Website Strategy for Independent Doulas & Midwives

I hear from many potential clients about difficult experiences they have had with past web designers and coaches who just didn't understand the nature of their work as birth and postpartum professionals. 

It is an honor for me to now translate my many years as a doula and web designer into helping you grow your practice with an awesome website presence.

Keeping up with the internet's ever-changing rules is what I do. You support families. I'll keep your website working for you.

The biggest shift is how families find you. They used to Google "doula near me" and scroll a list. Now a lot of them ask ChatGPT or Google's AI, and those tools only serve up two or three names, not ten links. If you're not on that short list, you never get considered.

So your site can't just be pretty for humans anymore. It has to be clear and easy for AI to read too. Your Google Business Profile and fresh reviews matter more than ever, since that's what AI pulls from to decide who to recommend. Families also expect a bit more upfront, like starting prices and clear packages. And the basics still count: fast, mobile-friendly, easy to navigate.

Bottom line: it's not enough to just have a website. You need a website that AI can find, read, and trust, or families won't see you at all.

Do you have a growth vision & want a website that can support your growth? WordPress is always my top choice for doulas and midwives who want to use their websites as a business tool, not just an online brochure.

For those of you wanting to build your own site, I would recommend Squarespace as the optimal platform to launch your practice online. Keep in mind that I often hear from doulas a few years later who feel they are 'bumping into the edges' of what the Squarespace template can do for them, and then switch over to WordPress.

While many new doulas and midwives choose Wix as their platform, I find it is very difficult to make their DIY site look as good as the template did, and the mobile & SEO functionality are not optimal. I would strongly lean towards Squarespace if you want to build your own site.

Usually you can fix what you've got. Most doula sites just need a cleanup, not a teardown: clearer pages, updated copy, and a little SEO help so families and AI can find you. A full rebuild is only needed when a site is hopelessly outdated or you have a completely new range of services and branding colors. 

Instead of guessing, my Overdue Website Audit gives you in-depth feedback with a clear checklist of recommended updates to make sure your site can show up in search & AI, and attract great clients. 

The answer to that depends on your time, confidence and budget. Plenty of doulas are able to build their own websites that look good, but they're often missing the strategies needed to show up in search and convert site visitors into clients. Having a skilled web designer build the site for you ensures you have a website that can grow your business.

Including your pricing matters more than you might think. Families are comparing their options, and it is frustrating when they can't find any sense of what you cost.

You don't have to post a full price list. Even a starting price or a "packages begin at" range helps. It builds trust and saves you from fielding inquiries that were never going to book. Including information on insurance coverage and/or fertility insurance options such as Carrot is also key.

Plus, AI search results often prioritize websites with pricing information included on them.

Not a novel a week, no. But a few well-written posts that answer the real questions families ask ("what does a [your location] postpartum doula actually do," "hiring a birth doula vs midwife in [your location]") will do a lot of quiet, long-term work helping you show up in local search. Quality beats quantity when it comes to your blog.

First off, congratulations on building your reputation and strong referral base that have allowed for this growth. Yes, I have guided many doulas through the transition from solo practice to an agency model offering birth, postpartum and overnight newborn care, along with nanny agencies.

Excellent! The world needs more great midwives. If you have an existing website for your birth or postpartum doula practice, you do not need to start over from scratch. We can easily transition the site to your midwifery services, and even promote your start date for client availability in advance of your launch as a midwife.