Healthcare has been sluggish to embrace digital transformation due to its complexity, legal limits, conservative attitude, and truly astonishing diversity in demands and capabilities of organizations and patients.
Despite these obstacles, healthcare is one of the sectors that can benefit the most from digitalization. And one place where this is most relevant is the healthcare website.
A website acts as a spine, providing the foundation for your information and messaging to be appropriately supported. A good website draws leads to your business, gives them the information they need, and provides them with the means to interact with you further.
Gone are the days when websites were created and then sat dormant for years. Today’s digital world moves at a breakneck rate, with fascinating new developments in design and web programming occurring on a daily basis.
Therefore, your website should constantly evolve to match the objectives and goals of your healthcare organization. For now, you can look to ensure that your healthcare website has the following 10 key features that are critical in the medical industry.
1. Responsiveness
Most of your prospective patients own a smartphone, tablet, or both. According to our research, leads frequently view a website on various devices, depending on the time of day. Moreover, Google now gives mobile-friendly websites a higher ranking in search results.
So, you are missing out on a huge portion of your market if your website is not responsive. Therefore, you need to ensure that website is optimized for mobile use and has a fast load time.
2. A Secure Web Presence
First and foremost, you must ensure that your medical website complies with the HIPAA Security Rule, which establishes criteria for the transfer of electronic patient health information and who can access it. Because your website will most certainly collect patient or potential patient data, website security is an important consideration that should not be disregarded.
3. A Wide Range of Content for Users
The self-service craze that has overtaken other industries is now sweeping healthcare. We live in a world that is becoming increasingly patient-centric, with self-service and patient interaction playing an important role in the overall healthcare system.
And your website is at the cutting edge of this change. Hence, it is vital to create website content tailored to patients.
It is already in high demand. People want to learn further about their healthcare from a trustworthy source. The better informed the user is, the lower their cost of healthcare will be. With rising costs, cost savings that do not compromise care are important to people.
If you provide people with the information and/or resources on your website that can help them to achieve this goal, your healthcare services are more likely to be used by them.
4. Accurate Contact and Local Information
Although it may seem obvious, it is critical to ensure that your website includes complete contact information for your office or offices. When you need to book an appointment or get directions, nothing is more stressful than attempting to find a phone number or location.
If you have many locations, make sure to give each one’s address, contact number, and hours. The more easily this information can be accessed, the better.
5. Calls-to-Action (CTA)
After you have created high-quality content, make sure to promote it. Consider how consumers interact with your site and what content is most likely to close prospects in the final decision stage against what content is top-of-funnel.
Then, create calls-to-action that persuade leads to click through to learn more. Use these CTAs to direct leads to premium content, carefully guiding them through their buying process and providing them with useful information.
6. System Integration
Healthcare systems are notoriously difficult to understand. They are a very specific system with a very specific use case. Furthermore, data sharing and openness raise security, confidentiality, and ethical concerns.
Regardless, the advantages of having all of your data in one location are too compelling to ignore. Not only will this enable back-end systems to work more seamlessly, quickly, and cost-effectively, but it would also allow for developments such as:
- Faster patient processing
- Process automation
- Better diagnosis
- More accurate resource location
With costs constantly being debated and the healthcare industry becoming increasingly fragmented, any website design or overhaul must address how it will integrate with old systems. Keep this in mind when designing your website.
7. Quality Images and Graphics
Make sure to incorporate high-quality photographs and graphics unique to your company if you really want to distinguish your website from the competition. These design components will add personality to your healthcare website. Wherever possible, avoid using stock imagery and instead add custom-designed pieces.
8. Resources for Current and Potential Patients
If you can make new patient documentation available for download online, potential patients will feel better prepared for their initial appointment, and check-in time will be reduced. Hyperlinks to your patient portal, electronic bill payment, and privacy policies are all resources you can add to your website that your patients will appreciate.
9. FAQs Section
A single page detailing what to expect during the initial visit or for a specific procedure is helpful. The more facts your patient receives before the surgery or when they walk into your clinic for the first time, the more at peace they will be. FAQs can be grouped and used based on processes, billing practices, and visiting policies, among other things.
10. Testimonials
Testimonials, as well as before and after images if applicable to your services, are a great addition to your website. Nothing beats real-life patient testimonials when it comes to promoting your services. So, make sure you have positive feedback from patients on your website.
Final Word
Our experienced professionals at Purple Tie Guys are known for designing powerful mobile and online applications. If you are looking to create a medical website with the above features, the Purple Tie Guys can help you with that. We have a team of competent and efficient developers who can deliver flawless outcomes based on the specifications provided by you. Get in touch with us today to know more!