Creating a High Performing Website for Your Medical Practice

Your website is often the first thing people see, and first impressions can be the deciding factor in whether or not a potential patient books an appointment. It is also the central hub for your digital presence. All social media, landing pages, and local listing profiles should direct people to your website. Making it well-structured, user-friendly, and visually appealing will bring you more patients and revenue.

That’s why a medical website design is key. The right design improves practice performance, produces higher conversion rates, boosts your online reputation, and enhances the patient’s overall experience. Overall, it will help your practice generate more revenue.

6 Tips for Creating a High Performing Website for Your Medical Practice

1. Design with your Audience in Mind

Your medical and specialty likely doesn’t attract every kind of patient. This means your website shouldn’t be attracting people outside of your target audience.  In order to get quality views that convert to quality patients, your website design should attract the patients you want to serve. 

If you primarily work with elderly patients, make your website simple and concise. Have the menu easy to navigate and accessible to those with disabilities. If you work with athletes, have sports images and relatable content. If you are a general medicine practice, have images with families that span a variety of age groups and conditions. 

2. Clear and To the Point

In this case, less is more. It is a method that can be easily applied to the design of your website. Make it easy for your patients to understand your site as soon as they land on your page, not seconds later. 

The key is a balance between copy and images. Breaking up your web pages with scannable, easy-to-read, and digest information makes it natural. Keep the spacing between content types large enough so images and copy don’t look cramped or crowded. Use brand colors to separate the header and menu from the website to create visual clarity. Write smaller paragraphs that are divided by headers and sub-headers so content is easier to read.

3. Showcase Important Information

Use your website design to showcase important information on your site. It’s essential that your site educates visitors as soon as they land on your page. Is the mission of your site clear? Do they know what services you offer? It is clear where they can find pertinent information?

Make pages clearly labeled that leaves zero room for confusion, like “Meet the Doctors” or “Conditions We Treat.” Answer frequently asked questions and to be a resource for potential patients. Put your primary contact information in the header and use call-to-action buttons strategically placed throughout your site in bold colors and fonts that draw attention. The goal is to educate and present information in a way that visitors learn what your practice provides and what services you offer. Make it easy to book an appointment with you or other physicians at your practice. 

4. Mobile-Friendly Design

In 2020, 61% of all U.S. website traffic came from mobile devices. This is a 4% increase from 2019. The best websites utilize mobile responsive designs because this is the most effective way to reach the maximum number of your target audience. In today’s society, a mobile-friendly design is crucial.

When creating designing your website, choose a platform and design that will load clearly on any type of device – desktop, tablet, or smartphone. No matter the screen size or browser, you want your website to be clear and readable. 

Your website performance can be tested on different devices during the development process, and periodically after the site is live to ensure that your site is accessible across all devices.

5. Visual Content is King

Photo and video content get more shares and views compared to plain text.  Visual content is processed 60,000 more quickly than text. On average, people only remember 20% of what they read and approximately 37% of people are visual learners. Medical websites that feature visual content perform better than sites with less visual content. 

Again, there is a balance between visual content and copy so you don’t hit extremes on either end of the spectrum. Too much of anything is bad, but not enough of something is also not good. 

Visuals attract people but avoid large content files that affect your page load speed. Also, avoid using graphics or visuals that utilize Flash because not all devices support that technology. Keeping your site accessible while adding in visual aids is important. 

6. Tell a Story

Your practice is a business. And your website should reflect that and tell its story. This helps your brand stand out among the competition and triggers a response from your target audience. A response could be emotional or psychological, but a strong website that is cohesive and has your clear branding and brand story woven throughout the pages will establish you in your industry. 

Make your website relevant, clearly branded, and establish trust and loyalty with your audience. 

The best medical websites are educational and provide clear direction for patients looking to make an appointment. A design with too much information can look crowded and chaotic, yet a site without any real direction can look unprofessional. The ultimate goal is to have a design approach that is simple to navigate. 

Learn how Valet Health can help optimize your website and create a design that converts leads to new patients.