyone expects a Dot Com to end in .com.

Related - Trying to work the word "counseling", "counselor" or "therapy" in to an address has proven difficult. Most of them are taken (although not all used) by the online powerhouses like LP and LC. GoDaddy.com is ever so helpful in suggesting additional words to add to your proposed address to create a variation on a theme. One option, http://www.newliveetherapyonlinenow.com Augh!

When I come accross a good name, it's usually been used, is "on backorder" (wha???) or available at an astronomical price.

Once you get a name, then there's the whole getting it up on the net. Web hosting, a site builder software (freebies won't do much customizing), the ability to accept credit cards or online payments on the web, site security and maintenance...

WHEW, no wonder I'm still at square one. Luckily I have a day job and am able to do some distance counseling there and stay "in practice".

But I will get there. I need a vacation so I can get my business off the ground!

[Jim Byrne]

Hi Art,
I vaguely remember that whole development phase; must be nine years ago now. Take a look at http://www.abc-counselling.com and see if that gives you any ideas. Register.com hosts my site, which is a self-build package with lots of flexibility. Costs seem to me to be moderate.
Best wishes,
Jim

Jim Byrne
ABC Coaching and Counselling Services

[john wilson]

Hi Art

Appreciate your post, private practice is not as easy as people think, online or offline!

I combined my name and profession wilsoncounselling.co.uk and my location is in the ".co.uk"

Not the most imaginative though :)

Cheers

john

[Sarah Blake]

Love this article! Thanks for sharing your experience. I am right at the beginning of this too and know your pain!

[DeeAnna Merz Nagel]

Hi Art-
I have been told that from a marketing standpoint, one should conisder combining profession with location like PhoenixCounselor.com....of course that works well for face-to-face counselors- not sure how to apply that to a more global location!