Your homepage is often the first (and sometimes only) page a potential client will visit before deciding whether to reach out. In the world of end-of-life care, your site isn’t just selling a service — it’s offering comfort, clarity, and trust at an emotional and vulnerable moment.

So, what exactly should you make sure to include on your homepage to be sure it is both inviting and effective? Here are my top five must-haves.

1. A clear, compassionate introduction of who you are, what you do, and who you help as an end of life doula.

When someone lands on your site, they should immediately understand who you are, where you are, what you do, and who you help. This isn’t the place for vague statements or industry jargon. Instead, speak directly to your visitors in a warm, human tone.

Example: “As an end-of-life doula in Chattanooga, TN, I support individuals and families through the final stages of life with compassion, practical guidance, and presence.”

Within the first few seconds, your site visitor should feel like they’ve found someone who understands what they’re going through. Avoid burying this in a long narrative paragraph all about your calling to the work, your background and training and every one of your services….  Including where you are goes a long way to showing up in search.

Keep it short, heartfelt, and easy to read.

2. Share an overview of your end of life doula services (NOT ALL THE DETAILS!)

A homepage isn’t where you list all the details about every single service or package you offer end of life care — that belongs on your Services page. 

Here, your goal is to give visitors a quick snapshot of how you can help. You want them to be able to scan and get an instant sense of how you can make a difference in their lives.

On your home page, you can include 3–5 short blurbs that cover your main offerings, like:

• Vigil Support – Presence and comfort during the final days and hours.
• Advance Care Planning – Help with paperwork, wishes, and conversations.
• Family Support – Guidance for loved ones during illness, death, and after.

Each blurb should link to the full Services page for more details. This way, someone scanning your homepage gets a sense of the scope of your work without feeling overwhelmed.

NOTE: At the start of your end of life business, it’s fine to just have a single services page. Down the road as you grow, however, I do recommend expanding your site to include individual pages for each of your core services. This will help you to show up in searches for specialized terms such as legacy projects and vigil support.

3. A warm, inviting photo (yes, of you!)

In end-of-life work, trust is everything — and trust starts with connection. People want to see the human being they’ll be inviting into such a personal and emotional space. That means at least one authentic, friendly photo of you belongs on your homepage.

This doesn’t have to be a stiff “professional” headshot. In fact, photos that show you in a natural, approachable setting often work better. Think soft lighting and eye contact. 

Do NOT take a family photo and crop everyone else out of it, or reuse your professional photo from back when you were a lawyer, or take a quick selfie sitting on the couch.

A good quality image here makes a HUGE difference in terms of relationship and trust building. Grab a friend with a good phone camera or DSLR camera and take 50 photos of you until you get one that feels good! And yes — smile. You can be both professional and compassionate at the same time.

If you have any images of you in conversation with a client, or even a friend or family member posing as a client (with consent, of course), that is even better.

4. A clear call to action (CTA)

The biggest mistake I see on doula homepages? No clear next step. If someone connects with your words and feels ready to learn more, you need to make it very obvious what they should do next.

You should have at least one if not several call to action buttons on your home page – and the first one needs to be visible at the very top of your site before people have to scroll. Make it a button, not just a link, so it stands out visually.

Examples of strong CTAs:

• “Schedule a Consultation”
• “Book a Free 20-Minute Call”
• “Send Me a Message”

5. Build trust & connection with site visitors

Your homepage isn’t just about services — it’s about connection. End-of-life care is deeply personal, and families want to know the person they’ll be working with. A short About Me section on the homepage builds that bridge.

Keep it brief here — just a few sentences about why you do this work, your approach, your training and experience, and maybe a personal detail or two that humanizes you.

This personal touch can be the deciding factor for someone choosing between you and another doula.

Including a few short testimonials from past clients will instantly build trust with your site visitors.

Bonus Tips for an Effective Homepage

While the five items above are non-negotiables, a few extra touches can make your homepage even more effective:

Soft, Calming Visuals: Use colors, fonts, and images that match the tone of your work — avoid anything too harsh or clinical.

Simple Navigation: Don’t make people hunt for your Services, About, or Contact pages.

Readable Design: Keep paragraphs short, use headings, and make sure your text is easy to read on both desktop and mobile.

