Saturday, October 20, 2018

Creating an effective medical website design requires careful planning.

Focus on the user experience
People are increasingly going online to take control of their health. If they can’t easily find what they’re looking for on your medical website, they’ll give up and try again with a different provider.

According to the 2017 United Healthcare Consumer Sentiment Survey, 32 percent of consumers used the internet or mobile apps to comparison shop for healthcare services in the past year — compared with just 14 percent in 2012. The same percentage of respondents admitted to going online to shop for vacation packages, and 31 percent of those surveyed said they used the internet for car purchases.

The main focus of your medical website design must be the user. Not only does your doctor website need to look good, it must also be easy to navigate. Call to action (CTA) buttons like “Book Now” or “Contact Us” should be highly visible on all pages, making it easy for new patients to schedule an appointment.

Look: 7 big reasons people leave doctor websites

Identify your brand messaging
When choosing a new healthcare provider, patients have plenty of options, so don’t leave any room for interpretation. Your doctor website must clearly convey the services offered and what differentiates your practice from the competition.

Simplicity is the key to crafting a solid brand message. Find a way to tell your story in a short and succinct manner that explains how you can have a positive impact on their lives.

A robust medical website design ties all elements — logo, color scheme, images, taglines, special features, etc. — together to convey your brand messaging. These features work as one to communicate what your practice stands for and who it serves.

Communicate your vision to your website designer
The quality of your medical website design directly impacts new patient perception of your practice. Consequently, it needs the polish of a web designer to make it look professional.

It’s OK if you don’t know exactly what direction to take your doctor website. Your web designer will work with you to create a website that perfectly represents your brand.

The better you’re able to communicate what your practice is all about, the more equipped they’ll be to create a website that really speaks to your brand. Therefore, it’s important to take the time to really define your message before starting the process.

Optimize for mobile
A robust medical website design must include mobile compatibility. According to the 2018 Consumer Survey on Digital Health conducted by Accenture, 46 percent of people use mobile phones and tablets to manage their health — up from 36 percent in 2016.

Beyond that, Google’s mobile-first indexing is now impacting your doctor website. If your content isn’t optimized for mobile, this will likely have a negative impact on your website rankings.

For best results, it’s advisable to offer patients the same value on desktop and mobile. Optimizing content to fit each type of device will require extra effort, but it’s well worth the investment.

Read: Why being mobile-friendly is necessary for doctor websites

Share content that adds value
Your doctor website should introduce prospective patients to your practice, but don’t stop there. Adding features like a blog, patient reviews, and EMR integration allows you to serve both new and long-time patients.

For example, sharing regular blog posts on topics important to your patient base will give them the answers they need, without having to consult websites that might not be as trustworthy. This can also drive traffic to your website, because patients seeking assistance with medical issues will find your practice in search results.

Creating an effective medical website design requires careful planning. Working with a professional website designer is a smart way to make the process seamless. Keep the lines of communication open, and together you can build a website that perfectly represents your practice.

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