How To Design a Website for Your Private Practice

Updated: August 2026

How many times have you Googled “how to design a website?” Maybe you’ve spent weekends glued to your laptop, trying to decode what SEO means or how to purchase a domain name.

With so many options and opinions out there, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed trying to figure out the “right” way to design your website: which platforms to use, what tools are worth it, and how much you actually need to spend to get something that looks good and works.

Designing a website can feel like A LOT, especially when you are already running a business and taking care of your clients. That’s exactly why I started Liv’s Creative Studio: to simplify the process for clinicians who want to grow their impact online without the tech headaches.

Quick Answer: What Do You Need to Build a Website?

To build a website that connects and converts, you need five things: reliable hosting (I recommend Hostinger), a domain name (best purchased through your hosting platform), a website builder that fits your budget, tech comfort, and growth plans (Squarespace or WordPress), automatic backups, and analytics tracking through Google Analytics and Search Console.

Here’s exactly what I use when designing websites for my clients, and why.

What Hosting Platform Should I Use for My Website?

(This section applies if you’re building on WordPress – Squarespace includes hosting automatically as part of your plan.)

There’s no single “best” hosting platform… but for speed, service, and price in 2026, I recommend Hostinger over budget options like Bluehost. Your hosting platform is where all your website’s files are stored, essentially like renting office space for your online business.

A few things to know:

• There are plenty of solid options (Bluehost, SiteGround, Hostinger, and others), and no one platform is objectively “the best.”
• Bluehost was my go-to for my first five years of website building. It’s inexpensive, and I never ran into speed or service issues.
• I recently switched to Hostinger because I believe it offers better speed and service in 2026, at comparable pricing to Bluehost.

Where Should I Buy My Domain Name?

Buy your domain name through your hosting platform, not a separate provider. Your domain is your website’s unique address (for example, www.yourbusinessname.com), and keeping it bundled with your hosting keeps your accounts simple and streamlined.

A few things to know:

• It’s usually free for the first year when purchased through your host.
• After the first year, expect to renew for $10–$20/year.
• You can purchase a domain through Google Workspace, but that adds another account to manage. Since you can easily connect your domain to Google Workspace later, it’s simpler to purchase it through your hosting platform first.

Squarespace or WordPress: Which Website Builder Is Right for Your Practice?

The right builder depends on your budget, how much control you want, and how big you plan to grow – not on which platform is “better.” Squarespace is simpler and more affordable to start with; WordPress takes a bit more of a learning curve but gives you more control and tends to scale better for practices that blog often or plan to grow past 20 pages.

I wrote a whole blog on how to decide which platform works for your business: Squarespace vs WordPress.

Once you’ve chosen your builder, here’s what comes next for each:

WordPress: You’ll need to choose a theme and page builder for drag-and-drop design (no coding required), plus separate hosting and backups, covered next.

Squarespace: Hosting, backups, and page design are all built in; you can skip down to the Analytics section below.

Which WordPress Page Builder Should I Use?

(Building on Squarespace? Page design is already built in, skip ahead to Backups or Analytics below.)

For most private practice owners on WordPress, Kadence is the best WordPress page builder. It’s lightweight, modern, and the free version includes everything you need for a beautiful, strategic website.

Here’s how the top options compare:

• Kadence (my favorite): Lightweight, modern, and scalable. The free version has everything you need to build a beautiful, strategic site.
• Beaver Builder or Elementor: Great for beginners, with intuitive drag-and-drop features. Both work best paired with a theme like Astra or GeneratePress. Elementor offers more free design features, and both can slow down large websites slightly.

If you’re brand new to WordPress, Elementor or Beaver Builder can be a great stepping stone. If you want a site built to scale with your practice long-term, Kadence tends to be the more scalable choice.

Do I Need Website Backups?

(This section applies if you’re building on WordPress, Squarespace includes automatic backups as part of your plan.)

Yes… automatic backups are non-negotiable. Without them, a site crash or glitch can undo hours of work in seconds (I’ve been there 🫠).

A few things to know:

• Hostinger’s business plan includes daily and on-demand backups built in.
• Bluehost requires you to pay for an extra service to keep your site backed up.
• This is one of the main reasons I made the switch to Hostinger.

What Analytics Should I Track on My Website?

Track your website with Google Analytics and Google Search Console: both are free and they give you everything you need to grow strategically instead of guessing what’s working.

• Google Analytics: Shows how many people visit your site, where they come from, and what they click on.
• Google Search Console: Shows how your site appears on Google and helps it get indexed faster.

FAQ: Building a Website for Your Private Practice