Having a good website is a necessity in today’s digital age and especially so for medical practices, with potential prospects often searching with a sense of urgency and the need to make an immediate decision.
With that in mind, here are 5 medical website design ideas you need to follow.
#1: Less is more.
Actors and actresses say the hardest thing to do in their profession can be nothing. What’s true on the movie screen or the stage is also true in your online presence. You have to resist the urge to pour out every piece of information about your facility or your chosen practice area on the home page.
All you want to do is make sure you present yourself professionally, yet with a welcoming attitude. And the reader has to know precisely what it is you do immediately upon landing. Again, they’re looking fast and will make a decision on whether to stay with you in a matter of milliseconds. Use the minimal amount of information and graphics necessary to show them who you are.
#2: Keep it clean.
This is bringing the “less is more” principle to the back end of the website. Users won’t see it, but they will see the results. A website that’s loaded down with excess code or useless widgets and add-ons is going to run slower. That’s going to chase anxious visitors away. It’s also going to be noticed by Google’s spiders, who will drop you in the search rankings. If you’re not sure if your website is clean, hire someone to perform an audit and make recommendations for changes.
#3: Be mobile-friendly.
The entire digital world is rapidly trending this way, as more of us seek out even the most casual pieces of information on our phones. It’s even more important in the medical space, where your prospects are running searches in a hurry. A child broke their ankle at a baseball game. A dozen phones just got whipped out to find the nearest emergency room. A parent doesn’t like the sound of their child’s cough. Their phone comes out to find a doctor they can see right away. Your website has to look good on devices of all sizes.
#4: Be ADA-compliant.
Here’s another area where what’s true for every website is even more true for those in the medical profession. Your website needs to conform to basic guidelines to allow the disabled—in this case, those with vision issues would be of particular concern—to easily access your site.
#5: Have a clear call to action (CTA).
This circles back to the beginning, with a clear and simple focus on the home page. Do you want website visitors to call you? Even better, to book an appointment right online? Make sure the site communicates this and offers easy means—like a booking form—to get the job done.