The 3 Pitfalls in Hosting of Medical Websites

Understanding the fundamental concepts of a successful website can mean the difference between triumph and defeat in a company’s online realm. Picture your medical website for private practice as not just a virtual brochure; it’s a dynamic tool that can either work wonders for you or leave you high and dry.

Medical website hosting is often overlooked, but one that directly impacts your ability to attract and convert patients. It’s also crucial for building a robust online presence to support the growth of your practice. Your website serves as a gateway for new and existing customers to connect with your business, so let’s steer clear of common blunders that could hinder your hospital’s path to success.

Here’s a look at three of the most common hospital web design pitfalls and how to avoid them.

Pitfall 1:

Digital Technology is Generally in a Blind Spot

The only moment your online presence would quit being in the blind spot is when the practice owner or manager understands the dynamic nature of Google’s visibility. 

Digital assets are often a gray area when surgeons, specialists, and their teams don’t have a clear picture of visibility on Google.

These are typical symptoms seen while hosting a medical website:

• No monthly strategy for evaluating performance and adding new content

• Confusion over who controls the website, domain hosting account, or software that forms the website’s backend. 

Digital technology is evolving at the speed of light, and knowing your digital performance is essential in today’s private healthcare environment. The ability to make your presence known when patients use digital technology to research medical topics is vital.

Pitfall 2:

Old-Fashioned IT Pros Take the Lead

IT for Doctors

If you associate medical website hosting with technology and IT, you need to read on.

It’s a big pitfall. It makes sense to categorize websites and their structure in the world of technology. At the same time, numerous websites have copies of Ipsum Lorum. The Ipsum Lorum content is a typical placeholder copy in many website templates. If you look at this on the doctor’s website, you’ll see that the IT team may be responsible for building or updating the site.

You’ll want to ask your IT guy to do it for you. After all, many programmers are developers, and a developer becomes a designer and website builder. But consider the TV metaphor, would you like to be briefed by a seasoned journalist who has analyzed geopolitics for 20 years or a broadcast electronics freshman who can build and power up a TV studio?

Pitfall 3:

Ignorance 

Let’s take a closer look at hosting a medical website and discover why cheap website hosting plans can hurt your patients, your sales, and, ultimately, your reputation.

What is Medical Website Hosting?

Hosting means a website is a piece of software running on computers in a data center. The storage you pay is the hosting fee, which may or may not come with additional security, speed, backups, and support features.

Why Doctors Should Think Twice About Cheap Website Hosting

Cheap hosting reduces costs by consolidating many websites on the same computer. But Google remembers where your traffic comes from, and you may be sitting next to someone distributing porn. Not being the best company in the digital world affects how Google sees your website’s physical location. 

How Does Hosting Affect Patient Numbers?

If your website is hanging out with the wrong crowd or rubbing shoulders with a mischievous IP number (location), or if it’s being held back by cheap website hosting, you might notice some severe slowdowns or even annoying downtime. 

Here’s the scoop: when all these factors team up, Google notices and decides your website isn’t providing the ideal user experience. And that’s a bummer because it means your chances of climbing up those Google search results, boosting awareness, and attracting patients will take a hit. 

Here’s a list you can use to verify if that hosting package is a perfect option for you:

• Is your medical website in your country?
• Is your data center connected to your backbone, and is it providing adequate speeds?
• Are your backup and security processes up to par?
• Is your website monitored for Medical SEO performance?
• Are your backend software, server software, and plugins updated regularly?
• Can someone be spoken to when there are concerns about the site?

If you’re missing one or more aspects of your service, think again and get proper training. 

Other Forms of Pitfalls in Medical Website Hosting 

• Like your business, a hospital website should have clearly defined goals and objectives. Setting SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and timely) goals helps keep you on the right track by focusing on results and adjusting as needed. A smart business goal is to increase leads by 10% in 6 months by providing an excellent customer service experience. When setting goals, keep your customers in mind and your company’s goals.

• The hospital’s website often has a lot of information to present. Therefore, clear, concise, and easy-to-understand navigation is essential to steer customers in the right direction. Visitors may leave your site if important information is difficult to find. The navigation menu would ideally consist of  5-6 items, such as Patients & Visitors, Services, and Research, at the top of the home page. Sub-menus under Patients & Visitors should contain items such as Hospital Visits, Admission Procedures, and Emergency Information). This consolidates logical information and keeps your home page clean and uncluttered. 

• A beautifully presented and visually appealing website is an essential aspect of hospital web design. Making a good first impression is important, but your design should be backed up with quality content written for your audience and present the value you offer your customers compellingly and attractively. Well-written copy and an attractive design are guaranteed to attract and retain your audience. 

• In 2015, Google officially announced that more searches are being done on mobile devices than computers. If your website isn’t mobile-friendly, you miss out on potential customers and sales.

• A call-to-action (CTA) prompts the user to take action, ultimately turning the visitor into a customer. A compelling CTA should resonate with your content and tagline and serve as the next logical step in your journey, including: “Sign up for my health newsletter.”  An effective CTA creates a sense of urgency and moves prospects into action.

Conclusion 

Delighting customers with a sneak peek into your values and top-notch services isn’t just about earning trust. It’s like adding a sprinkle of magic to your business! However, even the most compelling call to action might be a tad overwhelming for your prospects, especially when sharing their precious contact information.

To avoid this, start by offering something of value, such as health reports, free samples, or free consultations. This step will help you earn your customers’ trust and drive them to your business.  
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