First impressions matter! Your hospital’s website is often the first thing patients see when they are looking for a healthcare provider online. Since more people are turning to the web for information, your website is often the first point of contact – the first face of your care, so it’s important to get it right!
A website – its design, its content, and its message – say a lot about you and the care you provide. Particularly in the healthcare industry, it is important not to intimidate customers. Websites should be a positive, inviting place.
Tell your story
Your hospital’s website is a reflection not only of the care it provides, but also of its history and its mission. Let your website tell your hospital’s story – its values and its relationship with the community.
Minimize frustration
Your website should be easy to use. Functionality is key when it comes to web design for hospitals. All the most relevant information should be simple to find, and the website should be easy to navigate.
Don’t be afraid to forego flashy design and instead focus on functionality and simplicity.
Provide quality content
A good website is based on good content. These days, more and more people are looking to the web to find information about their health and their healthcare options.
A hospital’s website should show patients and casual web surfers that its staff are experts in the field and that the hospital is a trusted source of health information. That means keeping up to date with medical trends and providing fresh, relevant content. One of the best ways to keep your site fresh is to establish a blog and post regularly. You don’t have to be a web designer to make blog posts, and providing simple advice and updates about your care goes a long way toward establishing a strong web presence!
Know your audience
It’s easy to forget that the people who visit your website usually aren’t experts in the healthcare field. Avoid wonky language and focus on making things easy to understand for the average person. Scientific terms and industry jargon can be a big turnoff for people who have no medical background.
Describe your services thoroughly
A hospital’s website acts as more than just a way to promote a facility. It’s an information portal. Your hospital’s website should provide users with a thorough rundown of the services and care your clinic provides. The website needs to have complete and up-to-date information about the different departments of your facility and the specialized care offered.
SRJ Marketing Communications designed its first website, for a hospital in South Texas in 1995. Give us a call at 214-528-5775 if you have any questions.
