In the early days of the Internet, many sites were created with the simple idea of establishing a presence on a new medium. Other sites were created with the idea of generating new business or fulfilling some other business function, but little was known about how people used the Internet and what strategies would maximize the effectiveness of a website.
Eventually, websites began to give more focus to attracting visitors and getting these visitors to take action. With a lack of detailed tracking, these marketing efforts were difficult to measure and adjust.
The booming market in search advertising helped fuel the creation of modern analytics software, which gave websites the ability to segment their audience and truly evaluate their marketing campaigns. This not only gave advertisers a level of tracking unavailable in any other form of advertising, it also furthered the science of creating websites by giving designers a better understanding of how to build sites for maximum effectiveness.
The future of the Internet will continue to focus highly on action-oriented sites that are tested and adjusted, over time, to maximize performance. Software is already available that allows for sophisticated methods of testing different designs, layouts, and text, ultimately determining what makes a site more effective and user-friendly.
Getting people to come to your website is the first step; the next step is getting them to take action. This is where you need to spell out what makes you different, which is your unique selling proposition. Visitors to your site will most likely shop around and visit the sites of other practices. You need to show them what makes your practice special, whether it’s a unique approach to treatments, exceptional credentials, impeccable work, or special offers and unique financing arrangements.
If the goal of your site is for potential patients to contact you, a special offer or promotion is a sure way of getting more people to take that step, especially if the offer has a timeframe that inspires people to ‘act now’. Even basic steps, like making your contact information more visible, can have a dramatic effect on the amount of contact you receive. Your phone number should be large and visible and repeated multiple times throughout each page of your site.
The links to your contact form should stand out from the rest, and even better, you should have a small contact form on every page of your site. In most cases, the majority of people land on an interior page of the site, not the homepage, so consider that as well when placing a promotion or making a decision regarding the design of your site.
Ultimately, you have to find what’s right for your practice and your market; there is no one-size-fits-all solution. The Internet is a living thing in a constant state of evolution and needs to be treated as such. Updating your site, on a regular basis, not only helps you keep up with these changing times, it can also have a dramatic effect on the new business your site generates.
MyAdvice Can Handle It for You
Too busy to maintain your practice’s site of manage its social media accounts? Let MyAdvice help! We can create organized, well-written blog posts that will get potential clients interested in your services! Contact an MyAdvice Representative to learn more.
