If your website isn't properly designed, it could not only be causing you to have less traffic, but it could also be driving both new and existing clients away. By having an optimized website design you can get a leg up on your competitors in the online marketplace. In this article, we will cover five of the most important factors you should consider when trying to properly design your website.
Look at you own website and check each of the points. Does your website perform?
1. Easy Access to Important Information
One of the first things to ask yourself is “What will be the most important information that anyone who visits my veterinary website be looking for?”. People who are looking at a new website will not spend a lot of time there if you don't tell them what they want to know right away. Information such as your clinic's name, your services that you offer, and a phone number for emergencies should be easily visible right away without having to go through any menus.
2. Layout Matters
The layout of your website is extremely important to consider when designing your website. Research has shown that animal hospital websites that consist of one long continuous page that clients can scroll through and see all of the information they need are more effective in attracting new patients (pet owners) than websites where people have to go through large menus.
3. Consider Load Times
Around 40% of people have said that they will click away from a website if it takes more than 3 seconds to load. We still see a lot of veterinary sites that take far too long to load. That is why, when in the design process, it is critical to consider website performance and the many ways that you could unintentionally be slowing it down. Things such as automatically playing videos or even an album of pictures could be having an effect on your client’s experience of your veterinary clinic's website. Studies have shown that even if you have an album of pictures, visitors of your website will click only the first picture the vast majority of the time.
Check your site's load times with this free tool.
4. The Growing Presence of Mobile
Research has shown that over 50% of all website traffic these days comes from mobile devices, this includes veterinary websites as well. Therefore, having a website that is designed to perform optimally on mobile devices is becoming an increasingly critical part of a properly designed website, especially for veterinary clinics. If people want to book an appointment on the go, having a mobile site that can allow clients to quickly do so can be one of the things that separates you from your competitors.
Check if your site is mobile friendly.
5. Keywords are Key
So now that you have a website that functions well when the clients are on it, the question remains “How do I generate more traffic to my website?”. Good news! Website design plays a role in how well it performs within search engine results. Loading a properly designed websites with keywords is just one way to improve its search engine optimization.
If this all seems a bit daunting, have no fear, there are resources out there that are willing to help you out with your veterinary clinic's website design. If you are a DIY'er , here is a link where you can get a
FREE full scan on your website. It will tell you all the things you can improve to have more of your visitors turn into your new patients.
Now if you can't wait, or would rather spend time with your 4-legged patients, let us do the digital marketing test for you. Simply fill out the request form below and we will contact you. If you are in a competitive market and like to get more business, start by letting us show you how we do it.
