Websites are now more than ever a key component of medical marketing as well as being a substantial financial and IP investment. So it makes good sense for you to have full control over your website and make sure it is protected.
Here are some points to be aware of:
Are you able to make changes to your website quickly and easily
To do this, you need to ensure you have a leading Content Management Systems (CMS) such as WordPress.
One of the key factors when choosing a CMS is that you have control allowing you or your team to make simple changes to content and imagery. Although you may prefer to use a website developer you don’t want to be reliant upon them for simple changes. This can prove to be expensive and some website developers may hold you to ransom for future changes and basic updates. Also be aware that if you have website that is using their proprietary software, you will have no choice but to pay them.
Monitoring who has access to your website CMS
With a website, you generally have people who require access to it, such as the person making changes to it, the SEO company, your IT team etc. We have had a number of clients give access to a number of staff without monitoring them which can prove to be problematic. To make sure you keep control of your site, we highly recommended that you provide each person with their own user name and password, rather then just sharing one around. We now ensure all CJU websites are built with a plugin installed that tracks who makes changes and when, based on their login. This ensures if anything goes wrong or changes are made that you haven’t authorised, you will be able to determine who has undertaken the action. This means you can then give your staff additional training or information to safeguard against any further mishaps.
Backing up your website regularly
We have been approached by a number of doctors who have completely lost their entire websites through hacking and malicious intent, and only then realising that they had not been backing the site up and therefore had no copy to restore.
Be sure to get your IT team or hosting provider involved and request a full backup of your website on a regular basis. For those making minimal changes, once a month should suffice.
Ensure your hosting company has decent security
When choosing a website hosting provider, be sure to base your choice on more than just their monthly charges. Check that they are based in Australia for better speeds and easy to access support. Also ensure they have the correct security protocols in place to keep your website safe.
Keep track of your website’s performance
Finally, ensure that your web developers have installed Google Analytics on your website. This is entirely free and provides robust reports on who is visiting your website, how long they are spending on it and a myriad of other information – all designed to give you the ability to analyse your data to ensure your website is doing its job properly.
Making your online resource work for you
If you think you are not getting the best from your current website, or if you don’t have a website – give us a call. We will be able to help and advise you on how to realise your online goals.
by Plia Ward
