Functional medicine and wellness patients are researchers. They spend 2–4 weeks evaluating providers before making contact. During that window, your website, your reviews, and your content are doing the selling — or they're not. Most wellness practices lose patients during this invisible research phase, long before the phone rings.
The Numbers
What Caused It
Websites that list services but don't educate or build trust.
No content strategy addressing the questions patients ask during research.
Reviews scattered across platforms with no aggregation or response strategy.
Intake processes that feel clinical rather than welcoming.
Who This Hits Hardest
Solo practitioners and small practices doing $40K–$150K/month.
Providers offering high-ticket programs ($3K–$10K) that require trust before purchase.
Practices in markets where patients have 5+ provider options within 20 miles.
Prevention Note
Winning the research phase requires a content-first approach: educational pages that answer real questions, a review strategy that builds social proof, and an intake experience that reduces anxiety. Practices that invest in their digital trust signals typically see 40–60% more initial consultations.
What To Do Next
If your practice delivers exceptional care but struggles to fill the pipeline, a diagnostic call will reveal where patients are dropping off in their research journey.