4 things every patient is looking for

Gone are the days when prospective patients pick up the phone or look in the yellow pages to find out about your practice. Your practice website is now their first method of contact. Established patients may use your site to download patient history forms or to make appointments, but they will also use your site when referring other patients to you.

“Dr. Reed is great. We wouldn’t go anywhere else. Let me send you her web address.”

Listed below is what patients are looking for when they visit your website and why links to this information should be prominently displayed on your site’s front page.

1. Do they want you as their doctor?

Whether they’ve been referred to you by another physician or their neighbor, patients go to your web site to learn about your specialty, your certifications, where you went to school, and what types of conditions you treat. They also want to see what you look like. Make it easy for patients to find this information by including an “About” or “Bio” section linked from your front page.

2. Do you accept their insurance?

This may be the first thing patients look for on your site. Listing all the insurance plans you accept and keeping this information updated should be a top priority for your site. Is it easy for patients to find this information? This information should be linked prominently on your front page.

3. What kind of services do you offer?

Patients want to know the scope of your services and what to expect when they visit you.

Do you offer extended hours appointments? Can they get their immunizations? Do you have in-house radiology services or an in-house lab? What is your practice address? Is there plenty of parking? Include this information in an “About” or “Services” section.

4. How can they contact you?

Help patients find your contact information by displaying your email address, phone number, and address on every page. Include a “Contact Us” page that incorporates this information along with a contact form. Contact forms can be as simple or as complex as you like. The information patients fill out can then be emailed to a designated staff member and the patient contacted for an appointment.

For more information, contact Affynity Web Solutions.