Physio, psychology, GP and allied health
Allied health website design for Australian clinics, built around Ahpra rules
A clinic website that fills your Cliniko, Halaxy, Zanda or Nookal diary, without the testimonials, 'specialist' titles or tracking pixels that can lead to an Ahpra (AHPRA) complaint or a privacy breach.
From A$900excl. GSTSee pricing →
- Free written Ahpra and privacy check
- Cliniko, Halaxy, Zanda or Nookal booking
- s133 guard rails, privacy-safe forms
- Fixed AUD quote; domain and code yours
- ★ 4.9 on Google (76 reviews)
- 200+ projects since 2017
- Top Rated on Upwork
Founder-led delivery
Overview
We check every page against section 133 of the National Law before launch and flag anything you need to approve. Fixed written AUD quote: WordPress from A$900, custom design from A$1,200, excl. GST. Founder-led team in India, 4.9 stars from 76 Google reviews, working your evenings on WhatsApp.
By Ashish Sharma, founder · Updated 6 October 2026
Quick answer
Do allied health websites need to be AHPRA compliant?
Only if your profession is one of the 16 that Ahpra regulates, including physiotherapy, psychology, OT, podiatry, chiropractic, osteopathy, optometry, medical and dental; then section 133 of the National Law covers your website. It bans misleading claims, testimonials, offers without terms and promises of results, with fines up to $60,000 per offence ($120,000 for a company). Ahpra doesn't approve websites; the clinic is responsible. Speech pathology, dietetics and exercise physiology are self-regulated, so the Australian Consumer Law applies instead.
- 16 Ahpra professions; others are self-regulated
- No clinical testimonials, so no review widgets
- 'Specialist' only with specialist registration
- Offers need terms and conditions on the page
- The Privacy Act applies under $3m turnover too
- General information, not legal advice
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What makes a good allied health or medical clinic website
Allied health website design means building a clinic website for registered or self-regulated health professions so that it books patients straight into the practice software and meets health advertising and privacy rules. A good one tells a patient quickly whether you can help, when they can be seen and what it costs. Jump to: rules by profession, s133 checklist, patient data, booking, prices, hours.
A Book Now button that opens the right diary
Above the fold on every page. Where your system allows it, a practitioner's profile opens that practitioner's booking page: Splose uses a separate booking page per location, service or practitioner, while Zanda's links can't pre-select one.
Practitioner profiles with registration-accurate titles
Profession, languages, interests, days at each location and a real photo of them, not a stock model. Nobody is a 'specialist' without specialist registration.
One page per service or condition, with no outcome claims
Patients search 'physio for sciatica' or 'ADHD assessment'. Say what the service is, who it suits and what happens first. Never promise the result.
Fees, funding, location and hours
Private health, Medicare chronic condition referrals, DVA, workers compensation, TAC or CTP and NDIS, written as billing facts, not an inducement. Then parking, step-free access, evening sessions and a booking link per location.
A privacy policy and collection notice
An APP 1 privacy policy in the footer and an APP 5 collection notice beside every form.
Pages that load fast on a phone
We target Largest Contentful Paint under 2.5 seconds on 4G, measured on staging with the booking embed in place.
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Ahpra or not: which advertising rules apply to your profession
Ahpra and 15 National Boards regulate 16 professions: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health practice, Chinese medicine, chiropractic, dental, medical, medical radiation practice, midwifery, nursing, occupational therapy, optometry, osteopathy, paramedicine, pharmacy, physiotherapy, podiatry and psychology. If yours is listed, section 133 covers your website and the social channels you control.
Speech pathology, dietetics, exercise physiology and counselling are self-regulated; Speech Pathology Australia states that speech pathologists don't have to register with Ahpra. 'AHPRA-compliant' is still often sold to these professions. For them the label doesn't apply; the Australian Consumer Law does.
