It’s a good time to review our current business performance and assess how our tools are helping us achieve our goals.
If you haven’t given attention to your digital presence, there is no time like now. Today, people have access to a wide range of content and information and you will be judged by your digital presence as well as your clinical expertise. Even if you are a specialist that has been referred by a GP, research tells us that potential patients will still look online and use this to help them in their decision making.
So – is it time to say goodbye to your dinosaur website and let it join its friends?
Just like any business asset, websites can stop having the ability to perform as you need them to. This can happen slowly, until you find you are not getting enough traffic or conversions. Here are some tips to assess whether it’s time to bite the bullet and say goodbye to your old website:
1 – Look at your Google Analytics
One of the greatest advantages of digital assets is the ease of ability to review and check performance over time. Go to your website’s Google Analytics and check some key criteria.
- How many visitors come to the site? Has this increased annually or dropped off?
- Which pages do they visit most often?
- How long do they stay? (The longer they stay, the greater the chance of conversion).
- Has the ‘bounce’ rate increased over time i.e. are they staying for a shorter period of time because the website is no longer engaging them as it should?
2 – It looks old and/or doesn’t match you brand
As well as not working as well, old website design often looks old and doesn’t set the right impression of a modern, up to date practice. This can include out of date imagery including that of you and your staff, old design layouts, fonts and colour schemes. Another big tell is the overuse of stock shots on websites. Modern websites have real imagery that gives a true picture of the doctors, the practice, its location and the key people working there.
Your website is a key piece of marketing. You may have adjusted your brand or gone in a different direction from when you built your website. Your brand is the cornerstone of your marketing and your website should be a direct reflection of your brand.
3 – Does it work well on mobile phones?
Google’s data tells us that over 50% of Google searches are done via mobile devices. How does your website look on a mobile phone? A new website is designed to be tested across all devices and browsers so it moulds itself to fit perfectly to any screen size and is easy to read and navigate.
4 – Is the content and functionality up to date?
Have you changed your services, added new services, added locations, have new key people? Does your website reflect this?
Is your patient information clear and up to date? Is the website working for you as resource tool? Can patients make an enquiry, book an appointment or download information?
Remember that your website is a direct reflection of your service and gives your potential patients an insight into what they can expect from your practice. Having relevant, up to date information and providing it in an easy to use format that is readily accessible is an important part of gaining consumer confidence.
5 – Is it helping you to be found?
Does the website have integrated Google maps? Does it give information on best parking and transport? These are all important factors in helping your patient find you and have a more relaxed experience in the process. It is also a great resource that frees up your reception/secretarial staff allowing them to spend their time more productively instead of repeating directions!
6 – Do you have a blog section and is it up to date?
Many websites have a blog section but have never uploaded a blog or have not updated blogs for months or even years. This is the same as having a 2-year-old magazine in your waiting room – it doesn’t set a good impression with your visitors.
An up to date blog helps your website to feel fresh and assists greatly with your website being found in a Google search.
7 – It’s slooooowwww…
One of the main reasons people bounce out of websites is due to slow site speed. Page speed is one of Google’s top-ranking criteria. Their data shows that this is a key factor in keeping people engaged, providing them with a good search experience and ultimately converting them as a user of your service. If your site is slow, Google will penalise it in search results.
8 – It’s hard to make updates
You should be able to make information updates to your website quickly and easily. If your website needs major design or navigation changes, you will need a web developer, but you should be able to make changes to information, upload blogs and add pages readily and easily without assistance.
Your website is one of your key information assets and it’s important that you are in control of it.
TIME TO SAY GOODBYE?
Maybe your website just needs a few cosmetic changes, or maybe it’s time to say goodbye. Contact us today to arrange for a complimentary website audit on 1300 941 250.
