A patient’s first impression of a dermatology practice is often facilitated by a practice website. With a good practice website, dermatology practices can make a memorable impression online and thus, stand out among the competition and drive new patient acquisition.
Today’s healthcare consumers spend more than six hours each day online. They are also making healthcare choices and transactions online. In fact, 3 out of 4 patients have looked online for a healthcare provider, and nearly half say a practice’s website plays a role in their decision, according to the PatientPop annual patient perspective survey. This is an important consideration for consumer-driven medical specialties that rely on a high volume of self-referrals, like dermatology.
In this blog, we share tips to help you make a lasting impression with your dermatology practice website.
Building a dermatology website that attracts new patients
What are today’s prospective dermatology patients looking for in a website? As website usability experts will tell you, site visitors gauge their appeal instinctively. Does the website look good? Can the patient find the information they need and complete actions easily?
A combination of good design, form, and function can showcase your practice’s expertise and offerings, as well as your commitment to the type of consumer-friendly experience today’s patients look for.
Start with the basics. Then, kick it up a notch to make a lasting and memorable impression.
Dermatology practice website basics
Pertinent practice details
Make it easy for prospective patients to see your office location, hours of operation, contact information, and accepted insurance plans.
Services and specialties
When choosing a provider, patients want to be certain the practice offers all the services they may need. Be sure to highlight each dermatology service and procedure you offer, as well as the skin conditions you treat — especially if you perform a procedure or treat a condition that’s unique for your area. By devoting a single web page to each service, procedure, and condition, you are taking big steps to improve your SEO and drive more website traffic.
Your providers
Many patients choose their healthcare practice based on the provider they expect to see for their care. Make it easy for website visitors to learn about your podiatrists and other providers with engaging bios. Talk about the podiatrist’s area of focus, experiences, and care philosophy — and always include a photo or two.
Clear, inviting, calls to action
Every website needs a clear call to action (CTA) on each page. This gives patients easy access to an online interaction, whether it’s asking a question or paying a bill online. The most effective CTA for new patient conversion is a link to online scheduling. To engage patients not yet ready to book an appointment, consider encouraging them to subscribe to your blog or email newsletter, or to follow you on social media.
A comprehensive guide: Dermatology marketing and advertising
Dermatology website tactics that drive new patient conversion
Your lobby or waiting room is no longer where your practice makes a first impression on patients. Instead, your website is the “digital” front door. It’s where you can impress prospective patients and, when done right, convert visitors into new patients.
Yet, many dermatology practice owners don’t put their efforts there, even despite patients’ firm preference for online experiences. Instead, they spend budgets on elaborate lobby designs and point-of-service product displays, treating their website as an afterthought.
To drive and sustain practice growth, marketing your dermatology practice with an impressive website is critical. Here are some tried-and-true strategies to take your dermatology website to the next level.
Start with stellar design.
Appeal to prospective patients instantly with an eye-catching design that showcases your practice as modern and professional. Long-standing research indicates that website visitors form their opinion of a business within milliseconds of landing on their site. Also, ensure your site navigation is intuitive and easy to use, and that your site is mobile-optimized.
Showcase your expertise.
Let prospective patients know you’re the experts by featuring dermatology content that reinforces your healthcare practice as the local leader in the specialty. Through blog posts and engaging videos, you can showcase the unique services, procedures, and techniques that set your dermatology practice apart from the competition.
Highlight happy patients.
In dermatology, a picture can often be worth a thousand words. Use your website to highlight patient success stories, and be sure to feature before-and-after photos when relevant. Take it a step further with online patient reviews and patient satisfaction scores — letting prospective patients know you have a standout online reputation.
Offer digital convenience.
In the 2021 PatientPop patient survey report, more than half of patients expressed a desire for digital ways to conduct key interactions with practices. Meet that demand with tools like online scheduling, telehealth consultations, digital bill pay, and text messaging. You’ll show patients you respect their time and are committed to making it easy and convenient to connect with you.
What should you do next?
1. Schedule a free PatientPop demo.
2. Measure your website performance and web presence using our free scanner.
3. Watch an interview with PatientPop customer, Dr. Kim Neyman of Elevation Dermatology.
4. Watch our learning session on “Healthcare practice SEO: 3 tactics your competitors don’t use”
