Doctor’s websites must make a good impression to potential patients who are looking for a medical provider. Over 70% of people looking for healthcare providers start their search online and form their first impression based on a medical practice website. The first impression of your practice will be based on the look, feel, and functionality of your website.
That’s why websites for doctors are an important part of a marketing strategy and must be professional, eye-catching, and check all the boxes necessary to turn prospective patients into satisfied ones – who are also likely to return to your practice for their healthcare needs.
Doctors must contain these 5 critical components:
Mobile-Friendly, Responsive Website Design
Potential patients are searching online for websites for doctors from both home and on the go. So, they may find your website on their desktop computer, laptop, tablet, or mobile device. A whopping 81% of Americans own a smartphone, according to a 2019 Pew Research Center study – and more Americans now have smartphones than desktop or laptop computers.
There’s no doubt that there has been a significant change in how people access information, with mobile usage coming out on top. So it’s imperative that your medical practice website automatically scales your content to match your visitor’s digital platform, screen size, and orientation, so it doesn’t appear awkward or outdated.
A responsive website design automatically adjusts your site to fit every device the viewer is using. It will assure that potential and existing patients who visit your site receive an optimal viewing experience.
By making your website compatible with the endless variety of cell phone sizes and resolution capabilities out there, website visitors will be able to see what you intend them to see – not an abbreviated or truncated version of it.
SSL Security to Ensure Privacy
Providing SSL security (secure sockets layer, now transport layer security) technology is a must in today’s digital environment. With so many transactions and information passed over the web, doctors and patients alike need to be on alert for potential privacy and security breaches.
SSL is a web-based protocol that adds a layer of security to your website by providing encrypted transmission of data from where you have it stored (the web server) to where your website visitors access it (a web browser). It protects the privacy of the data being sent through the internet.
Web users are getting more and more savvy, and most know to look for the “https” (hypertext transport protocol secure) at the beginning of your web address as a sign that your site is secure. Some will even choose not to interact with a website that does not include this security protocol. So it’s important to make sure your medical website design includes it.
Online Appointment Requests for Customer Convenience
Life gets busy, and people look for convenience and accessibility when choosing a doctor. Your medical practice website needs to not only be easily accessible from any device, and secure, but it also needs to be convenient for your patients.
Illness or medical needs can strike anytime, between work, parenting obligations, and more. Many people need to quickly find a doctor while dashing between meetings or other commitments. Offering an appointment request form can make it that much easier for busy patients – and it may be a deciding factor in the client choosing your practice over your competition. Patients often lean toward practices that provide the convenience and ease of accessibility they need.
Convenience and accessibility are expected in today’s digital world, so make your practice accessible even when your office is closed through your website and online communication tools.
ADA Accessibility Tool
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) has outlined guidelines for making websites accessible to those who have disabilities or impairments. Optimize your website to meet these guidelines by including an ADA accessibility tool.
These tools allow those with hearing, vision, or other impairments to more easily utilize your site and consume the information you provide. This is imperative for a doctors website, as your services are vitally important to everyone.
SEO So Patients Can Find You
Using search engine optimization (SEO) best practices on your website will help ensure that patients can find you in Google search results. These optimizations allow websites for doctors to show up higher in internet search results for people who are looking for a medical practice like yours.
Medical SEO includes a number of factors, including keywords, back-linking, and metadata, all of which can seem complex to those who are not well-versed in digital marketing for healthcare. You can learn more about our SEO best practices in our guide to healthcare SEO.
World-Class Medical Website and Marketing Experts
Make your online presence the best it can be with expert medical website design and healthcare digital marketing services offered by the experienced team at iHealthSpot Interactive. We have helped more than 4,000 medical professionals grow their practice, and we look forward to helping you drive more patients to your practice as well! Contact us today at (877) 709-0999 for a free quote!
