The website for mediators: what belongs on it and how it speaks to both parties

What makes a mediation website different

Someone looking for a lawyer is looking for representation for themselves. Someone looking for a mediator is looking for a setting for two or more people who are not talking well to each other right now. Often one party finds your website, reads it and then sends the link to the other party. That second person is more suspicious: they wonder whether the mediator is already on the side of whoever got in touch first.

This leads to three requirements that go beyond the usual content of a firm website. First, every text addresses both parties equally. Second, the website explains what mediation is and what it is not, because many visitors only know the process by hearsay. Third, confidentiality is not just a sentence in the privacy policy; it shows in the contact form, in reviews and in every example you tell.

Which pages a mediation website needs

A page with frequently asked questions is also worthwhile: Does the other party have to agree? Is the outcome binding? Do I still need a lawyer? What happens if we stop? Short, honest answers to these questions save you many phone calls and are readily picked up by search engines and AI assistants.

One page per field of mediation

A list reading “family, business, workplace, neighbours, inheritance” on the home page is not enough. Someone going through a separation wants to read how mediation works for custody or contact, maintenance and dividing assets. Someone in a company with a conflict between two heads of department wants to know how confidential it stays towards management. So create a separate page for every field you really offer:

• Family, separation and divorce: arrangements for the children, maintenance, home and assets; the note that you do not give legal advice and that the agreement is reviewed and implemented by lawyers or notaries. In Austria the link to uncontested divorce (einvernehmliche Scheidung), in Germany to the information meeting under § 135 FamFG. How to build out this focus with funding, children and the link to the courts is shown in A website for family mediation.
• Business: disputes between shareholders, conflicts with suppliers or customers, succession in a family business. What matters here is duration, cost compared with court proceedings and confidentiality towards third parties.
• Workplace and teams: who commissions the mediation (usually the company), who takes part (the people involved) and who learns what. State explicitly that the content of the sessions is not reported to HR unless the participants agree to it.
• Neighbours: noise, boundaries, trees, shared spaces. Often several parties are involved, sometimes an entire building.
• Inheritance: conflicts between siblings, dividing property, caring for parents before the estate passes. Here too, notaries or lawyers handle the legal implementation.

Each field page should also name the limits: mediation does not fit when one party is under pressure, when there is violence in the relationship or when someone only wants to buy time. This honesty is not an obstacle to sales; it shows experience. If you don't offer a field, don't create a page for it.

Explaining process, fees and funding clearly

On the fees page, state your hourly rate and its basis: per mediator or for the co-mediation team, with or without VAT, and whether preparation and minutes are charged separately. For private individuals, show gross prices; for business mediation, net prices with the note “plus VAT” are common. Write that cost sharing is agreed jointly instead of prescribing a split. Explain co-mediation too: why two mediators, for example with a psychosocial and a legal background or of different genders, make sense for family conflicts or large groups, and what that means for the fees.

Neutral language for both parties

Impartiality is laid down by law in both countries, in Austria in the ZivMediatG, in Germany in § 1 Abs 2 and § 2 Abs 3 MediationsG. On the website it shows in every sentence. Speak in the plural (“both of you”, “everyone involved”), describe outcomes as jointly owned and avoid images of winners and losers. Photos should not single out one side either: no picture of a crying woman and a man turning away for divorce mediation.

Stating titles and qualifications correctly

Here the countries differ clearly. In Austria, “eingetragene Mediatorin” or “eingetragener Mediator” (registered mediator) is a protected title: only those on the list of mediators kept by the Federal Ministry of Justice may use it, and they must do so when practising (§ 15 ZivMediatG). Titles that could be confused with it are punishable. In Germany, “Mediator:in” is free to use for non-lawyers, but “zertifizierte:r Mediator:in” (certified mediator) is tied to the ZMediatAusbV: training, supervised cases and ongoing continuing education.

• In Austria, link to your entry in the Ministry of Justice's mediator search. It is verifiable proof.
• State your original profession, for example psychologist, social worker, lawyer by training or business economist. It explains why you are suited to a field.
• Present association recognitions as what they are: voluntary memberships, not state approvals.
• No titles such as “staatlich geprüft” (state-examined), “gerichtlich zertifiziert” (court-certified) or “Fachmediatorin” (specialist mediator) that suggest an official examination.
• If you are also a lawyer or notary, the rules of that profession apply as well; details in advertising for mediators in Austria and in Germany.

Contact form, online mediation and confidentiality

Confidentiality starts before the first session. A form asking “Briefly describe your conflict” collects one-sided accounts that you read and store before you have met the other party. That doesn't fit impartiality and creates unnecessary data protection risks. A form with few fields and a clear sentence above it is better.

For many people, online mediation is a selling point: over long distances, in conflicts across borders, or when the parties don't want to meet in the same room at first. Describe when you offer it and when you prefer to work in person. More on the contact page in the article The contact page of a firm.

Imprint and privacy

Every mediation website needs an imprint. In Austria, § 5 ECG and the disclosure under § 25 MedienG apply; registered mediators also state the title, the list kept by the BMJ and the ZivMediatG. In Germany, § 5 DDG applies, plus details of professional liability insurance under the DL-InfoV as soon as you have a policy. Anyone who also practises a chamber profession bases the imprint on that profession. All details are in mandatory information for mediators in Austria and mandatory information for mediators in Germany.

Common mistakes on mediation websites

• Addressing only one party: texts that court the person who got in touch as a “client” against the other party.
• Not explaining mediation: the website assumes everyone knows what mediation is and how it differs from conciliation, counselling or therapy.
• No prices: someone weighing mediation against court wants to know what a session costs. If that's missing, many never call.
• Wrong or outdated titles: “eingetragen” after the registration has expired, “zertifiziert” without continuing education.
• Recognisable case stories: a family business in a small town, a specific inheritance dispute. Even when disguised, the people involved often recognise themselves.
• The form asks about the conflict: one-sided accounts, stored for no good reason.
• Stock photos of arguments: couples shouting, torn photos. They create fear instead of trust.
• Cookie banners and tracking: someone thinking about a separation doesn't want to consent to advertising tracking first.

How to win clients with this website and how to be found on Google is described in the articles Client acquisition for mediators and SEO for mediators.