A contact page is usually written once, when the site goes up, and then left alone. It still does a lot of work. People land there when they are nearly ready, and not quite sure how to start.
For a massage therapist, an acupuncturist or a physio, the question is simple: what should someone do on this page. Fill in a form, send a message, or book. Many pages offer all three with equal weight, plus a map, and leave the visitor to choose.
Lead with one
Pick the route that suits most of your new clients, put it first, and make the others smaller.
Booking link first works when a first visit is fairly standard. A 60-minute massage, an initial physio assessment. The person already knows what they want, and asking them to write in first adds a day.
A short form first suits work where you need to check something before you book. Acupuncture for a specific condition, a pregnancy massage, physio after surgery. The form is a polite way of saying: tell us a little, and we will suggest the right appointment.
A message first, by text or a chat app, suits practitioners who work alone and answer from their phone between clients. It feels personal. It also means every enquiry lands next to the family group chat, so be honest about when you will reply.
The short form
If you use a form, keep it to what you need to reply well. For most practices that is:
name;
email or phone, and which they prefer;
what they would like help with, in their own words;
days or times that suit.
Leave out date of birth, home address and medical history. Those belong in the intake form, sent once they have booked. Asking for them now feels like paperwork before a conversation, and some people will close the tab.
A sample answer in the message box helps more than a long label. Something like: "Lower back pain for a few weeks, mostly after sitting. Free most weekday mornings."
Say when you reply
One line under the form or the phone number does more than most design changes: "We reply within one working day, usually sooner." Or, for someone who works alone: "I'm with clients most of the day and reply each evening."
Then keep to it. Someone with a sore neck on a Monday has often booked elsewhere by Wednesday.
What else belongs on the page
The address, with a line on finding the door. "Second floor, buzzer 4, lift at the back of the lobby."
Opening hours, written the way a person reads them.
Whether you see people at home, if you do.
A booking button, even if the form leads. Some visitors already know what they want.
Leave off the "Get in touch, we'd love to hear from you" headline. "Book, or ask a question first" says the same thing and tells them what to do.
Answer the enquiry like an appointment
Whichever route leads, the reply decides most of it. A short, specific answer with a suggested time works better than a list of everything you offer.
A form reply might read:
"Thanks, Anna. That sounds like something we see often. An initial 60-minute appointment would be the place to start. Thursday at 10:00 or Friday at 14:30 are free. Here is the link to book either."
A message reply can be shorter still:
"Hi Sam, yes, we can help with that. Tuesday at 18:00 is open. Shall I hold it for you?"
Both end with a time rather than "let me know what suits". One less round of messages.
A two-minute test
Open your contact page on your phone. Send yourself an enquiry through it, the way a new client would. Count the taps, check that a confirmation appears, and check that the message arrives somewhere you will actually see it.
Forms that quietly send to an old email address do happen. Better found by you than by a client who never hears back.
The contact page is one stop on the way to a booking. Our ten-minute website check for wellness practitioners covers the rest of the route.
If you'd rather we looked
Our free website check comes back with three specific fixes within two business days. If the contact page is one of them, the Site Tune-Up ($350) sorts it on your own site.
