Your website has the potential to play a vital role in the promotion of your practice online.  Likewise, it can also have a negative impact on a first time visitor’s perception of your office if your website’s appearance and performance aren’t up to speed.

Don’t let a few flaws in your site’s presentation cost you new patients. Look for these signs that your website needs refreshed to keep visitors on your page.

Design is outdated

Potential patients are visiting your website to get a feel for your practice. But if the first impression they get from your site is that it’s outdated, then what message are you sending about your office?  Like most things, website designs require maintenance in order to remain effective. Consider giving yours a facelift if it hasn’t been changed since you first launched your site.

Broken links

Have you checked the links on your website lately?  A visitor may think they are clicking to a page to learn more about Invisalign, but when they get there the page no longer exists. This is not only frustrating, but it sends the message to the patient that your practice doesn’t offer the services they are looking for.

Confusing navigation

Visitors to your site will want to learn more about your office, your services and your staff.  A well designed website will have organized buttons and tabs that quickly direct them to that information with ease. Cluttered sites, however, may cost you business as users will move on to a competitor’s site that provides the content they are looking for in fewer clicks.

Missing links to social media

If you’re already blogging and using Facebook to engage with patients online, then you’re one step ahead of many of your local competitors.  But if you haven’t included these important URLs on your website home page, don’t expect many people to join your social network.  By simply displaying social media buttons on your site, you’ll let visitors know that they can join your community for additional interaction with your practice.

Put yourself in your patients’ shoes. When you visit a site for the first time, what features are immediate turn offs? Outdated designs and photos?  Disorganized content? Broken links? If your website exhibits any of these signs, talk to your website provider about ways to enhance its usability and visual appearance.

For a free Web presence consultation, contact Officite at 800-908-2483, and speak to your personal Web Presence Advisor!