When was the last time you updated your website? Not just a “change the words on the home page and make sure your hours are accurate” kind of update but a “total website redesign, updated team pictures, and storytelling” kind of update. Today, websites only have a shelf life of 3-5 years.
This isn’t just because the colors aren’t popular anymore or the format is no longer “cool.” Updating your website involves several key areas to ensure that it is designed to convert new patients. Because converting website visitors into new patients is what really matters and an outdated website could be holding you back. Here are 3 things you can do right now to bring your chiropractic website up to date.
1. Improve your chiropractic website’s mobile experience
This may be a term you’ve heard before, but we’re here to tell you that a mobile-friendly design is essential to chiropractic marketing in 2020. Here are just a few numbers to consider when thinking about the importance of mobile design for your chiropractic website:
- 88% of consumers who search for a type of local business on mobile device call or go to that business within 24 hours
- 40% of mobile searches are for things in the local area
- 61% of users are unlikely to return to a mobile site they had trouble accessing or was slow to load and 40% visit a competitor’s site instead
There was a time years ago when you would have two separate sites: a mobile and a desktop. But today the most efficient, user-friendly, search engine-friendly site is a responsive one.
How do I know if my site is responsive on mobile?
Open your website on your desktop and resize the browser screen to the size of a tablet and then phone by dragging the sides in. If the words and images reformat to fit the screen and still look nice and readable, then it’s mobile-friendly. (If you’re a Perfect Patients client, your site is responsive.)
Bonus tip: Make sure you can still see your phone number and appointment buttons on mobile. Depending on the design, they could get cut off by the smaller screens. If your website is responsive, but key information is missing or it isn’t user-friendly on mobile, it’s time for an update.
2. Refresh your content
What kinds of questions do new patients ask your front desk? Do they know your office hours, location, specials, and how to schedule an appointment? If not, then there may be gaps in your website content.
If all of this key information is on your chiropractic website, check to make sure it is clearly visible on the homepage where prospective patients can easily navigate to make an appointment with you? Think about where you look on a local business’s website as a visitor. The phone number is usually at the top of the page. The location and directions are at the bottom or under a “Contact Us” tab.
The homepage should also include information on the admitting complaints you treat and your specialties.
Exercise: Get Another Perspective
Ask 2-3 people who haven’t visited your website to take a look at the homepage and see if they can easily identify:
- How to make an appointment
- What differentiates you or what makes your practice unique
In addition to written content, photography tells the story of your practice as well. Does your homepage show what your office looks like and your team? Or is it merely generic stock photography? Prospective patients are looking for welcoming faces and to get to know the person who will be treating them. Establish trust in potential new patients with professional photography. A picture really can speak a thousand words – Make it a friendly introduction.
Here are a few examples of sites that use professional photography to build trust with prospective patients online:
3. Make it obvious why someone should choose you
Your website is the online face of your practice and a critical component of your chiropractic marketing strategy. One of the most crucial questions your website should answer is:
“Why should I choose you over the chiropractor down the street?”
An effective chiropractic website design and digital marketing strategy will clearly differentiate your practice and make it obvious why someone should choose you.
Exercise: Identify Your Perfect Patient
One of the first ways to know if your website answers this question is to ask yourself another question: who is your ideal patient? Are you focusing on children, auto-injury cases, athletes, etc.? What types of problems are your ideal patients having? We can’t be all things to all people and in today’s marketing we don’t even want to try.
Once you have identified your perfect patient, then you can see if your website is designed to target them. Does your chiropractic website reflect how you can solve their specific problems and ease their concerns about working with a new chiropractor? If not, then it’s time to get a redesign focusing on them. Your website is an opportunity to build rapport and create a moment where prospective patients feel like “this chiropractor ‘gets’ me.” Remember, your website isn’t for you but should be designed for the types of patients you hope to attract.
Check out these five chiropractic website designs that really capture the essence of the practice and speak to their ideal patient.
Increased competition, new design trends, and changes in user behavior underscore the importance of having an up-to-date chiropractic website design. If it’s been 4 years or more since your last website update, it’s time to bring it up to speed. Don’t let your website hold you back from achieving your new patient goals. Make it a cornerstone strategy in how to achieve those goals.