These days it is entirely possible to build your own website, using one of the many CMS (Content Management Systems) available. However, there remains an array of mistakes that are made when venturing down this road without the help of a professional website developer. In this week’s Friday Feature we look at 3 of the most common mistakes made by doctors that create their own websites, so you can ensure to avoid them.
The views expressed in this article are specifically those of Rockbridge Web.
1) Poor navigation
Navigation refers to the logical route visitors take when browsing your website. It can also be referred to as the Customer Journey, Patient Journey or Site Map.
When designing your own site, with no experience of website marketing, it may seem logical to you where to find information, or how to move between pages.
However, an important factor of an effective website is to make sure that other people will be able to do the same.
After all, you don’t want your Visitors, who could be potential patients, to find their way to your site, to only then get lost and ultimately frustrated.
Common sense is key, and the Site Map needs to be one of the first things considered, in advance of starting the actual design and development.
Keeping headers and footers consistent on each page can help create a sense of consistency, and always ensure that your readers will be able to find the information with as few clicks as possible.
2) Too much or too little content
A cluttered page with too much content can be daunting for visitors, especially if the content is not presented in a way that is easy to read. Using things like bullet points, headers, captions and quotes helps to break up large chunks of text.
The home page, which tends to be the main landing page, needs to be as clean and concise as possible, whilst still capturing the attention of the visitor so they are interested enough to explore the site further.
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In the same way, too little content can cause issues, as content is one thing that informs Google about what it is you do, and therefore helps your site to get ranked for certain keywords. If your content is too short, it likely won’t give the right message to the search engine and could hinder your performance against competitors.
Getting the balance right is the main factor.
3) Getting over technical
As a doctor you will know your anatomical terms and medical jargon but it is important to remember that your web visitors likely won’t. Always keep in mind the audience when writing and presenting information.
If your visitors simply don’t understand what you are communicating they may become disheartened so it is always best practice to use language that they can relate to, and then provide a useful link to your contact form so they know that there is further explanation and help by booking an appointment.
This applies to your blog articles too, as it is essential to keep the pitch of the content always at the right technical level.
Dental & Medical Financial Services work alongside many healthcare specialists to give you access to the best advice.
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