Driving traffic to your website is only the first step

Establishing a prominent online presence is essential for any private practice hoping to thrive. Even if there is little competition in your immediate area, it is important for your ophthalmology website to portray the level of professionalism and care that patients can expect to receive once they book an appointment.

Whether you hire someone to create your website or you are learning the ropes to do it yourself, try to put yourself in your patient’s shoes. What do they need to see and know in order to feel comfortable and eager to visit your office?

Check out our top ways to drive traffic to your private practice website and convert views to appointments.

EFFECTIVE SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION

The recipe to any successful ophthalmology private practice website begins with effective search engine optimization (SEO). This term encompasses a variety of strategies that can be used to position any website to receive consistent and organic traffic flow (see “Top SEO strategies,” below).

In short, excellent SEO will be what helps your potential patients find your website when they head to Google to find an ophthalmologist in their area. Hiring a professional to build and optimize your website will save you a considerable amount of time while ensuring it is done correctly.

INCLUDE A CALL TO ACTION

From the initial Google search to the moment individuals begin looking for a way to schedule an appointment, your website should pave a clear path for anyone seeking your medical care. Including a clear call to action on each page of your website is a wonderful way to direct patients to your contact page or online scheduler.

An enticing call to action can be a message at the end of a paragraph on your homepage telling people to “Contact us” for more information. Similarly, you can include clickable buttons on your site with phrases such as “Schedule now” or “Book now.” Furthermore, simply giving thorough information about your practice in a concise manner is an effective way to compel people to schedule their next appointment.

In this day and age, allowing your patients to schedule their own appointments online can be pivotal in the success of your private practice. People are busy, and phone calls take more time than many are willing to sacrifice. With an online scheduling option on your practice website, patients may create appointments at their convenience.

A MOBILE RESPONSIVE DESIGN

Did you know that your website looks different on a computer than on a cell phone? That’s why your website needs to be created with a mobile-responsive design that allows your potential patients to efficiently search your site without having to unnecessarily zoom in and out or scroll for an excessive amount of time to find what they need.

According to Statista, the current number of smartphone users is 6.6 billion, or around 85% of the world’s population. With more people owning cell phones than computers, it only makes sense for your private practice website to be user-friendly for those searching from a phone.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Providing potential patients with an easy-to-find website that is user-friendly should be the start of your journey to establishing a prominent online presence. Furthermore, incorporating compelling call to action messages throughout your website in addition to an online scheduler are key ways to convert site views to appointments. OM

Richard Zimbalist is owner of Ignite Medical, a medical digital marketing agency (ignitemedicalco.com ) and COMO Web Designs (comowebdesigns.com ).

Nathan Abraham, MD, is owner of Abraham Eye Center (abrahameye.com ).