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Let’s talk some more about our websites and the many possibilities to improve its impact on visitors to the site. This is part two of a series on websites. The first part of the discussion is in the previous blog.
The first blog dealt with the style of your website including choices of font, colors and some information on the content of the website. I will again tell you that I am not an expert on website design. What I am offering are my observations about design and content. My hope in sharing this is to inspire you to look at your own website and make sure that it is doing a good job representing you. Your website should encourage visitors to your site to become a patient. It should reflect your values and the culture of your practice. Your website is a valuable part of the branding of your office and should not be neglected.
Talk about your Staff- Not the Equipment
So many websites I have visited, list and feature all the new equipment they have. That’s always been a source of confusion for me. I know that new equipment and staying on the cutting edge is a big investment in our practices. Understandably, we are proud to have this these advances in our offices. New technology makes us better clinicians with better results for our patients. I feel that this is why we sometimes feature the technology on our websites.
But, I don’t think our patients or visitors to our websites get it. I don’t think it impresses them like we think it should. Patients understand that new technology is important, but I don’t think they realize what it does. I’m not sure what kind of an impression you get by featuring the equipment in your practice.
When I visit a doctor’s office, I assume that the doctor has the latest equipment needed to provide me with quality care. Telling me about the equipment and the names of the pieces means very little to me. Have you ever researched a doctor’s office you were planning to visit to see what technology they have available?
Highlight your Staff
Visitors to your website want to know how they will be treated by the doctors and staff in the practice. Patients want to know about the people that will be taking care of them. Be aware of this when writing copy for our websites and social media. We tend to write so that we will be impressed. Our copy is filled with all the information we think our patients should know. But the world is different now, we need to write our copy to give the information that a patient wants to know. We need to look from a patient’s perspective.
If you must brag, then brag about your staff and how quality patient care is everyone’s priority. When a visitor to your site clicks on the staff tab- do they only see information on the doctors in the practice or do you include your whole staff? I have seen it done both ways. I feel that an office functions best when everyone is a team. So I like to see the entire staff featured. This shows patients that you view all your staff as important members of the team.
If you have a large staff and feel it is too cumbersome to highlight each member, then perhaps you could group them by their function on the team. For example feature the front desk receptionists together. In a similar style, you could group opticians, technicians, back office personnel, etc. That gives a very different message than only featuring the doctors in your practice.
Putting a more personal touch on your website makes you appear more approachable. If your staff don’t want their last names included, then that’s ok. Only use information that they feel comfortable sharing. Another advantage of highlighting all your staff is showcasing the years of experience your staff has. This makes prospective patients have a higher level of confidence in your ability to provide them with excellent care.
Update periodically
Websites offer you the opportunity to make a great first impression. It’s true it can be a lot of work to create one in the first place. The temptation to just let your website stand with no revisions or updates can be appealing. But it is not serving you to its best ability.
You update your office décor and your equipment, so don’t forget your website. Your website is out there representing you 24/7. Make sure it represents you well. Try and look at the message you are putting out to prospective new patients. Have your staff, family and friends visit the site and get their input. You could even ask some of your patients to give their feedback. Do they think it represents you well? Do they think that things should be added or changed? It’s not something that you have to do all the time, but it is a wise investment to look at it periodically.
How do you handle staff information on your website? Do you write a short biography for everyone or only the optometric staff? Do you feature equipment on your site? What is your opinion on including information on the technology available in your practice?
Leave your comments below. Share information on the content of your website that you feel has helped to attract people to your practice. If you want more information on website review, please read the blog before this one for other suggestions. In the next blog (the third part of this series on websites), we will discuss other possible features that can be added to your site.