The healthcare industry is massive. It encompasses doctor’s offices, hospitals, urgent care centers, pharmacies, laboratories, and research departments across the entire country. And, unsurprisingly, technology has changed the way that patients interact with medical professionals. More and more patient-company interaction occurs online. As such, today we’re going to look at four key ways that professionals in the medical field can boost their website performance and improve patient outcomes at the  same time. Check them out here: 

Test User Interface

Patients visit medical websites for a variety of reasons. Crucially, they often do so to book appointments. Given that fact, healthcare-based websites need to be easy to use and to navigate. If a patient wants to book an appointment online, they should be able to do so with a few simple clicks. Review your website functionality frequently to ensure that there are no bugs, errors, or other problems that would prevent someone from accessing care when they need it most. 

Update Web Design

Never underestimate the importance of website design and appearance. Believe it or not, patients will judge the effectiveness of your organization based on superficial factors like website color scheme, image placement, and template format. Old or outdated sites can give new patients the wrong impression of your organization. What’s more, it’s important to create a website design that aligns with mobile usage. Considering the number of people who use mobile devices to access the internet, this is something that should be top of mind for all business leaders in the medical field.  

Implement Appropriate Keyword Strategy

Keywords form the bedrock of any successful digital marketing strategy. Medical websites should be optimized for relevant keywords that generate traffic. For instance, a business that manufactures lab equipment should optimize terms like “10 ml Serological Pipettes” or “blood tubes.” Note, don’t be afraid to be very specific in your keyword selection process. Though some keywords may not attract a high search volume, long-tail keywords that attract qualified leads can be extremely valuable. 

Implement keyword-based best practices on blogs, product pages, and throughout your business’s website. 

Promote Digital Visibility

Getting people to engage with a medical website requires off-site measures in addition to on-site optimizations. To that end, businesses in the medical field can use social media to promote new products and services, or, alternatively, to boost their brand awareness and increase name recognition. In addition, medical professionals may consider writing articles for other respected outlets in their field. By acquiring meaningful backlinks in this manner, a company can substantially increase their ranking on search engines over time. Of course, SEO strategies and digital marketing tactics may take months to come to fruition, but they’re essential to medical companies looking to make a big impression with online patients.