Websites for care and wellbeing: accessibility and clarity

Why this matters

Care and wellbeing services - therapy, counselling, health, support - attract people who may be stressed, in pain, or struggling. Your website should make it easy to find help and get in touch, not add to the burden.

That means accessibility, clarity, and calm design first.

1) Clear contact and referral routes

People need to know how to get help or refer someone. If contact and referral routes are hard to find, you lose people when they need you most.

What to include

• Obvious "Contact" or "Get in touch": Same place on every page. In the header, not buried in the footer.
• Referral route: If you accept referrals (self-referral, professional referral), make it clear and easy to find.
• Phone number: If you take calls, make it visible and tap-to-call on mobile.
• Enquiry form: Short. Name, email, brief message. Optional: "How did you hear about us?" Do not ask for more than you need upfront.
• What happens next: "We'll respond within 24 hours" or "You'll hear from us within 2 working days". Sets expectations and reduces anxiety.

What to avoid

• Burying contact behind multiple clicks or vague labels.
• Long forms with too many required fields.
• No indication of when people will hear back.

2) Accessibility and readability

Care and wellbeing audiences often include people with disabilities, older users, or people under stress. Accessible, readable content is not optional [1]Source 1 .

What to include

• Readable text: Clear font, good contrast, sensible font size. No tiny grey text.
• Simple language: Short sentences. Plain words. Avoid jargon unless you explain it.
• Clear structure: Headings (H2, H3) so people can scan and navigate. See what accessibility means.
• Forms that work: Clear labels, helpful error messages [2]Source 2 [4]Source 4 . Test with keyboard and screen reader.
• No content walls: Do not hide key info behind complex navigation or long paragraphs.

What to avoid

• Low contrast or small text.
• Dense blocks of text with no headings.
• Forms with unclear labels or generic error messages ("Invalid input").
• Heavy animations or autoplay that distract or cause discomfort.

3) Calm, clear design

Care and wellbeing sites should feel calm and supportive, not overwhelming.

• Plenty of space: Not cramped. Room to breathe between sections.
• Consistent layout: Same navigation, same contact option. Predictable.
• One clear path: "What we offer → Who it's for → How to get in touch". Do not offer too many competing options on one page.
• Soothing colours (if appropriate): Not garish. Readable. Accessible contrast.

4) Fast, reliable pages

Slow pages frustrate everyone. For people on older devices or poor connections, slow sites can block access entirely.

• Fast load times: Under 3 seconds. See fast websites: what fast means.
• Light scripts: Avoid heavy tracking or chat widgets that slow the page. See third-party scripts and when to say no.
• Forms that work: Reliable submission. Confirmation message. No silent failures. See email deliverability and form submissions.

5) Content that answers real questions

People visiting care and wellbeing sites often have specific questions: What do you offer? Who is it for? How do I start? Is it confidential?

• FAQs: Common questions answered clearly. Confidentiality, cost, duration, what to expect.
• Service pages: What you offer, who it's for, how it works. Plain language.
• About / who we are: Builds trust. Who runs the service, credentials, approach.
• No walls of text: Break content into sections. Use headings. Keep paragraphs short.

Summary

Care and wellbeing sites that work have: obvious contact and referral routes, accessible and readable content with clear structure, calm design with one clear path, fast reliable pages and forms, and content that answers real questions (FAQs, services, about).

If you need a site that does this properly, see websites for care and wellbeing or website build services. For accessibility, see accessibility services and what an accessibility audit includes. You can also get in touch to discuss your project.