Industry Insider
Industry Insider is a continuing department that asks leaders in the lower extremity fields to comment on industry trends. This month’s Industry Insider is Glenn Lombardi, president of Officite, based in Oak Brook, IL.

Q: What does the future hold for web sites?
A: Today, sites are professionally designed and eye appealing with hundreds of pages of medical content customized for the practice. Within 3 to 5 years, the majority of doctors will have practice Web sites. The Web has become the number one source of research for a large portion of the population. Of the over 110 million consumers who sought health information online in 2001, 77% said they prefer to learn from a health care professional’s Web site, rather than a medical portal. And, in 2002, 7.3 million people visited doctors’ Web sites in a 3-month period.

Q: What is the biggest misconception about starting and maintaining a practice Web site?
A: Most doctors think you have to commit 90 to 120 days to the writing, designing, and creation process— but this is not true. At Officite, we can have a complete 300-page Web site built in 5 business days or less.

Q: What are the advantages of hiring consultants from a web design firm to design a Web site?
A: First, they are expertly trained in designing and building technically sound medical Web sites. Second, they make the process fast and easy. Third, they can optimize the site for the major search engines. A good practice Web site should pay for itself in less then 6 months if it is designed properly.

Q: What is the biggest obstacle to a successful and vibrant Web site?
A: You can have the greatest looking site, but if a patient can’t find you on the Web, you have wasted your time and money. A properly executed search engine optimization strategy will drive new patients to your site. Most patients who use the Internet to search for a Podiatrist, for example, will type key words such as “Podiatrist,” “Podiatry,” or “Foot Doctor” and either the town, city, county or state where they reside. A properly built site will have your practice prominently displayed at the major search engines such as AOL, MSN, Google, and Yahoo.

For more information, contact Officite at 800-908-2483; www.officite.com.