Multidisciplinary clinic? Section 133 applies to anyone advertising a regulated health service, so if any service on the site is Ahpra-regulated, build the whole site to s133.
| Profession | Regulated by | Rules for your website | What changes on the site |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physiotherapy, psychology, occupational therapy, podiatry, chiropractic, osteopathy, optometry | Ahpra and the National Board | s133; Ahpra advertising guidelines (2020); Australian Consumer Law | No testimonials or review widgets; 'specialist' only if specialist-registered; offers show their terms |
| Medical (including GPs), dental, nursing, midwifery, pharmacy, Chinese medicine, paramedicine, medical radiation, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health | Ahpra and the National Board | Same | Same, plus a GP billing-policy page |
| Speech pathology | Speech Pathology Australia | Australian Consumer Law; SPA Code of Ethics | No s133 testimonial ban, but nothing may mislead |
| Dietetics | Dietitians Australia | Australian Consumer Law; association code | As for speech pathology |
| Exercise physiology | ESSA | Australian Consumer Law; ESSA code | As for speech pathology |
| Counselling and psychotherapy | PACFA or ACA | Australian Consumer Law; association code | As for speech pathology |
| Mixed clinic with any Ahpra profession | Mixed | s133 for the whole site | The strictest rule on every page |
General information, not legal advice. Check your board's guidance on Ahpra's Advertising hub, or the self-regulation pages of Dietitians Australia, ESSA and PACFA.
Unsure about your current site? Send your URL on WhatsApp and we reply with a written Ahpra-and-privacy website check.
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The five s133 rules, turned into website build decisions
Under Ahpra's Guidelines for advertising a regulated health service (in effect since 14 December 2020), the advertiser is whoever controls or authorises the content. On your own site that is the clinic, not the web designer, and Ahpra says it can't pre-approve advertising. Maximum penalties are $60,000 per offence for an individual and $120,000 for a body corporate, and Ahpra states these now apply in every state and territory, including Western Australia.
Reviews and testimonials: what is safe on your own site
Ahpra treats a testimonial as a statement about the clinical side of care: symptoms, diagnosis, treatment or outcome. Comments about customer service or communication style that don't mention clinical care aren't testimonials, its guidance says. You aren't responsible for reviews on platforms you don't control, such as Google, but you are for anything republished on your site. Widgets pull in every review, clinical ones included, so we link to your Google Business Profile instead.
What the September 2025 cosmetic guideline does and doesn’t change
Ahpra's guideline for higher-risk non-surgical cosmetic procedures took effect on 2 September 2025. Its examples include cosmetic injectables, dental veneers and thread lifts. It doesn't change the 2020 rules for most physio, psychology or allied health sites. If your clinic advertises higher-risk cosmetic procedures (for example, a GP or podiatry clinic offering injectables), the stricter 2025 guideline applies to those pages.
‘Specialist’ and other titles
Only specialist-registered practitioners can be called specialists. Ahpra accepts 'substantial experience in' or 'works primarily in' for everyone else, and our templates take titles from a fixed list matched to registration.
| s133 prohibition | Example that breaches on a clinic site | How we build it |
|---|---|---|
| False, misleading or deceptive | 'Sydney's best physio'; 'specialist' without specialist registration | No superlatives in templates; titles from registration |
| Gift or discount without terms and conditions | 'Free initial assessment' with no conditions | The offer component needs a terms field before it publishes |
| Testimonials | A Google review carousel; 'patient success stories' | No review widgets; a link to your Google Business Profile |
| Unreasonable expectation of benefit | 'Pain-free in 3 sessions'; results galleries | No outcome claims; before-and-after galleries off by default |
| Encouraging unnecessary use | 'Only 3 spots left'; 'book monthly check-ups' | No countdown timers or scarcity badges |
We flag; you approve as the advertiser. The same rules cover your social channels. Ask on WhatsApp to have this checklist run over your current site.
Have a project in mind?
Send a few lines on WhatsApp or get a fixed AUD quote.
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Patient information your website collects, and what the Privacy Act expects
The OAIC's Guide to health privacy treats health information as sensitive information under the Privacy Act 1988, and the OAIC says the Act covers health service providers even if they're small businesses, so the $3 million turnover exemption doesn't help a sole practitioner. The Notifiable Data Breaches (NDB) scheme applies too. Of 1,205 breach notifications to the OAIC in 2025, health service providers made 225 (19%), the most of any sector (OAIC, 6 July 2026).
