If your website isn’t helping you earn new patients, then it’s not doing its job. Your website should be working for you day and night by educating people about your practice and providing easy ways for them to get in touch with you. If it’s been some time since you’ve received an online contact request, or if you’ve never gotten one, it’s time to take a hard look at what can be done to improve your website’s conversion rate.
1. Display Prominent Call-To-Actions
One of the biggest reasons behind a low conversion rate is a lack of prominent call-to-actions (CTAs). These direct the user to perform a desired action that will deliver some kind of result. Users don’t want to have to think about how to get where they want to go while on your site. They’re looking for markers to point them in the right direction.
CTAs can be a button, a form, a video—anything that causes a user to perform a specific action. CTAs typically use bright colors to grab the user’s attention as well as simply worded text that tells them to do something. Some examples might be:
- Order Now
- Sign Up
- Call
- Learn More
- Watch
CTAs are most effective when placed above the fold (i.e. before the user has the scroll down), in the sidebar, and at the bottom of the page. Sprinkling these messages in prominent areas of your site ensures that a user will always have something to do while viewing any page. For instance, if you want your site to start generating more phone calls, place your phone number at the top and bottom of every page. If you want them to sign up for an event you’re putting on, add a popup announcement that appears when they land on a certain page.
The type of CTA you should use will depend on the action you’re wanting the user to perform. But having them is essential for turning site visitors into new patients.
2. Provide A Mobile-Friendly Experience
If your website does not provide a good mobile experience, statistically speaking, you’re going to miss out on close to half of the people that land on your site. Globally, mobile users make up over 50% of all web page traffic. In the US, that number is closer to 40%. Either way, the percentage of mobile users is expected to continue its ascension. This means everyone with a website needs to be doing everything possible to better serve these users.
The best way to provide a great mobile experience is to use responsive design. This means that your website automatically adjusts to perfectly fit the dimensions of any screen, which provides enhanced usability for mobile users. Features like hamburger navigation menus, text resizing, and responsive images are just a few of the things used to provide a mobile-friendly experience.
If you notice any of the below issues while viewing your site on a smartphone, it’s a good idea to have a web development company that specializes in responsive design assess your site and recommend improvements.
When You Know Your Website Is Not Mobile Friendly
- It’s difficult to navigate and tap buttons
- Text is hard to read
- Images aren’t the appropriate size
- Pages don’t load quickly
- Sections on pages fit too close together or are too far apart
- You have to pinch the screen to zoom in
Having a mobile-friendly website isn’t just important for providing a great user experience and earning mobile conversions. It’s also crucially important for SEO. Google has made mobile friendliness a ranking factor for a couple years now. This means that websites that do not offer a mobile-friendly experience can expect to lose favor with the ranking algorithm. To see how mobile friendly Google views your website, try out their Mobile-Friendly Test tool.
3. Use Testimonials
Patient testimonials are a great way to earn the trust of your users. You can strategically place them on certain sections of your site as well as dedicate an entire page for visitors to view. It’s also important to get highly-rated reviews on popular online platforms such as Google, Facebook, Yelp, and HealthGrades.
Getting good reviews on these platforms works to prove that the testimonials on your site aren’t just the few good ones you managed to get. Showing potential patients that verified users had a good experience while at your practice makes them feel that they will too.
4. Show Off Your Credentials
As a doctor, it’s important that you flaunt all of the accolades you’ve received over the years. This means showing users where you got your degree, what associations you belong to, and what other credentials you’ve attained. The more impressive you make yourself and your practice look, the better.
It’s also a good idea to have some kind of biography that explains your background and specialties. Many potential patients like knowing as much as possible about their physician before making an appointment.
5. Explain the Value
No matter if you’re selling a product or a medical service, people need to know the value and benefits of what you’re offering. This can be done through concisely written language and attractive imagery. So wherever you talk about your services, be sure to include the benefits.
When talking about the benefits, it’s best to position your content next to a CTA. This is because the benefits are what’s most likely to move users to take action. Having the CTA right next to the benefits makes this transition as smooth as possible, thusly increasing your chance of getting a conversion.
Start Earning More Conversion Today
If all of this sounds like more than you can handle, don’t worry. Barta Media Group has been helping healthcare practices all over the South East achieve online success for over 10 years. Our team of experienced designers, marketers, and developers will have no problem turning your website into a conversion-making machine.
To learn more about what Barta Media Group can do for your practice, give us a call at 678-464-5785 or fill out the contact form below.