Using Optometric Websites to Expand Your Practice
June 16, 2009 by jlewis
Filed under Optometric Websites
Want to see an instant boost to your practice? Designing a dynamic, user-friendly website is just the ticket. You might have a basic website right now, and that’s fine—but it you want to attract more patients in today’s world, your website should mirror the content of the best optometric websites.
Here are a few tips based off of what other optometric websites have done well:
“User-Friendly” is the Key. Many of your visitors might have varying degrees of vision impairment, so this should be a given. A user-friendly environment is what your patients will expect—and what will keep them at your site.
Address the Basics. More than a few new websites (and some established ones) leave out critical basic information that you’ll definitely not want to miss. Your practice’s name, location, and hours of operation should be plainly visible on your homepage. Your patients will be expecting it, so definitely include it.
Talk Yourself Up. Include biographical information about you, the history of your practice, and other key staff. This will allow your patients to get a good feel for your practice in the comfort of their own home.
Advertise. Make your name known, especially in your area. People in your area who are looking for an optometrist should know about you. Increase your reach through search engine optimization so that your site will appear in local searches on Google, Yahoo, and other popular search engines. Signing up with Yahoo Local and Google Maps won’t hurt, either.
Give Patients an Incentive to Visit. Incentives are key. They often make the difference between the “on-the-fence” patient and the “newly acquired” patient. Including special offers, coupons, an opt-in newsletter, and other services that people will find useful will help your patient base expand.
Go the Extra Mile. There are many features you can add to your website that will be of use to your patients. Think about interactive features like a glasses suggestion tool or real-time online scheduling—both can be added fairly easily, and they’ll help your patients immeasurably. With extra touches like these, your website will truly stand out.
Successful optometric websites focus on the patient and provide him or her with needed services. If you follow the steps I’ve outlined above, you’ll have no problem establishing yourself as the go-to professional in your area.
