Your website should project the best possible image of your practice. It’s the first place that many people will visit to learn about your brand –
Generally, medical sites have a lifespan of around 2-3 years. That can be extended to around 5 years if you undertake some changes or upgrades. Then, it will most likely be ready for a total revamp.
So what if your website is somewhere in between this time-frame? Or what if it’s older, or newer? How do you know if it’s time to look at a new healthcare web design? Here, we share the things you need to look out for to stop your site from becoming a dinosaur.
How does it look?
Try and look at your website objectively. Does it look outdated in terms of design, images, layout and color? Or does it still look fresh and modern? Just like fashion, technology changes with the times. Think about an old, worn-out sweater you may have – would you wear that in front of your patients? No, because it wouldn’t create the right impression. Consider your medical website with the same frame of mind.
What do my competitor sites look like?
If the website design of other medical practices that are targeting the same customers looks better, there’s a good chance people will prefer their site over your own. Look at everything on competitor sites – how the site is organized, the design scheme, color, content, etc. Take note of good and bad points – and work these into making your website a step ahead of the rest.
Is it fast?
How fast your website loads is critical – people simply won’t wait for pages of information to appear. A good site will load in 2 seconds. If your site is taking longer than that, consider that around 40% of people will leave a website if it doesn’t load in 3 seconds. Speed is all part of providing a good user experience, which leads to more patients and improved business.
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Is it easy?
User interface is a design principle that essentially makes your website as easy as possible for customers to navigate. It attempts to anticipate what users need and helps to facilitate those actions, guiding customers and making sure they don’t get ‘lost’. The best interfaces are simple and communicate clearly through navigation and menu bars, purposeful page layouts, typography, color and consistency.
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Is it mobile-friendly?
More than ever, people are accessing websites from mobiles and tablets, so it is imperative that a website design for doctors is responsive to different screen sizes – what’s called responsive design. This type of design ensures that your website can be viewed in the most optimal way from any device – from desktop computers to tablets and mobile phones.
Is it optimized for SEO?
Basic SEO of your website is essential. Search engines need to be able to refer users to your site, and to do that properly, they need to see that your site is relevant to customer searches. Search engines look for:
- Relevant content (text, titles and descriptions)
- Speed (how fast your site loads)
- User experience (how easy your site is to navigate)
- Authority (content that links to other authoritative sites)
A good website design should satisfy both search engines and customers.
If your website doesn’t currently satisfy one or more of the above points, then it’s time to consider a new one that will. A website should always be at the forefront of your mind – it’s a fundamental part of your medical practice and directly impacts the success and growth of your business.
Is it time for your practice to get a new website? Contact us here or call us at 866-932-9944.