Forms that don’t dump health details into email
Most contact-form plugins email each submission as plain text, so a message about a child's anxiety sits in a shared inbox, and a breach of that inbox is notifiable. We can store submissions encrypted, readable only by named staff, with an alert that carries no content. Clinical intake belongs in your booking system or a secure portal (APP 11).
Analytics and ad pixels without health data
Track booking_started and booking_completed, never the condition, and never put form details in a URL. On a psychology site even a page view is sensitive: a pixel firing on /anxiety-counselling tells an ad platform something about that visitor. We keep pixels off condition pages, or send events server-side with the page address removed.
APP 8 when vendors or support are offshore
Sending personal information overseas generally leaves you accountable for it under APP 8. We're in India, so we set up support so we don't need access to live patient data, and we state in writing if any access is needed. Staging sites use dummy data, and we confirm the hosting region in writing for your business before you sign.
State health-records Acts
Victoria (Health Records Act 2001), NSW (Health Records and Information Privacy Act 2002) and the ACT (Health Records (Privacy and Access) Act 1997) have their own laws, which can apply to private clinics too.
More free OAIC resources: Privacy action plan for your health practice and Data breach action plan for health service providers. General information, not legal advice.
05of 10
Connecting Cliniko, Halaxy, Zanda, Nookal, Splose and HotDoc to your website
Three ways to connect, and many clinics use more than one:
- Link-out: Book Now opens the booking system's own page. Simplest, never slows your pages, and patients can still book if your website has a problem.
- Pop-up or widget: the booking page opens over your site.
- Embedded page: the booking system sits inside a page, loaded only when a patient reaches it.
Where a platform has an API (Cliniko's public API, Splose's by request, Halaxy's paid API), we can sync the practitioner or availability data it exposes, checked against the vendor's documentation before we quote. Vendor guides: Cliniko, Halaxy, Zanda, Splose, Coreplus, HotDoc, HealthEngine.
| Platform | How it connects | How the vendor charges | Watch-out |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cliniko | Booking page link or embed code; public API | Per-practitioner tiers; shown to us from US$45 a month for one practitioner. Check AUD on Cliniko's page | Check how patient forms are sent in your account |
| Halaxy | Embedded online booking service; paid API | Core free; payments 1.5%–1.9% plus 75c–$1 (Silver, Bronze bands); credits A$0.15–A$0.22 incl. GST | The embed needs profile visibility switched on; payment fees grow with volume |
| Zanda (formerly Power Diary) | Client portal by Book Now button, link, QR code or iframe | Monthly plan; the Growth plan adds a fee per extra practitioner | Links can't pre-select a practitioner or service; update old Power Diary links |
| Nookal | Online bookings and digital intake forms | Per practitioner, per month; patient portal is a per-location add-on | Budget for the portal add-on if you want one |
| Splose | Shareable link or embed code for each booking page; API by request | Per practitioner, per month (AUD, ex GST); price change announced from 1 Nov 2026 | Only the account owner can request API access |
| Coreplus | Client portal embedded or linked, with a custom Book Now button | Check corepluspm.com | Set up the client portal first |
| HotDoc | GP and medical booking, set up with HotDoc | Ask the vendor | Syncs with Best Practice, MedicalDirector, Zedmed, Genie and Cliniko |
| HealthEngine | Web plugin installed by HealthEngine's team | Ask the vendor | Syncs with Best Practice, MedicalDirector Pracsoft, Zedmed, Cliniko and others |
06of 10
Physio, psychology, GP and multidisciplinary clinic websites: what changes
Physiotherapy clinic websites
Condition pages (low back pain, ACL rehab, running injuries) that explain assessment and treatment without promising outcomes; funded-patient pages for workers compensation, TAC or CTP, DVA and Medicare chronic condition referrals; booking links on every page; and exercise videos hosted without third-party tracking.
Psychology and counselling practices
Psychology sites carry the highest privacy risk: no pixels on condition pages, a waitlist form that never asks about symptoms, and a plain-English Medicare Better Access page.
