By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    stress disorder
    5 Ways To Manage Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
    October 27, 2021
    Medical device classification and development strategies
    Medical device classification and development strategies
    April 5, 2023
    varicose veins
    Varicose Veins Prevention: 3 Lifestyle Changes to Make Right Now
    May 1, 2022
    Latest News
    Beyond Nutrition: Everyday Foods That Support Whole-Body Health
    June 15, 2025
    The Wide-Ranging Benefits of Magnesium Supplements
    June 11, 2025
    The Best Home Remedies for Migraines
    June 5, 2025
    The Hidden Impact Of Stress On Your Body’s Alignment And Balance
    May 22, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    health benefits of gene targeting research
    Breakthroughs in Gene Targeting in Mouse Can Help Humans
    December 4, 2022
    Weighing Up the Advantages and Disadvantages of Nursing Homes
    October 31, 2022
    get second opinion to avoid medical errors
    The Role Of Second Opinions In Medical Errors
    December 10, 2023
    Latest News
    Top HIPAA-Compliant Messaging Apps for Healthcare Teams
    June 25, 2025
    When Healthcare Ends, the Legal Process Begins: What Families Should Know About Probate and Medical Estates
    June 20, 2025
    Preventing Contamination In Healthcare Facilities Starts With Hygiene
    June 15, 2025
    Strengthening Healthcare Systems Through Clinical and Administrative Career Development
    June 13, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Physician Websites – What Works, What Doesn’t
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > eHealth > Social Media > Physician Websites – What Works, What Doesn’t
eHealthSocial Media

Physician Websites – What Works, What Doesn’t

Simon Sikorski MD
Last updated: October 19, 2011 7:22 am
Simon Sikorski MD
Share
8 Min Read
SHARE

EXCLUSIVE POST – Developing medical websites is no longer “best practice.” It’s a requirement. http://www.healthcaremarketingcoe.com/medical-websites/ Your present and future patients are looking for information about you and your expertise 24/7. WHERE they are finding this information should be your #1 concern.

EXCLUSIVE POST – Developing medical websites is no longer “best practice.” It’s a requirement. http://www.healthcaremarketingcoe.com/medical-websites/ Your present and future patients are looking for information about you and your expertise 24/7. WHERE they are finding this information should be your #1 concern.

Before delving deeper, first answer these questions: Do you want to inform and educate your patients or just provide enough information about what your practice is about? Do you want your medical website to become THE trusted source of information for patients with specific conditions? Do you want to gain recognition as a physician thought leader in a specialty? Knowing what you want your website to accomplish should be your #2 concern.

Here are some best practices for your website:

More Read

Is eCommerce Right for Your Health Business?
Majority of Seniors Want Digital Tools to Manage Their Health
What Google’s New Adwords Update Means for Medical Marketers
Physicians and Blogging – II
A Novel Way to Watch Brain Surgery

1) Your medical website is your online office. It should contain information about you and your expertise. It should contain crucial information about what you do DAILY and should be educational in nature, never promotional. It should help patients connect with your physical office. A phone number, a secure email form, and perhaps a patient portal should be prominently displayed. Social media interactive buttons (Twitter, facebook, comments section) are very appreciated by patients – it allows them to interact, and that is in fact a top priority for ANY website.

2) Your website should never stand alone. Remember, it’s only an office. How will people get to this office? SEO, SEM, social media, links on your business cards, radio, TV, etc. are the ways people will be coming to your site. Start with writing great content for your patients and always remember to tag the content using “meta tags” (SEO jargon) that your patients would be compelled to search for on Google. Support the website in the short-term with well-placed Search Engine Marketing (SEM). Remember, don’t use SEM to advertise your services. Advertise the educational resources.

3) A medical website without a blog is a mistake. Should a blog be separate from website? No, in fact you should build a dual website/blog from the start. What to blog about? Think about what you repeat to your patients and referring physicians 20-30 times every day. Why not have the answer available at their fingertips? You need 10-15 minutes a day for blogging. Pick one frequent question per day and answer it. Most doctors end up becoming frequent bloggers after several weeks, all on their own.

4) CMS – Content Management System. If you’re building a static HTML website – STOP. Content Management Systems allow you to post new content with a click of a button, without any training required. You could be saving tens of thousands of dollars over the next few years. Don’t ever pay a designer to add new pages of content. You could get away with building a blog/website on free CMS like WordPress, but please take note: the design must be impeccable. But if you’re paying a designer for your website anyway, why don’t you invest in something no one else will have. The last thing you want to do is invest in a site hundreds of other doctors have.

5) Always think about referring physicians. Include information for health care professionals separate from patient education.

6) Rule of thumb on prices: Plan to spend ~ $1,500 for a well-designed blog. But remember, if you want the blog to be sufficient, you need to blog! All you need is 10-15 minutes a day. If you’re still pressed for time every day, invest in a website with blog and social media features and appoint someone in your practice to maintain it. Low-end CMS sites start around $2500 and top-notch sites built on CMS can be as much as $5,000 but will keep on giving for years to come.

Remember, CMS will allow virtually anyone to expertly update your website with no training required. There are companies that offer websites for less than $1000 – but they will scam you with other features you need to buy in addition like: medical libraries, email forms, additional pages of content, etc. Stay clear of such companies.

Never invest in medical libraries that others use. You need to create your own medical library for your own patients. You need only a one-time investment for design of a site.

Maintenance of websites is a whole different issue. Your designer should spend significant amount of time training your staff on that. What’s the best way to maintain a website? – Continue writing great content for it.

7) Hosting: If you’re paying more than $60 for hosting/maintenance PER YEAR … it’s a scam. Unless there are specific SEO, SEM, content, and marketing strategies implemented and updated every month, you should never pay for maintenance.

Words of Wisdom:

1) If you think you will design a website better by yourself on some cheap hosting company … you will regret it, and most likely your website will never be functional. I’ve been developing websites for 9 years now, and there is still so much for me to learn.

2) Never involve your family friends, cousins, or colleagues to work on your website. There is a slew of professional companies that will go to the ends of the earth to make you a happy customer … and your patients will appreciate great design and functionality that is never broken. If you’re willing to spend $1000 with a solo professional, spend the extra $500 with a company and have the peace of mind that that site will be functional.

3) It’s not about promotion – It’s about patient and medical education. If your website feels like an advertisement people will not want to connect with you.

4) Don’t jump into social media until you develop your website or blog. Learn to blog first. Never give into the hype “just because others do it”

TAGGED:doctor websitedoctor websitesmedical websitemedical websitesphysician websitephysician websites
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

women dental care
What Is a Smile Makeover and How Much Does It Cost?
Dental health
June 30, 2025
HIPAA-Compliant Messaging Apps
Top HIPAA-Compliant Messaging Apps for Healthcare Teams
Global Healthcare Policy & Law Technology
June 25, 2025
recovering from injury
Rebuilding After Injury: Path to Physical and Emotional Recovery
News
June 22, 2025
scientist using microscope
When Healthcare Ends, the Legal Process Begins: What Families Should Know About Probate and Medical Estates
Global Healthcare
June 18, 2025

You Might also Like

Text Messaging Works Well For Patient Communications

June 11, 2011
eHealthTechnology

Steps To Build A Profitable Healthcare App Startup

April 10, 2019

Healthcare Social Media: Optimize for Better Results

June 18, 2013
healthcare disruption
BusinesseHealthMedical InnovationsTechnology

Healthcare: Get Ready to Shake, Rattle and Roll

April 17, 2014
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?