Create a Winning Refractive Web Site
Make changes that maximize
your site's pulling power.
BY ROBERT C. SILKEY
Today's Internet users know what they want from a practice Web site. And we now have several years of compelling statistics to help us decide what to focus on when constructing a site that will attract potential refractive patients.
We've learned that consumers who search the Internet for information on refractive surgery want the information from a doctor, not a journalist or other third party. In fact, consumers are now more insistent about knowing the details of treatment options than ever before.
The results of research conducted for this article show that the keyword "LASIK" was typed into the search box of the major search engines 33,871 times in the month of June. "LASIK Eye Surgery" was entered 25,543 times during the same month. So clearly, by providing good, reliable information on LASIK, practices have an opportunity to attract the attention of these consumers.
What Your Site Needs
Today, a practice Web site must include the following five components to be successful. If your site doesn't currently provide all of these features, it's time to take the appropriate steps to improve your practice's Internet presence.
1. Aesthetic appeal. This starts with a "mission image." Successfully communicating your mission means creating a site with a specific look and feel that's projected to prospective patients. The visual appearance of the site's home page -- including an eye-grabbing graphic and a memorable tagline (a short, powerful, defining phrase) -- must embody the goal of the practice.
This doesn't mean that your site should be flooded with pictures of the practice, the doctors or the staff. Too much flash or "bleeding edge" technology can take too long to load, and the prospective patient may leave the site. Music and/or animation irritate many consumers, who go to the Internet looking for straightforward, useful information on refractive surgery. The site's imagery should represent the new look, feel and way of life the patient can anticipate after experiencing laser vision correction provided by an expert surgeon.
2. Useful content. It's one thing to capture the attention of prospective patients -- it's another to keep them in the site. This is why, as the Internet saying goes, "Content is king." Consumer-oriented educational content is nothing less than crucial. And while information about the doctor, practice and staff lend credibility to the site, detailed information about the refractive procedures your practice offers is equally if not more significant.
If your practice wants to build a national presence, then the Web site may provide a wealth of information, providing descriptions of various procedures and other resources for the patient. On the other hand, the goal of most local practices is simply to establish credibility with local consumers who search the Internet for healthcare information.
3. Easy navigation. Make links organized and easy to find on the home page. Of course, information must be presented in a way that's easy for the patient to understand and use. So don't bury your most important information deep within the Web site.
4. Practice contact information. To successfully convert Web site visitors into patients, you must make it easy for them to establish contact. It's therefore very important to provide the following "calls to action": a highly visible phone number, an e-mail address, and a simple contact form. The contact form and e-mail communication are imperative, as electronic communication from a prospective patient is just as important as a phone call.
Prompt response to inquiries from potential patients is also necessary. By setting up an auto-response in your e-mail program, you can provide a pre-written response that's delivered to the prospect immediately. This assures the prospective patient that their contact is valuable to your practice.
5. Constant evaluation and improvement. The Internet is a sea of information and it's important to review the statistical package provided with your Web site to see who the visitors are, which search engines they were referred from, and which pages were the most or least visited.
With the right statistics, you can draw conclusions that make it simple to adjust your Internet strategy as necessary. It's much easier to update a Web site than it is a brochure. Ask your Internet development firm about the options it offers to evaluate and improve your site to attract those Internet-savvy consumers you want to reach.
Robert C. Silkey is the founder and CEO of Einstein Medical, Inc.
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10 Practice Web Site Questions Answered |
1. What size Web site is most effective? That depends on what you would like your site to accomplish. If your goal is to introduce patients to your practice, substantiate your company's credibility, and present a "call to action" to potential Internet-savvy patients, then a five-page site may do the trick, especially if your practice is just starting to build an Internet strategy. However, if you want to use your site to offer extensive information about your products or services, help your practice attain national presence, or increase office efficiency (e.g. by offering patient forms online), a five-page Web site may be insufficient. The more information you include about your procedures, the better. Each procedure that's profiled on a practice Web site is equivalent to one page of text. Many procedures equal many pages, so if you want to include a substantial amount of copy, you'll need to purchase a Web site large enough to contain it. 2. What kind of content should my Web site contain? The primary pages can be simply: 1) Home 2) About the Practice 3) Procedures 4) Medical Conditions 5) Contact Us and 6) Directions. Of course, you can customize these pages to suit your practice's individual needs. The home page will include links to each of the Web site's subpages. These links, or titles, should be simple and straightforward. 3. Will flash animation draw more people to my site? Flash can help your practice look large, intimate, modern, relaxing. It can also grab a potential patient's attention. However, it must be used with caution. Pages with large sections of flash and little content typically produce slower search results. Flash can also cause problems for people still using slower Internet connections, such as dial-up. The delay in page-loading often causes frustration for these Internet users, and they often leave the site before your first page even loads. 4. Are patient testimonials important? Yes, as are clear photographs. 5. Would it benefit me to have multiple domain names? Multiple domain names can be beneficial and are usually cost effective. Domain names like www.drjonessandiego.com or www.drjoneslasik.com can attract two different types of patients, so you want to be sure the ones you choose target the right audience. Multiple domain names also are an excellent way to track and evaluate your marketing campaigns. For example, you can use one domain for yellow pages ads, one for newspaper ads, one for support literature, and one for radio advertising. You can then check your Web site statistics and see how much traffic these different advertising media bring to your site and adjust your campaigns accordingly. 8. Is a contact form more productive than an e-mail link? Absolutely. A contact form doesn't require a patient to open an e-mail account. It's also quick, direct, and more likely to be successful. In fact, statistics show that sites employing a contact form receive 40% more inquiries than those that use only e-mail links. Forms are also a more effective method of tracking Internet inquiries because they can appear separately in Web site statistics and as a separate page of your site. This way, practices can see how many people went to the contact form and how much time they spent there. Practices don't have this advantage with e-mail links. 9. How frequently should I update my site? Because updating a Web site is much simpler and less costly than updating a printed brochure, you can update your site monthly. The search engines and patients visiting the site respond well to new information. Keep staff photos and bios updated and occasionally offer specials, seminars, or news about what's happening at your practice. This will keep return visitors interested. Remember, however, that to keep your Web site up-to-date, you'll need to have it redesigned roughly every 2 years. 10. Do all Web design companies offer all services necessary to manage a site? Not necessarily. Some companies, such as advertising agencies, local design or technology firms, and Internet development firms, may offer template sites, which are cookie-cutter sites strikingly similar to others they've produced. Other companies produce custom sites. It's also important to inquire about the company's services. You should know what's included before you purchase a Web site package, as there are numerous services that are necessary to support the Web site. These services, such as statistics packages, a hosting company, and HIPAA-compliant e-mail requirements, may be provided by the company from whom you purchase your Web site, or you may be required to purchase them separately. |
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