Online marketing has opened up a whole new world for service-orientated businesses, and having an effective, high converting website should be at the forefront of any practitioner or therapist’s marketing efforts.
This is not always the case, however, with many business sites still lacking the basic components that can help maximize their marketing, lead generation and patient retention strategies. Let’s look at 5 of what are considered to be critical elements for well-designed and high converting websites.
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A Clear Call To Action
What do we mean by a “call to action”? It’s simply an instruction you provide that provokes an immediate response from the user. Examples of effective calls to action for practice sites might include a clear “Find Out More” button on the home page, a contact form that is short but asks for enough information so that the business can contact the user, or a sign-up form or download button for a free report. Another useful option could be a direct “Make A Booking” button or link, as this provides returning patients with an easy way to keep using your service.
A call to action should be simple, eye-catching and take pride of place on your home page. It should also not just be added to a page as an after-thought. The call to action you choose should fit in with the overall purpose of the site. As an example, if your site is information-rich and you are targeting new patients, then a call to action that allows users to download a free information report would be appropriate.
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Meaningful Headlines And Copy
Again, the purpose of your business website will greatly determine the type of headlines and copy you use. If your website is focused on marketing the different services you provide then the headlines and copy you create should be attention-grabbing and orientated towards benefits for the user. Always ensure that your copy is well written, without mistakes or grammatical errors, and it is a good idea to use dot points to break up large amounts of text. Discussing common problems and talking about solutions you can offer can be a great way to appeal to the market you are targeting.
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Contact Information
You might be surprised by the number of business websites out there that still don’t feature their contact information in easy to find locations. Having your contact details – either your phone number or email or both – on the home page is obviously a vital element to lead generation and conversion.
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Having A Mobile Responsive Site
Your current and potential patients are using their mobiles more and more to find businesses and to book services online. Is your business website mobile responsive – that is, will it function correctly on mobile devices? If you haven’t checked or think it’s not important you are probably missing out on a large section of your target market. It is equally important to make sure that your site actually looks good on a mobile device. The best mobile-responsive sites have been thoughtfully designed around what the user wants – for example, is there a clearly defined button where they can book an appointment or a visible menu where they can get more information on your services?
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Patient Testimonials
Note: This one is only for jurisdictions where testimonials are allowed. To be clear, testimonials are not allowed in Australia.
One of the quickest ways to build up trust in potential clients is to feature patient testimonials on your business website. This is not surprising as one of the main ways people find services such as physical therapy is through family, friends or local recommendations. We tend to trust the experience and opinion of others, and having the recommendation of satisfied patients on your website can definitely help to not only influence potential clients but also to increase confidence among existing patients.
Testimonials can be as detailed or as simple as you want, but if possible they should focus on the benefits of your services and the quality of your practice in general.
Remember, the purpose of your website is to help the visitor get the information they want or need to take the next step in solving their problem and ideally, furthering their relationship with you. Focusing your attention on making sure that your website has the high converting elements will help both your visitor and your business.