Final Thoughts

Your homepage is your way to meet clients where they are — at 2am, wondering how on earth they will manage with all the stress and overwhelm of their situation, searching online for a solution. 

It’s the place where first impressions are made and where someone decides if they feel safe enough to take the next step with you. 

By focusing on a clear introduction, a snapshot of your services, a warm photo, a clear call to action, and a brief about section with testimonials, you’re giving visitors exactly what they need to feel confident reaching out.

If you’re wondering whether your current end of life doula website’s homepage checks all these boxes, take a few minutes to review it with fresh eyes — or ask a trusted friend to give honest feedback. Sometimes a few small changes are all it takes to make your site not just beautiful, but truly effective.

Interested in learning more about your options for an effective website? My end of life doula website templates are designed especially for your needs. Clear, easy to navigate, and warm, you can be assured you have an affordable website that can instantly build trust and connection with the people who need your care. You can explore website templates and pricing packages here. Save $50 with your LifeSpan coupon: LIFESPAN!

Sarah Juliusson is the founder of TheWebsiteDoula.com and DeathDoulaWebsites.com and one of the most trusted names in web strategy for doulas and end-of-life professionals. Since 2011, she’s launched over 350 websites that don’t just look beautiful—they show up in search and turn visitors into clients. Sarah is known for her warm, patient approach and her gift for making tech feel human and approachable, guiding small business owners to feel genuinely confident in their online presence.

The post Your End-of-Life Doula Website: 5 Home Page Must-Haves appeared first on Lifespan Doulas.

Volunteer doulas and volunteer doula programs have fallen out of favor with an outspoken segment of the doula community who view them as devaluing the role of the doula. The word “demonization” comes to mind as the tone of the criticisms and pushback on social media has become increasingly polarizing. One doula Facebook group bans anyone from participation who even suggests that doulas volunteer or discount their services. It is forbidden.

I think there are a few different doula groups, motivations, and themes at play that I intend to explore in this three-part blog series. Here is a summary of the groups/viewpoints as I see them.

Professional doulas who charge fees for their services. The complaint from this group is that volunteer doulas undervalue the profession and compromise the professional’s ability to earn. They argue that volunteering or low-balling doula fees sets a cultural expectation that doulas aren’t worth much, adversely impacting other doulas’ ability to make a living. In other words, why would people pay for services they might procure for free?

Inexperienced doulas who lack the self-confidence to charge fees. This group prefers to gain experience through pro bono doula work before presenting themselves as professionals and launching their doula businesses. The counter viewpoint claims that doulas should charge top dollar out of the gate (immediately after doula training) because they are worth it.

Doulas who feel called to work they love. The claim from this group is that they love the work so much that they would do it for free. Therefore, it feels wrong to charge for their services. 

Doulas who believe that every family who wants one deserves a doula. Many doulas living in low-income communities have a strong desire to serve people who could benefit from services but are unable to pay. The flip side of this argument is that doulas provide a luxury service for which clients ought to pay market price.

Should doulas volunteer their services? Part 2

First, a disclaimer . . .

I was the founder/executive director of two nonprofit community-based volunteer doula programs in Michigan from 1998 through 2014. Both programs served a dual purpose:

1. Improve birth outcomes by providing free birth and postpartum doula support to low-income families during pregnancy, birth, and the early weeks postpartum; and
2. Provide a venue for newly trained doulas to gain firsthand experience with clients and complete professional certification requirements. As a doula trainer, I repeatedly witnessed the “fire in the belly” of student doulas at the close of a training weekend only to see the fire go out when, months later, many had failed to find an opportunity to put their new skills to use. Our Doulas Care Program provided that opportunity.

Thus, in the past, I have promoted the role of volunteer doulas. At the same time, I have always taught business skills to doulas and championed an entrepreneurial mindset for those who want to earn their living doing doula work. I don’t believe these two positions are fundamentally incompatible. Some doulas feel “a calling to serve” while also enjoying the personal freedom of not needing to generate an income from their work. Others simply can’t afford to take unpaid time away from family and other commitments while still needing to generate an income, but if someone else can and wants to, isn’t that a win/win? Isn’t there room for all of us?

Do volunteer doulas lower the value of the professional doula in the marketplace?