OT, podiatry, chiropractic and osteopathy
The same s133 rules as physio. Older sites can carry claims like 'cures' or 'corrects posture for good', so we review every page before migrating it. If you see NDIS participants, give them a page on plan types and how to book.
GP and medical clinic websites
What software do GP practices use? Commonly a clinical system such as Best Practice or MedicalDirector, with HotDoc or HealthEngine handling online booking and syncing to it; the website never touches the clinical system. Add a billing-policy page (bulk-billed, private or mixed), an after-hours page that says to call 000 in an emergency, and profiles with 'substantial experience in skin checks', not 'skin cancer specialist'.
Self-regulated professions: speech pathology, dietetics and exercise physiology
The National Law doesn't ban your testimonials, but the Australian Consumer Law still bans misleading claims: 'stutter gone in six weeks' is a problem. Share a site with a physio and s133 covers every page.
07of 10
Beyond a brochure site: secure intake forms, patient portals and apps
Zanda and Coreplus include client portals, and Nookal lists a patient portal as a paid add-on. A vendor portal follows the vendor's own steps, so you can't add a question flow it doesn't support; Zanda, for example, says its links can't choose the service for the patient. Where the built-in option falls short, we build:
Pre-appointment intake and consent
If your booking system's intake forms cover you, use them: they cost less. For conditional questions, multi-step consent or guardian signatures, we build secure intake that writes to the practice software through its API where one exists.
Document and referral upload
Referrals, imaging reports and NDIS plans uploaded through an encrypted form and passed to the patient file, never emailed.
Multi-clinic content management
One profile shown at every location a practitioner works, hours and booking links per location, and editing roles per practice manager.
A patient app or deeper integration
An app for exercise programs, classes or memberships (mobile app development), or profiles and availability synced from Cliniko, Halaxy or Splose where their APIs allow it (custom software development).
See a clinic admin workflow we’ve built
Our clinic management software demo shows appointment booking, practitioner schedules, patient records and multi-branch set-up. It was built for another market, so its billing, tax and prescription screens aren't Australian; Medicare and HICAPS claiming, eScripts, Australian tax settings and PMS sync would be custom work, confirmed in writing before you sign. Demo access is sent on request.
Have a project in mind?
Send a few lines on WhatsApp or get a fixed AUD quote.
08of 10
Accessibility, speed and local search for clinic websites
WCAG 2.2 AA and the Disability Discrimination Act 1992
WCAG 2.2 became a W3C Recommendation on 5 October 2023, adding nine success criteria to 2.1, the version many clinic guides still cite. We target 2.2 AA, with the Disability Discrimination Act as the legal background, and the same target applies if you serve NDIS participants. In the booking flow that means visible labels, a clear focus outline, strong contrast on Book Now and generous tap targets.
Core Web Vitals on a coded build vs page builders
A coded Next.js site ships only the code each page needs; many page-builder themes load scripts a page never uses. We quote no unmeasured scores: Core Web Vitals are tested on staging.
Schema for clinic sites
MedicalClinic or another LocalBusiness type per location, Physician for GPs, and FAQPage only for genuine questions. Schema helps search engines read a page; it doesn't guarantee a rich result.
How a physio clinic gets found on Google
Mostly through local search:
- A Google Business Profile with the right primary category, one per real location.
- A suburb page only where you genuinely practise.
- The same clinic name, address and phone on the site, the profile and directories.
- Service pages in the words patients type, such as 'physio for knee pain'.
Our digital marketing and SEO guide for Australia covers the rest.
