A lot has changed in the way healthcare practices must market themselves to stay ahead of local competition.  Our top ten list of website must-haves is applicable to medical practices off all kinds, from Ophthalmology or Plastic Surgery to Dentistry and Orthopedics and everything in between.

1. A Lead Magnet – Think of it as a sort of transaction; you provide something of value to your prospect, an irresistible offer, or perhaps a valuable eBook or Guide. In exchange you receive their contact information.  This information is SUPER valuable because now you can begin to nurture that lead through through their research process, ultimately resulting in an appointment and thus becomming a patient.
2. Social Proof – When picking a restaurant, the choice we make often comes down to word-of-mouth or what other people have said on Yelp or Google. By checking online ratings and reviews, your prospects feel empowered to make a more informed selection. With that said, your prospects are more likely to convert to patients if they are able to read about the experiences of your other patients. Why not make that information readily available to them? There are widgets for that!
3. Clear Call to Action – Clearly show your visitor the place on the screen to click, the next step they should take, an additional place on your site to interact. If your visitor doesn’t know where they are supposed to go, it can adversely affect your bounce rate, decreasing your average visitor’s time on site. You’ve effectively caused people to leave your site faster, because they aren’t sure where find what they came looking for in the first place.
4. Value Proposition – What sets your practice apart from your competition? What makes you the best option in your area? It is CRITICAL that this information be front and center on your website! One thing to keep in mind though… Your value proposition isn’t about you. Your value proposition is about your patient. How are you going to improve their life and how is the experience your practice offers, going to be their best choice?
5. Retargeting Pixel – (as provided by com): Retargeting is a cookie-based form of online advertising designed to keep your brand in front of visitors who left your site without interacting or converting to a lead. Retargeting works by using JavaScript code to anonymously 'follow' your audience. When a visitor comes to your site, the code drops a browser cookie. As your visitor surfs the web, the cookie will tell social media platforms and other ad placements to show your ad. This improves overall ROI for your ad-spend by serving your ads specifically to people who are familiar with your brand.
6. Mobile Optimization – This one may seem like a no-brainer. Didn’t we all optimize for mobile two years ago?  Well, you’d think so.  However, just because your site purports to be mobile optimized, that doesn’t mean that a user’s experience on the mobile version of your site is optimal. You’re much more likely to lose a visitor if the information they need isn’t above the fold.  If they have to scroll, they’re likely to bounce.  
7. Click to Call – Seems odd, but as a fact, we are less likely to call a business if we have to copy/paste the phone number from that business’ mobile site into our mobile phone’s dialer. Create a click-to-call link that automatically sends the information. It’s a quick, easy win.  
8. Info Request Form – It’s a chance for your visitor to interact with your website. To increase the odds that your prospect books a consult, place an info request form on every page of your site. The more times a visitor sees the form, the more likely they are to take action and provide you with their contact information.
9. Online Scheduler – Why not make it easy for your prospect to become a patient by providing an online scheduler where they can pick a date and time that works best for them? That way, you are already establishing a rapport with your patient by making the scheduling process a breeze!
10. Visitor Screen Recording – The fun stuff! We can now record the heat mapping and cursor movements of your visitors as they interact with your website. These recordings and reports providing incredibly valuable insight into the activities of your site’s visitors. Where are they focusing their attention on each page, what’s enticing them to click.  This is the information we use to make updates, to optimize the user experience, to capture more visitors and convert them into patients.

Is your practice using and or all of these tactics to help improve more patient lives?  Check out a case study to see exactly how Inbound Marketing can improve the bottom line for your practice!