Professional Website Design for Practice Growth
Great websites attract and retain patients. So having a website that works well in this digital age is an absolute must.
The goal of any practice’s website should be to convert new visitors into patients and help retain your current patients by offering information and features they want and need.
Here are some website dos and don’ts to help you design (or redesign) your practice website.
Do: Establish Your Brand
Branding is the first step in great marketing. You want someone to instantly recognize your brand across all of your channels and platforms, whether it is social or your website. So remember to keep your logo, brand colors, and voicing consistent across the board.
Don’t: Skip on Having a Blog
Blogs are a form of content-rich marketing, meaning they are perfect for sharing on social media and in newsletters. Routinely posting to a blog ups your SEO score (more on that below) plus they can be informative and engaging for readers. Check out this article for some blogging best practices.
Do: Offer Online Appointment Scheduling
It’s all about convenience today, especially for younger generations like Millennials and Gen Z. Offering convenient and fast online appointment scheduling is a sure fire way to attract and retain patients. Remember, your patients have busy lives and may not always have time to make a call and be placed on hold. Plus it can free up your receptionist to field other calls more quickly.
Don’t: Forget to Include a Patient Portal
Patient portals can be a great way for your patients to access their care record and paperwork more easily. It helps them become more empowered and engaged in their own care, which creates better patient outcomes. Some major benefits you’ll love: it improves patient communication, reduces paper waste, increases front desk efficiency, and helps you more easily comply with HIPAA.
Do: Engage with Integrations
There are a few integrations that are a must-have for your websites. The first is online reviews. You can display 5 star reviews right on your website to attract new patients, letting them know that you are invested in their health. Word of mouth can be extremely powerful.
The second integration is social media. Adding links to your social accounts and embedding posts not only helps patients find you on your other channels, but it can help keep them engaged with your practice. So post those gentle reminders on your social accounts to schedule an appointment if it’s time!
Don’t: Forget to Optimize for SEO
Finally, do not forget to optimize your site for search engine optimization (SEO). SEO is the use of keywords or phrases in your site that not only tells search engines what your site is about, but can help you get discovered more easily by the right people. SEO can get a bit technical, but here are a few best practices:
- Use keywords and phrases in your website, especially in headings and the first paragraph of your page.
- Include keywords and phrases in your blogs.
- Rename your images to include those keywords or phrases or insert alt text with those keywords or phrases.
Remember, the more you can insert these keywords and phrases into your site the better. Be sure to not overdo it in your website copy or blogs–you still want it to sound natural!
Websites are an important way to communicate with potential patients and current patients. By following these tips, you’ll have a website that not only encourages practice growth and patient retention, but can scale with your practice as it continues to grow!