09of 10
What an allied health website costs in Australia, line by line
This covers clinic websites only. For a rough figure on any other kind of site, try the website cost calculator.
| Option | Price | Typical timeline | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| DIY builder (Wix, Squarespace) | $0 upfront + $276–$552 a year | Self-paced | Webstallion |
| Freelancer | $800–$2,500 + $15–$25 a month hosting | Not published | Webstallion |
| Niche allied health studio (Practice Lab) | From $2,300, $3,400 or $4,800 | 4–6 weeks | Practice Lab |
| Niche studio (Webstallion tiers) | $999–$4,990 | 2–4 weeks | Webstallion |
| Specialist agency | $5,000–$20,000+ | Not published | Webstallion |
| Codingclave WordPress website | A$900–A$4,300 excl. GST | 1–2 weeks after content approval | Our price list |
| Codingclave custom-design website | A$1,200–A$6,900 excl. GST | 1–3 weeks after content approval | Our price list |
| Codingclave portal or secure intake | A$6,900–A$51,000 excl. GST | 6–12 weeks | Our price list |
Our build times start once your content is approved; the content and s133 review before that is usually the slowest part. A clinic site means bills from different people:
- Build: Codingclave, one-off.
- Hosting and support: Codingclave, A$80–A$240 a month excl. GST, optional.
- .com.au domain: your registrar, in your clinic's name.
- Booking system and SMS: your practice software vendor. For Cliniko's cost in Australia, see its pricing page.
- Card payments: your vendor or processor; Halaxy lists 1.5%–1.9% plus 75c–$1 a transaction.
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Working with a founder-led team in India: hours, ownership and how to check any designer
Codingclave Development LLP is a founder-led team in Lucknow, India, started by Ashish Sharma in 2017. We have no office, staff, ABN or case studies in Australia. Judge us on 200+ projects delivered, 4.9 stars from 76 Google reviews, Top Rated status on Upwork and our work, or read how we work with Australian businesses.
Hours against your clinic day
We work Monday to Saturday, 10:00–19:00 IST. Until 4 April 2027 that is 3:30pm–12:30am in Sydney and Melbourne (AEDT), 3:00pm–12:00am in Adelaide, 2:30pm–11:30pm in Brisbane and 12:30pm–9:30pm in Perth: 1.5 hours of overlap with a 9–5 day in Sydney, 4.5 in Perth. For clinics the useful time is after close: a 6pm review call, changes that evening, progress by morning. City detail: Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Gold Coast.
What if something breaks in the morning?
With link-out booking, Book Now opens your vendor's own page, so patients can still book if your website has a problem. Support plans include monitoring, and fixes start when our day begins: 3:30pm Sydney time (12:30pm Perth), Monday to Saturday.
You own the domain, code and content
A .com.au needs an Australian presence such as your ABN, so the domain is registered in your clinic's name. The code repository and admin accounts are in your clinic's name too, so your team holds the passwords. Another developer can take over from what you already own.
Payment and proof
A fixed written AUD quote, with the payment schedule set out before work starts. Prefer a protected contract? Hire us through Upwork, where we're Top Rated and Upwork holds each milestone's funds until you release them. Read our reviews or check our Google profile first.
Questions to ask any allied health web designer
Ask every studio, us included, for written answers:
- Is my profession Ahpra-regulated or self-regulated?
- Link-out, pop-up, embed or API for my booking system?
- Who owns the domain, code and content?
- Where are form submissions stored, and who reads them?
- Which fields leave my site in analytics or ad tracking?
- How many revision rounds are included, and is copywriting extra?
- How long are bugs fixed free after launch?
When another studio is the better choice
If you want photography in your rooms, an in-person strategist or a full marketing retainer, an agency in your own city suits you better.
Pricing in AUD
Codingclave prices for clinic websites and portals (AUD)
Every quote is fixed and in writing before work starts. Build times on these cards start once your content is approved.
WordPress website
A$900 – A$4,300
Excl. GSTWordPress website · Typical timeline: 1–2 weeks
A client-editable WordPress clinic site with booking links or one booking embed, every page checked for wording that could breach Ahpra's advertising rules, and a privacy-safe enquiry form.
Get a quote for this plan
Business website (custom design, Next.js or WordPress)
A custom-designed site, coded in Next.js or built on WordPress, with practitioner and location booking links where your system supports them, a WCAG 2.2 AA target and privacy-safe analytics.
Clinic / allied health software
A secure patient portal, or intake, consent and upload flows, with practice-software API integration where available.
Hosting, backups, monitoring and support
Hosting, backups, updates, monitoring, content changes and booking-link maintenance.
