Advertising is a complicated topic for professionals. For example, some ads appeal to people's fears, and others use seductive or sexual content to attract attention to a product. These ads are not acceptable ways to promote professional services. Professionals are also limited by ethical rules that prevent them from making claims that cannot be substantiated. In other words, you cannot say that you are the best psychologist, dentist, lawyer or surgeon in town, unless you have research to back up such a claim.
Most people wish that product advertisers had similar ethical rules to follow.
Professional advertising usually identifies problems or situations that can be addressed by the profession, and then lists the services offered by that specific professional to address the problem. Professional advertising may also highlight the experience or training of the professional in dealing with specific problems. Because many people in the same profession have similar training and experience, it is difficult to present how one professional might be a better choice over another, without providing a lot of information about the professional's background. This leads to the most significant problem with professional advertising, it is often too expensive and time consuming to adequately present all of the information necessary to help a potential client make an informed decision about professional services. Fortunately, a professional website allows you to present your practice and your experience in detail, while the costs remain economical, because access to the Internet is universal and inexpensive.