8 Features of the Best Medical & Healthcare Websites.
The standards for professional medical websites have shifted dramatically in recent years. It is no longer enough to simply have a website; healthcare professionals need to design a site that connects with patients on a human level and maintains the same level of professionalism with which they conduct themselves in practice.
So how can you elevate your medical brand & design your healthcare website to stand out from the rest?
You will need to design your site to do these eight things:
1. Your medical website should connect with your ideal patient.
Your website should engage with your ideal patient through great content, giving them the confidence to reach out to you and book in their first appointment. And great content means content that is high quality, speaks your patients’ language, and adds value to your healthcare journey.
It inspires confidence in you as a medical professional by showing your ideal patient that you know and understand their needs, establishing you as a leader in your field and showing that you care about delivering high quality healthcare solutions.
2. Your medical website should set you apart.
A great website will set you apart from others in your industry and position you as the trusted authority in your specialty.
Your website is a place to demonstrate what makes you different from other medical professionals in your field. Visitors to your site are already interested in your services, and through cleverly crafted content, copy and design, your website will demonstrate to your patients what makes you the best choice.
3. It should streamline your clinic processes.
A well-designed medical website will help to streamline your clinic processes and create a hub to nurture your patients.
Pricing information, FAQs, referral forms and an online booking system all create a smooth path for patients to book in with you and build lasting relationships with referring practitioners. When your website provides the information a patient needs to make a decision, this reduces the number of calls you need to field and streamlines your front desk processes, saving you time and giving patients greater certainty in their decision.
4. Your website should communicate key messages.
A powerful medical website will broadcast to your patients who you are, what you value and the level of care they can expect from you. Website content is not just to fill in space - it should be carefully crafted to communicate the exact message you want communicated to your patients, in a way they understand and relate to.
5. Your medical website should represent your brand and help you look amazing.
Using consistent branding and simple, thoughtful design, a great healthcare website will ensure that you are accurately and effectively represented to your patients. Poor design or inconsistent branding can make you look unprofessional, even if you are a skilled doctor or healthcare practitioner. First impressions matter, both online and in real life.
6. Your website should book more patients.
The best healthcare websites convert website visitors into patients.
Your website should nurture visitors to stay on your site longer, enquire about your services and even to book in as new patients. If you are consistently getting lots of traffic to your website but few bookings, it might be time to revisit what needs updating or reworking.
7. Your website needs to meet industry standards for speed and user experience.
Even the most engaging and useful website content is of no use if your site is slow to load and difficult to navigate.
A great website will be optimised to industry standards for speed and user experience to ensure your visitors don’t click away out of frustration
8. Lastly, your website should be your hardest working team member.
Imagine you had a team member who worked for you 24/7, was professional with patients, always said the right things, and was able to assist your patients throughout the process - from initial interest through to booking in for treatment.
What would this team member be worth to you?
A good website will be your hardest working team member, working around the clock to promote your practice and build trust with your patients.
In today's world, patients are asking more questions and vetting services more readily online in their process of decision making. You need to make sure you are not just doing the bare minimum when it comes to your online presence, otherwise you will be missing opportunities to make a good first impression on new patients. Or worse, you might be turning potential patients off from enquiring further with you.
You can use the eight points above to assess your current website and identify areas that might need improvement. How good would it feel to design a website that better connects with your patients today? What kind of impact would that have in your practice every year?
You can keep doing what you’re doing, spending your precious weekends tweaking your website and trying to figure out how to do this by yourself, or, you can hire a specialist designer to get it done and start growing your practice now.
Ready to get started? Connect with us and have a chat about your design project.