Did you get a website up and running because someone said you needed one? Don’t get me wrong, every business needs a website. But a website isn’t just a placeholder, and a bad website can actually be harming your practice. Below, we explore a few healthcare website design issues that are especially detrimental to your practice, and what you can do to correct them.

1) Your Site is Static.
Is your site completely static, just a brochure on the internet? Try and keep it up to date. An infrequently updated site means your business looks inactive, may be presenting outdated news. Even worse, because search engines rank sites that have updated content higher in search results, you’re suffering an easily remedied blow to online visibility. There are several ways to rectify this situation and get dynamic content on your page. You can add a social media feed to your page (Twitter is a very popular and easy one to add), you can embed a blog and produce weekly content (or hire someone to do this for you), or you can add a simple event section that you update regularly. There’s no need for this to take hours per day, and there are no excuses for not getting it done- especially considering that there are companies who will do all of this for you for a nominal fee.

2) Nobody Sees It.
When you “Google” the main search terms for your niche, where does your site rank? If it’s not on the first page, you need to take steps to correct the situation immediately.
The process of organizing your website’s structure and content in order to rank well in the search engines is called “search engine optimization” or SEO, for short. SEO is a complex topic, and there are tons of little tweaks to your site’s design and content that can be made to increase your visibility. You should check your sites traffic monthly at the very least, and daily if you have an active traffic driving campaign going. If your site isn’t being seen, you’re throwing money out the window on hosting fees. If your traffic is flatlining, get a professional analysis of your site and start improving your SEO today.

3) Terrible Tactics.
Hate popups? Everybody does. Knowing that, you shouldn’t use them. More things to avoid like the plague: bizarre fonts, dated animation, auto-play music and video, scrolling text, and flashing buttons. These things are dated, and irritating. Look at your site analytics and check your bounce rate and time spent on the site- you may actually be driving visitors away before they get to the content you want them to see.

4) No Response on Contact Forms.
There was a survey done of people that have used a “contact us” page on a website. Nearly 90% of these people said they where never contacted, and if they were it was days or weeks later. These people are a golden opportunity for your practice, and if you don’t treat them as such you’re missing out. They have gone to the web, searched, found your business, visited your site and they have a few questions before they want to do business with you. They’re not casual browsers. By being responsive to potential patient inquiries, you can expect a higher new patient rate and a more positive and lasting relationship with them. Prompt attention to patients will always be a positive thing.

5.) Worst Writing.
When was the last time you wrote a few paragraphs? If you’re not a strong writer, own it. Visitors to your site are scrutinizing your practice, and terrible grammar and writing ability leaves a bad impression. If you can’t write well, hire a professional- it’ll save you time and face.

Are you guilty of any of the above? When was the last time you updated your website? If you’d like to get a professional analysis of your website, contact PRM today, we respond to all inquiries within 24 hours.

Healthcare Marketing Agency- Physician Referral Marketing (PRM) provides the tools and the know-how to grow physician practices & increase visibility both online and off. PRM specializes in strategic marketing campaigns & referral development through a uniquely direct relationship establishment with demographically relevant doctors and hospitals.To stay on top of the latest healthcare marketing trends, contact PRM today at 888-336-1344 or visit www.physicianreferralmarketing.com.  Also be sure to visit our Facebook, Twitter, or G+ page for the latest news in healthcare marketing. Nationwide service, with headquarters in Michigan and a regional office in Arizona.