For any small business, a website is crucial for growing and advancing their brand. This is even more important for aesthetic medical practices, where reputation and accessibility can mean the difference between bringing in a new client and having them go to your competition. To exceed potential client expectations and foster a loyal customer base, you need an optimized, interactive, attractive, and intuitive website that will represent your practice in a consistent and superior way.
Your website is at the center of your communication efforts, making it a crucial component of your practice’s reputation, marketing, and sales. Take a look at these numbers:
- 91% of adults online use search engines to find information, and 93% never go past the first page of search results (proving the importance of effective SEO).
- It takes less than 1/2 of a second for a user to form an opinion about your website and decide whether to stay or go. This split-second first impression also has a direct impact on how the consumer thinks about your practice as a whole.
- 75% of consumers admit to judging a practice’s credibility simply based on first impressions of the website.
- 88% of consumers are less likely to return to your site if they had a poor user experience. Clear and intuitive navigation is essential to keeping potential clients happy.
- 47% of web users expect a page to load in less than two seconds. Slow loading web pages will unquestionably cost you potential clients. It is estimated that retailers overall forfeited $2.6 billion in lost sales just this past year due to slow loading websites.
Gone are the days when you can trust your website to some distant relative who is “good at computers,” or whip something up with the help of your practice manager’s child who dabbled in coding. You need a web development company like Reach Beyond Marketing that is skilled at developing sophisticated web infrastructure while understanding the unique intricacies of the ever-changing aesthetic medical industry. This combination of skills allows us to create an engaging user experience, provide sound search engine optimization (SEO) strategies, and grow your digital presence to enhance your bottom line.
Studies in 2018 are showing that best practices for web design are shifting back toward a focus on simplicity and functionality. Visit the apple.com website, and you’ll see clean web design and functionality that shares a clear message with consumers. If this type of web development and practice works for the most valuable and successful company in the world, it can also work for your practice’s website. With this in mind, here are 3 best practices to incorporate into your website:
- Think “Mobile First.” The majority of people today will access your site via a mobile phone or tablet, so it’s important that your site be optimized for the mobile user. A mobile-optimized site will also improve your SEO by loading faster, decreasing bounce rate, improving site usability and “time on page,” and more.
- Content is Still King. Despite all of the complicated algorithms and non-human factors involved in the success of your website, it is still vitally important to regularly post compelling, interesting, and relevant content for your users. Keyword-rich, informative blogs are an excellent way to provide updated site content while also establishing your authority in your field.
- Don’t Neglect Social Media. Your website should feature links to all of your practice’s social media networks, allowing the user to quickly access these channels and expand your engagement. It is also important to frequently provide social media followers with links to new, fresh web content so they have a reason to keep following you.
Take charge of your practice’s website to ensure it is the dynamic communications tool you need to stand out in today’s ultra-competitive aesthetic medical world. The experts at Reach Beyond Marketing are here to help your site rise above the rest and become an effective component of your overall marketing plan. Contact us today at 203-678-9887 or fill out our form to learn more about what we can do for your practice.