Case Study: E-Therapy - Bespoke CMS Development, SEO, UX

The Challenge

When Etherapy approached us, the idea was simple. Make professional therapy more accessible. People were already living increasingly busy lives. Long commutes. Long working hours. Family commitments. Then throw stress, anxiety, and depression into the mix, and finding time to seek support becomes another challenge altogether.

Etherapy wanted to remove some of those barriers.

The goal wasn’t just to build another health website. They needed a platform where people could find the right therapist, book sessions, and receive support from somewhere they felt comfortable, whether that was their sofa, home office, or kitchen table.

But there was another side to the challenge.

Therapists needed a platform that worked for them too. Managing profiles, availability, bookings, and client enquiries all had to feel straightforward. If the platform became difficult to use, adoption would suffer quickly. So we weren’t designing a simple brochure website.

We were creating a digital service that needed to work for two very different audiences at the same time.

Our Process

The first step was understanding how both groups would use the platform. People searching for therapy often arrive with a specific need. They’re looking for help, reassurance, or guidance. The last thing they need is a complicated website that makes finding support harder than it already is.

We mapped out the journey from the very beginning.

• How users discover therapists
• How they compare different specialists
• What information helps them make a decision
• How they book a session
• How therapists manage their own availability

There were lots of moving parts. The platform needed to feel calm and intuitive, even though quite a bit was happening behind the scenes.

UX and Design Research

Mental health is personal. That shaped almost every design decision we made. Many healthcare websites feel clinical. Others try too hard to feel friendly and end up losing credibility. Etherapy needed to sit somewhere in the middle. Professional. Reassuring. Human.

We focused on creating an experience that felt approachable from the moment someone landed on the site. Clear navigation, simple language, and an uncluttered layout helped users find the support they were looking for without feeling overwhelmed.

We also paid close attention to mobile users. Many visitors would be researching therapists during lunch breaks, on public transport, or in the evenings on their phones. The experience needed to feel just as natural on a small screen as it did on a desktop. As a website design agency in London, we often find that removing friction is more valuable than adding features. This project was no exception.

Custom CMS & Platform Development

This project required much more than a standard WordPress build. We developed a bespoke content management system tailored specifically to Etherapy’s business model. Users can create personal accounts and search through a directory of therapists covering a wide range of counselling and therapeutic services.

Each therapist has their own profile containing key information, experience, specialisms, and availability. Visitors can view therapist calendars and book sessions directly through the platform. The system includes:

• User registration and profile management
• Therapist profile creation
• Calendar and booking functionality
• Session management
• Responsive mobile experience
• Content management tools
• Custom blog and news functionality

While the front-end experience feels simple, there’s a significant amount of custom functionality working behind the scenes to keep everything running smoothly.