As a professional in the doula world for 40+ years, I have noticed I am most likely to complain about my competitors and get wrapped up in what others are doing when I am struggling, when I am worried that I don’t have enough (clients, money, etc.). Or when I’m feeling lost and unsure what my next move should be. In other words, when I am in scarcity mode. My husband used to say to me, “There’s always room at the top” (so true, as excellence is always in short supply). Also, “competition is moot.” The message was to stop worrying about what others are doing and focus on myself and my business, my clients, and the opportunities at hand. This shift in mindset is key to success.

Our challenge is to effectively articulate the services we offer and the value we bring to families as an ally for the challenges they are facing. When we concentrate on what others are doing—for example, seeking to blame those who volunteer their services for our own lack of success—we become hopelessly mired in scarcity. When we focus on our strengths, the value we bring, we move ourselves from scarcity to abundance. Henry Ford famously said, “One man thinks he can, and one man thinks he can’t. They’re both right.” In other words, my answer to the question “Do volunteer doulas lower the value of the professional doula in the marketplace?” is “Yes, but only if you believe it to be true.”

One of the great benefits of self-employment (and there are definitely a few drawbacks) is the freedom to choose your own gig, set your own rules and rate of pay, and work with whomever you choose. You get to decide if you want to offer “a luxury service” for people of means, set your fees at or below market rate, or simply volunteer. It’s really no one else’s business.

Getting Your “Sea Legs” as a Doula Volunteer

Many (most?) newly trained doulas desire mentoring. Ideally, they would like to be a “fly on the wall” for a handful of doula intake interviews, observe the doula in action, and perhaps debrief the experience after the fact before flying solo. While a volunteer program can raise funds to cover on-the-job mentoring, it is a rare doula or doula trainer who can regularly accommodate this need. The lack of hands-on mentoring opportunities for “newbie” doulas may reflect a reluctance on the part of seasoned doulas to introduce a stranger into what is, ultimately, the very private experience of her clients. So, in the doula world, the way it works is, we dive in the deep end after training, endeavor to do our best, and learn on the job. And it does work (for the most part)!

Some folks come to doula training with a great deal of professional experience in a related field. Some are already business owners. Others are young adults, with little professional exposure and limited life experience. I believe that volunteering services for a handful of clients after training is a reasonable way for doulas to address any qualms they may have around presenting themselves as professional caregivers. Volunteering is a way to dial down the pressure and performance anxiety. As doula volunteers move outside their comfort zone to engage the work, their clients affirm and appreciate their efforts. And sooner than you may imagine, the doulas feel ready to start charging fees for their services.

Doula Work as a Mission or Sacred Calling

There are still others who feel a strong calling to use their doula heart and skills to relieve suffering in their community, serving lower income families who could benefit from support but cannot afford it. These folks are not entrepreneurial in nature, nor do they aspire to be. They cannot imagine charging money for their services and feel a sense of joy and fulfillment in their work. I, for one, am grateful. When a busy professional doula must turn someone away for inability to pay for her time, isn’t it a comfort to know that there are others out there who are willing to step up to help?

Should doulas volunteer their services? Part 3

The notion that heart-centered work and making money are fundamentally incompatible is a false dichotomy. It is possible for doulas to do both—choose a path of service to others and thrive financially!

Let’s not . . .

• Promote the idea that one is forced to volunteer because families can’t afford our services.
• Convince ourselves that because we would do it for free, we should do it for free.
• Make excuses and blame others for our own lack of success in creating a doula business.

What if they can’t afford the doula’s fees?

There are many variations on this theme and not all of them stand up to examination. Following are some considerations.

“Can’t afford” is relative. People are weird about money. One person’s “can’t afford” might translate to assets are not liquid, or they don’t want to cut into their children’s inheritance, or they are cash poor because they just bought a new vehicle, while another person’s “can’t afford” means they are choosing between which overdue bill gets paid or how much they will have left to pay for gas and groceries. Clearly one scenario draws more sympathy than the other. However, my intention is not to minimize the real anxiety someone might experience about dipping into their savings to pay for the doula’s fee. We can acknowledge their anxiety is real without judgment and without feeling compelled to rescue. They will figure it out.

