A website is the online representation of you and your practice. It is the first step to build a relationship with your target audience. No website or an unappealing website can turn off the visitor and there will be no scope of further communication. Because for many people, first the impression is the last impression, thus it is necessary to have a magnetic first impression to make people visit your practice without a second thought. Also, a website presents you as always available. To save yourself from losing out on great opportunities, here are some essential elements you need to have in a brilliant website.
- Simple navigation
Remember that your service or a specific information has attracted the visitors on your site, but if they don’t find it in few seconds/clicks, they will surely give up and close your site. You need to present clear and exact information in language that is easy to understand by a layman.
The next thing to understand is that only simple navigation can lead a visitor to your content. So breadcrumb designing and navigation need to be worked on during the planning stage of your website. Also, it is necessary to check the latest trends in website design. This will impress visitors when see their doctor is also tech-savvy and not just an individual in a white coat treating their illness.
- Informative content
You need to present your thought leader personality to your target audience. For this, it is necessary to have quality content on your website. People land on your website in search of some solution to their questions. So your site should have engaging content. You must have a blog page and an FAQ section for a visitor to easily find informative content. Along with the blog, have a resource section that includes infographics, eBooks, videos, white papers, etc. This will help you present complex information in a simpler manner and help in the reinforcement of necessary information.
- Quality picture
Just like clear content, you need to have big and beautiful pictures because a picture is worth a thousand words. And, a human brain can grasp images much faster than text. People spend more time on a page with images than a page with just plain text. So, to save your efforts from going in vain, you need to add more images and make scrolling your website a less daunting task for visitors. Images have even revolutionized the content world with infographics and memes.
- Testimonials
To convert a potential patient into a lead, include testimonials on your website. Testimonials help skeptical patients rethink about your practice and vanish their apprehensive feeling. In case you don’t have any, ask your patients to share their experiences. Also, create your profile on popular review platforms such as Yelp, Yellow Pages, Healthgrades, etc. You might receive some negative feedback as well, but be sure to deal with negative reviews patiently.
- Patient forms
Get patient forms on your website so they can enter their details, illness history, check test reports or post any questions. Keep only minimal mandatory fields that do not bore patients or sound like an exam form to them. Instead of ‘submit’ button you can write ‘book an appointment’ to reiterate your real goal. Remember, the ‘contact details’ and ‘forms’ should be displayed prominently.
- SEO
Last, but most important, is the site optimization. Now that everything required is on your website, you need to get yourself easily found in the search engines. And for this, you need search engine optimization. Around 51% of traffic is driven by SEO and 90% of people don’t prefer sites on the second page of search results. Thus, it is imperative for you to get your website on the first page of search engine.
Optimize your website for medical SEO and improve your organic search results. This will help you expand your online presence. For strong SEO, you need to find the relevant keywords and it is better to mention your location to attract nearby patients. This will help you beat your competitors.
Build an amazing healthcare website with the above-mentioned tips and strengthen your online reputation. In case you need help from a digital marketing agency to create and manage your website, simply contact myPracticeReputation. We have dedicated teams who are focused on building client websites, doing SEO and creating their strong online reputation.