It’s highly likely that the majority of your customers will first come into contact with your practice via your medical website. Therefore, it’s vital that your online presence is the best representation of your brand.
It’s highly likely that the majority of your customers will first come into contact with your practice via your medical website. Therefore, it’s vital that your online presence is the best representation of your brand.
When getting started, often with time and budgetary constraints at play, it can be easy for small practices to fall into the trap of some common medical web design mistakes. These can be costly and time consuming, putting even further pressure on the business. Here we discuss the most common pitfalls and how you can avoid them.
1. Outdated and old-fashioned design
People will judge you by your website. The image that you create online, including your content, visuals, layout and design will form a first impression for your website visitors, and ultimately, determine whether they stay or go. What kind of impression does your website make for potential patients? Does it accurately reflect your brand, products and services? Visual appeal and a fresh, modern medical website design will suggest to your visitors that you are professional and credible.
2. Not mobile responsive
Mobile design is no longer optional; with the proliferation of people looking at websites via cellular devices, it’s imperative that your site is mobile-optimized. However, 60% of small businesses still don’t have websites that work on smartphones. If you are missing this feature, you are missing the opportunity to engage with potential customers.
3. No call to action
Another common mistake in websites for doctors is no clear call to action. You need to guide your customers and help them complete what you want them to do. Make sure that important actions, such as “book an appointment” are clearly displayed, along with your practice’s contact details, including email and telephone numbers.
4. Poor navigation
Research has shown time and time again that people give up on poorly designed websites. If users cannot quickly and easily find what they are looking for, they will stop wasting their time. Make it as easy as possible for potential customers to find what they want on your site.
5. Not tracking results
If you aren’t tracking results, you don’t know what works and what doesn’t. By analyzing the various parts of your website and marketing efforts (such as pay-per-click ads) you can establish where to focus your efforts to achieve maximum results. Tracking results gives you the knowledge to constantly improve; without it, any investments are simply guesswork.
6. No social media links
Think of it as today’s word of mouth. Give people the opportunity to spread the good news about your medical practice by connecting your website to Facebook, Twitter and any other social platforms you engage with. Social media allows you to reach new customers that you may not have otherwise engaged with.
7. No SEO
Discoverability online is key to helping potential patients find your practice. Make sure that you understand the basics of medical SEO and utilize tools such as keyword data, meta descriptions and page titles so that you earn a ranking in Google searches or other online search engines.
8. No designated IT person
With around 44% of small businesses experiencing a cyber attack, IT professionals can help mitigate security breaches and avoid costly mistakes. They can also help with regular maintenance of your website and any other IT support you require – allowing you to focus on your patients. You should choose a web design company that offers website hosting, or a monthly plan to keep everything regularly updated.
If you can avoid these common mistakes, you’ll be well on your way to a quality medical website that stands out from the pack.
This article was originally published on Medical Web Experts‘ blog.