Require some skin in the game. Being a doula does not mean that we are all-giving all the time. It is better for both parties to expect and give something in return, to both appreciate and feel appreciated. You can get creative here and keep it simple so that it doesn’t add to their burden. I was often asked to waive childbirth class fees for expectant parents on Medicaid. My counteroffer included asking whether there was a portion of the fee they could cover, or suggesting they provide a snack and beverage for one of the group sessions. One couple was proud to bring popcorn, apple slices, and iced tea as their contribution. Not going to break the bank, but it was something, and they knew I was counting on them. An exchange of energy.

As a volunteer doula, you might ask that clients reimburse your out-of-pocket expenses, for example, gas, parking fees, childcare. Or you could share a “wish list” of doula supplies (with different price points) to which they might contribute, to help you on your doula journey. Or you could request that they give permission for photographs to be taken of you in action for your website along with a testimonial. These are just a few ideas.

Focus on what you are willing to do without compensation (if anything). In the face of dire need, doulas can easily become overwhelmed. I have faced, on more than occasion, a black hole of need threatening to suck me in. Doulas need to be careful in these situations or we will become burned out well before our time. Rather than focusing on the fact that I may not be positioned to take on the super needy, super under-resourced client, I have found it helpful to think carefully about what I can do. This positive reframing puts me on a track of setting strict boundaries, while identifying measured ways to help. Clients will follow our lead, especially if our messaging is consistent and our actions are congruent. If the arrangement is open-ended and unspecific, then the doula can expect to get sucked into doing more than she/he may find manageable.

Examples of “measured support” include:

• Offer to do a one-time consultation with the family to assess their needs, share resources, and begin to create a “circle of support.” Set an expectation regarding how long the consultation will last.
• Set up a Meal Train or similar online support calendar. Encourage them to identify a helper who can keep the calendar updated (not you).
• Commit to limited ongoing doula support in the form of a visit or shift at a frequency that is sustainable for you.
• Help them think outside of the box regarding community support that may be available to them (e.g., their faith community, veterans group, fellow yoga class members, extended family, neighbors, local Facebook groups, etc.).
• Make a decision regarding how many (if any) pro bono doula clients you can serve per year.

Remember, it’s okay to say “no.” No one is entitled to your time and energy. When folks seek free services, request a discount, or express dismay at your fees, that’s not a big deal. They are just trying to get their needs met. We don’t need to judge them or even feel put upon. Nor do we need to feel guilty. We are not obliged to be their solution. It’s okay, necessary even, to have a clear sense of what you can do as a doula and what you cannot. Having a robust set of community resources and referrals for lower-income families at hand, including referrals to the volunteer doulas and doula programs in your community, will help you to honor your boundaries in the face of overwhelming need.

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While mentoring for doulas may be desirable, is it available?

The short answer is “No,” but there may be exceptions. Most practicing doulas are uncomfortable inviting an inexperienced doula whom they don’t know to their clients’ intimate family moments. They may assume that to do so would be a violation of the client’s privacy. They might rightfully question the added value that the “shadow doula” brings from the client’s perspective. For this reason, it really isn’t done, though some doulas may feel comfortable incorporating an unpaid helper into their practices. It might be a bit easier to find a postpartum doula whose client would benefit from yet another pair of hands in the home (e.g., to help with multiples).

New doulas can always ask, but be aware that agreeing to mentor someone is more work, not less, for the doula mentor and there is little incentive for her/him to do so. Presuming that mentoring should be provided free to new doulas is not likely to meet with a positive reception. Humility rather than entitlement will work better. And think about how you might bring added value as a doula mentee to your mentor.

What is a new doula to do then?

If you are not successful in finding a doula mentor, I encourage new doulas to trust themselves, summon their courage, and jump in the deep end after training. You will find a way to be a comfort to the family you are serving even (especially?) if it is your first client. Here are some additional tips:

• Develop (or join) a doula network in your community or online. A lot of informal mentoring is available—doulas helping each other—especially in doula Facebook groups. There are local forums and theme-based groups (e.g., groups with a focus on business topics).
• Consider starting out as a volunteer to get some experience presenting yourself as a doula and grow your confidence. I have noted that after serving even as few as three clients/families, newly trained doulas start owning their title “doula” as they witness the positive effect of their efforts for the folks being served.
• Search for training that incorporates formal mentoring. While not common, there are a growing number of community-based doula programs—often aimed at serving targeted under-served or “at risk” communities. These programs typically offer subsidized training, mentoring, and jobs to community doulas.

