The very first website in the world was created by Tim Berners-Lee, a British scientist from the European organization for nuclear research (CERN). The author conceived the site as an open space where everyone can search for ideas and share them. This site became the basis for the development of the modern Internet. However, 30 years have passed since then, and during this time, the Internet has undergone significant changes.
Nowadays there are 4.13 billion Internet users and over 1.74 billion various business websites available on the Internet: grocery stores, boutique shops, beauty salons, eye clinics, insurance, pharmacy, coffee shop, bank, accountants, etc. Though, despite the online diversity and digitalization, some companies are still not aware of the importance of having a website for business and marketing purposes. And doctors are not an exception, surprisingly some of them still truly believe that there’s no need and value for them to have a website. Well, let’s find out if this is the case and why a doctor should have a website.
Brand Awareness
First of all, a website is the face of any business, it is what Internet users (potential buyers) see when they first visit your website searching for answers. In fact, it’s their first impression about you as a medical professional and your business, that can significantly increase your brand awareness. Hence, if there’s no website, there’s zero impression about you as a doctor.
Business Reputation
For patients, a website determines a doctor’s reputation, credibility, and professional expertise. Nowadays people are very hesitant. If a doctor doesn’t have an online presence yet, it is considered a very negative signal by its existing and potential patients. It can ruin a reputation putting the business at risk. People don’t trust word of mouth anymore, they search online, do due diligence and if they don’t see your Internet presence, they will find another medical professional who already has it.
Business Growth
Your business can only keep growing if you get more patients. And if a doctor has a website, it means more and more people will visit it and get to know about the doctor, its practice, expertise, and reputation. It’s a very powerful marketing instrument that generates more leads for your business increasing sales and driving business growth.
Everything is online now
Nowadays it is very easy to find a doctor on the Internet, you just need to search for the keywords on Google and it will automatically generate a list of search results for you. But for the customers to be able to find you, you need to be online, you need to have a website. On top of that, you need to have a good website: user-friendly, easy to navigate, and relevant content. Take into consideration that patients usually look for specific information: doctor’s practice, prices, contact information, locations, office hours, reviews, medical news, and online booking. Make sure you have it on your website and that way you’ll make your patients satisfied.
Improve Customer Service
Having a website will also help to increase operational efficiency and customer satisfaction. Do you know that 60% of the patients, that is on hold for more than a minute, usually hang up? Just imagine how many potential clients can a clinic lose just by making them wait on the phone to book an appointment. In comparison, a website is a virtual office that works 24/7. At any time, patients can visit it and get the information they need. They don’t need to wait until the clinic opens to get the answer that they want, with the website they can find everything they need there: book an appointment, find the description of services, prices, etc. This significantly increases the productivity of the staff and essentially improves customer service driving value and customer satisfaction.
Conclusion
A good website is a strong marketing and communications tool that you can use to build and maintain long-lasting engaging relationships with your customers and grow your business. If you already have a website, that’s great, but don’t stop working on it, constantly update it with relevant content, and work on SEO and google ranking. But if you don’t have one yet, you are probably missing out on many potential consumers.
It’s time to digitalize and transform your business. Consider hiring a professional agency that can create and maintain a high-quality website for you with tailored content and SEO strategy. That investment will definitely pay you off.
