If you’re in a specialized medical practice, where many of your patients come to you through referrals, you may believe that a website isn’t that important. If so, you’re pretty lucky… for now. Unfortunately, that can change in a relatively short period of time. The practice of medicine becomes more competitive all the time, and more and more practitioners are limiting their services to certain specialties. If a competing practice opens tomorrow or next week, with a robust online presence, you could quickly find yourself at a disadvantage. Whether you’re just starting out or already have a healthy practice, a website is a key component to maintaining and building your patient base. Let’s examine why.
A website can be an essential component of a referral-based medical practice—A professional website may help increase the number of medical professionals who refer clients to you. Another doctor may use your website as a CV or résumé, looking at your credentials before deciding to send patients to you. In addition, potential patients may be unwilling to schedule an appointment with you until they’ve had an opportunity to learn more about you.
A website can help you more effectively and efficiently target patients—A lot of people may call your office, or even make appointments with you, but that doesn’t mean you are getting the kinds of patients you want. With a professional website, you can target the types of clients and cases that best fit your qualifications and practice.
A website allows you to more effectively manage your reputation—In some situations, the mere fact that you don’t have an internet presence may be perceived negatively by other professionals or prospective patients. They may worry that you aren’t current with technological changes, that you’re not serious about what you’re doing, or that you don’t want to be found. In addition, with a professional website, you can more effectively respond to unfair or inaccurate challenges to your professional reputation.
A website protects you from rapid change in the medical world—It’s not uncommon for doctors to move from one practice to another or to change hospital affiliations or other professional networks. A source of significant referrals can disappear overnight if the medical practitioner providing them to you joins another practice.
A website opens the door to new patients—A recent study found that about 80% of Americans used the internet to look for a doctor in the last year. If you don’t have a website, you won’t be found—it’s as simple as that. The same study found that about 2/3 of all adults choose the provider with the strongest online presence.
Contact InjuredCare to Build a Professional Website for Your Practice