Key Elements in Developing a Website
e-Marketing for Physicians
This is the second article in a six-part series for M.D. News.
M.D. News
Greater Akron/Canton Edition
January/February 2008
We'll be the first to admit it: It's really easy to build a website these days. You can rely on an ad agency, your web-savvy nephew, or even a one-size-fits-all template. We'll also be the first to warn you: these options often lead to frustration, wasted time and money, and poor results.
Effective Web sites, those that actually help grow a medical practice or business, have a unique balance of form and function and adhere to industry standards of design and programming.
In this second installment in a six-part series on eMarketing for physicians, we'll look at three key elements to consider when developing your website: Industry Best Practices, Content Management and Accessibility/Usability Standards.
Industry Best Practices:
Your website should have more than just aesthetic value. It should effectively communicate your practice's mission and services, illustrate your brand/feel, and engage potential patients. Your website's programming (its nuts and bolts, if you will) should also adhere to the following industry best practices:
- Optimized graphics for faster loading times. Visitors rarely wait more than ten seconds for pages to load.
- Hand-coded pages that don't rely on automated software and minimize loading times
- Browser compatibility, so your site works on a variety of browsers and operating systems
- Open-spaced design and legible fonts
- Search engine-friendly design, so that search engines can follow the architecture of the site
- Persuasive conversion points to get patients to call, make appointments, ask for referrals, etc.
- Easy integration with existing databases
Content Management:
The premise of a Content Management System (CMS) is simple. It allows you the ability to add, edit, and delete information in real-time. One of the most versatile features of this system is that anyone can use it, no matter the level of their programming or design skills. Here are some of the advantages of a quality-built CMS:
- Page content editing on-the-fly
- Faster and less costly updates, since your staff can update at anytime
- Additional pages that can be added to your site at anytime
- Preformatted titles and text to create consistency across the Web site
- Search-friendly programming, allowing content to be open to the search engines
- More cost savings as more pages are added
- Custom built to fit the needs of your site
Accessibility/Usability Standards
When visitors enter your site, they should be able to define two things right off the bat: your site's purpose and whether or not your site offers relevant information.
Your site should also be programmed properly so that it is accessible to visitors who are disabled. You may have read that Target was recently sued because their site was inaccessible to people with disabilities. Accessibility includes features like font size options and text descriptions of images for vision-impaired individuals. This is especially important in the medical profession, since you are more likely to have visitors using assistive technology when browsing the internet.
So how do you know if your site is accessible? Easy - your site should be built in compliance with W3C guidelines. W3C is a group that sets standards on the web, and a good developer will know how to build a site to their specifications.
Don't risk a poorly built site. You should never have to decide between form OR function. A well-built site should be easy to maintain, easy to update, and easy for all visitors to browse.