- Fixed price in AUD
- Free scoping call
- No obligation
Your quote lists revision rounds and copywriting as named lines, so neither is added later. Copy you supply is reviewed for s133 issues before launch. Booking-system and SMS fees are billed by your vendor, never through us.
Prices are in Australian dollars and do not include GST: Codingclave is an overseas (India-based) supplier and is not registered for Australian GST. If your business is GST-registered, check with your accountant whether the reverse-charge rules apply to imported services.
Fixed AUD quote
Get a free Ahpra and privacy check, or a fixed AUD quote
Send your URL on WhatsApp for a written list of the Ahpra, privacy and booking issues we can see, yours to keep whether or not you hire us. A fixed AUD quote follows if you want a rebuild.
Ashish Sharma
Founder, Codingclave
Ashish or the team will reply on WhatsApp or email within one business day.
- ★ 4.9 on Google (76 reviews)
- 200+ projects since 2017
- Top Rated on Upwork
- Founder-led delivery
Prefer WhatsApp?
WhatsApp AshishFree written website check
Send your URL on WhatsApp. You get a written list of what we can see on your public pages: review widgets or testimonials, titles needing specialist registration, offers without terms, outcome claims, pixels on condition pages, and how Book Now connects. Yours to keep, whether or not you hire us. General information, not legal advice.
Scope call and fixed AUD quote
A video call, after clinic hours if you like, about your profession, booking system, practitioners and locations. The quote and payment schedule follow in writing.
Content and compliance pass
We flag copy that could breach s133, and you approve it as the advertiser. This isn't legal advice.
Design and build on staging
A private staging site with dummy patient data and your booking system connected.
Privacy, tracking and accessibility tests, then launch
We check what every form and event sends, test booking by keyboard and screen reader, and measure Core Web Vitals.
Handover, training and support
Domain, code repository and admin accounts in your clinic's name, training for whoever edits the site, and optional support.
FAQ
Questions Australians ask us
Can’t see yours? Ask Ashish directly — you’ll get a straight answer, not a sales script.
Ask Ashish directly
Are speech pathologists and dietitians regulated by Ahpra?
Can I show Google reviews or patient testimonials on my clinic website?
Does the Privacy Act apply to small allied health clinics?
What booking system should I integrate with my clinic website?
What should a physiotherapy website include?
How much does an allied health website cost in Australia?
Do you write the website content for clinics?
What happens after my clinic website launches?
Ashish Sharma · Founder
Get a free written Ahpra and privacy check of your clinic site
Send your URL on WhatsApp for a written list of the Ahpra, privacy and booking issues we can see, yours to keep whether or not you hire us. A fixed AUD quote follows if you want a rebuild.
- WhatsApp us or fill in the form
- Free scoping call
- Fixed AUD quote, no obligation
- ★ 4.9 on Google (76 reviews)
- 200+ projects since 2017
- Top Rated on Upwork
- Founder-led delivery
Keep exploring
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Custom software and patient portals
- Service
Patient and clinic apps
- Guide
Digital marketing and SEO in Australia (2026)
- Australia
Working with a development team in India
- City
Our hours and process for Melbourne clients
- City
Our hours and process for Brisbane clients
- Live demo
Clinic management software demo (opens in a new tab)
- Reviews
Client reviews
- Page
Website cost calculator
Ashish Sharma
Founder, Codingclave · Updated 6 October 2026
Ashish founded Codingclave in Lucknow, India, in 2017 and still leads delivery on every project.
Sources (12)· public sources cited on this page
- Ahpra – Guidelines for advertising a regulated health service
- Ahpra – Advertising and the law (maximum penalties)
- Ahpra – Testimonials: understand the requirements
- Ahpra – New cosmetic procedure guidelines (3 June 2025)
- Ahpra – What we do (the 16 regulated professions)
- Speech Pathology Australia – Speech pathology is a self-regulated profession (FAQs, March 2025)
- OAIC – Guide to health privacy
- OAIC – What is a health service provider?
- OAIC – Data breach notifications increase to all-time high in 2025 (6 July 2026)
- Halaxy – Pricing
- Practice Lab – Allied health practice website design
- Webstallion – Allied health website design in Australia