Healthcare has evolved much over the past decades and so has ways that patients are able to reach healthcare providers – from looking up businesses in the yellow pages; to referrals and physically visiting a clinic; and now with the precedent set by the COVID-19 pandemic, the majority of patients in search for any healthcare service will first start their search online and in the comfort and safety of their homes. And if this reason were not enough, a recent study by the Pew Research Center claims that more and more of the population ages 65 and older have become tech users who own smartphones, computers, and use social media. Therefore, the ability to communicate across the web, utilizing technology and the internet to reach patients where they are is the gold standard and healthcare providers need to adapt to the times in order to effectively advertise and deliver their services to a larger audience. In this article, we will give you the most effective strategies to optometry website design.
Why do some sites fail?
Simply being on the internet is not enough – a presence online that fails to effectively communicate with your patients could cause more harm than good for your business no matter how much you spend or make your website look elegant. Common mistakes of healthcare websites are:
Bad user experience
Your website should give visitors the best possible experience. It shouldn’t take longer than 5 seconds to load. If there are emails or phone numbers at the top of the screen, ensure they’re clickable. The top bar navigation should be responsive. That means its design should change to accommodate different screen sizes. More than half of all medical searches are completed on a mobile website. So, more people will look at your website from a mobile device instead of a desktop computer.
Here’s something else to consider: If visitors can’t find the information they need soon after loading your website, they may grow frustrated and simply move on to another one.
I’ve seen this sort of problem a lot: A practice believes their website is working fine, and to be honest, it looks great at first glance. But, there’s no contact information. Or it’s not clear what city or state they’re based in.
These may seem like trivial problems, but they can cause serious issues. It’s important for your website to have crucial details like your location, phone number, and main services, along with information for your current patients. Remember, your pages should be designed in such a way that they can find this information in a few seconds.
Optimizing Your Search Engine
Even the best-designed website will be of little help if people can’t find you. Patients searching for a doctor or specialized services that you offer should see your site in the search results whenever they enter relevant keywords into the search bar. People often don’t consider how much copy affects search engine rankings. As long as the copy is accurate, most amateurs will think that everything’s okay. But, you need to do a lot more than this for search engine success. Search engines will crawl your site looking for phrases, keywords, meta-tags, image tags, title tags, etc. to help them understand what it’s about. This means all these elements can be manipulated to improve your organic rankings.
Ineffective Calls to action
Visitors should know what actions you want them to take the moment they arrive at your website. Is the goal for them to call your office, fill out a form, or schedule an appointment? Is it for a screening or free consultation? Your copy should comprise action words that clarify these issues.
Rather than focusing on wording that shows what you can do i.e., board-certified oncologists with25 years’ experience – include phrases that encourage visitors to tea action, like “schedule a free consultation today!”
Your calls to action should be clearly visible – someone should see them within a few seconds of looking at your website. You might want to consider having a contact form near the top of the web page, or a button that takes people to that contact form. Your contact details should appear prominently as well. Even if you have just one phone number, it should repeat throughout the page or remain on a fixed header while users scroll down the webpage.
Design Tips for Your Website
However, there are a few best practices that, when followed, can help you construct a website that attracts a wide spectrum of people to your healthcare specialization and brand identification.
The design and development of a new healthcare site is a critical step in the preparation of digital health experiences.
1. HIPAA Compliance for Healthcare Website Development
First, your website must be HIPPA compliant. Focus on website design elements that bring the patients in front of your door. It is important to ensure the safety of all new and existing patients. To meet HIPAA and other requirements, make sure your web designer is professional and specializes in healthcare.
2. Know your target audience.
Based on geographic, demographic, psychological, and behavioral data, we conduct extensive online and offline surveys to identify the target market for our customers. Second, our marketing strategy focuses on all marketing resources to attract relevant customers. By defining your target audience, you can create the right content for the right people. This helps to implement your marketing strategy effectively and efficiently.
3. Post doctors’ reviews on your website
Patients can express their medical opinion in many off-site locations. You have little or no control over the types of reviews posted on these pages, but you may also be able to leave valuable reviews on your website. You can use an automated system to manage your reviews online without undue effort on your part.
If you want to make your Medical Website Design perfect and user-friendly, count on us. We’ll work according to the strategy to help you reach your short-term and long-term goals.
4. Select Authentic Images and Photos
Choosing the perfect pictures and images for your healthcare website is crucial. At our Health Marketing Agency, we have experienced web designers and qualified developers to select images and identify patients that match your services. Often we suggest an on-site photoshoot in the client’s office for maximum effect.
5. Authentic (no stock photos)
Marketing studies that compared authentic images to stock images found they had a nearly 35% higher conversion rate. This proves the value of having original imagery on your website. Besides, you’ll have the freedom to take multiple shots until you achieve a result that meets your needs.
6. Page Speed
Appointments they’ll be greeted by an organized and efficient optometrist website design that clearly presents any and all information that they might need to book an appointment. Pages on services, payment, and products are all easily accessible, and in the banner, our optometry web
7. Don’t miss the “little” things.
Finally, details are important for delivering patients from your healthcare website design. Don’t miss the “little things.” Anything that resembles a one-page phone number, a missing form, or a page of weak words, can send your patients to your competitor. If any of these are missing from your site, it’s time to review the design.