Bottom Line: Be your authentic self and don’t promise more than you can deliver. That will take the pressure off. You and your business will always be a work in progress and your clients will always be your greatest teachers.

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An initial stumbling block to marketing my doula services involved a deep-seated distaste for selling. I began to feel more comfortable with the idea of selling myself and my services once I understood the importance of articulating the VALUE I bring to my clients. Consider the following questions:

• What is the value for the family of having a doula involved in their care? How do we help? (Be specific. Give examples.)
• What problems/challenges are your prospective customers facing that you can help address? (Speak to the emotions.)
• How is their experience potentially different/better because a doula is involved? (Include a client testimonial.)

Once I reframed “selling” as “education,” it was much easier to proceed. Focusing on value makes it less about me and more about them. What do they need? 

Doulas as Educators and Advocates of Informed Choice

How do you sell to someone who doesn’t even know your profession exists, let alone how greatly they might benefit from doula support? The first step is to at least recognize that many prospective doula clients don’t have the first clue regarding the questions they should be asking.” Whether you are planning for the upcoming birth of your first baby, choosing a healthcare provider or insurance plan, or navigating the journey with a loved one suffering from dementia, it’s normal to be in a state of ignorance. We have all said at one time or another, “If only I knew then what I know now …” [things would be different]. As a doula trainer over the last 24 years, I can tell you that I hear this lament often from doulas in training. When our eyes are opened, we start to connect the dots and perceive how choices and consequences are interconnected.

With my first baby, whatever happened felt normal to me. What did I know? When things happened that weren’t ideal, it all just felt like a random series of events—this happened, and then this happened, and so on. These events (indeed consequences) were all interconnected, but I couldn’t perceive the connections. And this led me to recognize …

We don’t know what we don’t know.

How can doulas reach that person who, with knowledge of available options, might make a different choice, perhaps choosing a non-mainstream (but nevertheless valid) alternative, but they don’t know what they don’t know, so they are not even asking the most important questions? 

When my mom was declining in her dementia, I did what many of us do—I made it up as I went. It occurred to me that I should read a book about how to best help her and relate to her, or take a class. If someone had put the “right” book in my hands, I surely would have read it. Short of that magical solution, I struggled to keep up with visiting her (a one-hour commute one way), managing my business, self-care, and the needs of my family. I didn’t feel I had the luxury to educate myself so I learned a lot of things the hard way. 

Marketing your Doula Services

In order to market our services, we need to create a compelling marketing message. How can you save your clients from learning what they need to know the hard way? What stresses are your prospective clients experiencing and how can you help? What are they in short supply of (time, money, key information, resources, mental/emotional bandwidth)? How do you make life easier? Come up with some good answers and you have a marketing message you can use to reach folks and promote your doula business.

Learn more about marketing theory and methods in my book, The Doula Business Guide: How to Succeed as a Birth, Postpartum, or End-of-Life Doula, 3rd Edition. And here’s an another blog I think you will enjoy, Marketing Message: 5 Easy Steps to Creating a Winning Marketing Message.

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#2. Do a little research. Look online for sample contracts. Many doulas make their contracts publicly available on their websites. Hopefully, your doula training organizations provided a sample contract as part of your training. Use these samples as a jumping off point, but put your own brand and personality into the document. My book, The Doula Business Guide, provides detailed guidance about contracts and other risk reduction strategies for doulas.

#3. Review the contract verbally with your client and key decision makers and provide an opportunity for questions and clarification. Remember, it’s all about communication, and folks have variable strengths and capacities in how they best process information.

#4. Think of your contract as a work in progress. Over time, your business will evolve. Services offered may expand or narrow. Fees and terms will likely change. New client boundaries may need to be put in place. This is all to be expected.

#5. Endeavor to establish a trusting relationship. This is the doula way. While some doulas may feel more comfortable consulting a lawyer, most find it is not necessary. If you do seek a lawyer’s input, try to keep your contract language simple and non-threatening and the legalese to a minimum. 

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