10 Reasons why your medical practice should have a web page:
- A website is one of the most cost-effective ways of promoting your medical practice.
- A website is one of the least obtrusive ways of promoting your medical practice. The viewer finds your webpage - you didn’t send it in the mail, have an advertisement jump out at the viewer from a newspaper or other ad - they came to you.
- You can include a lot more information in your medical practice website than you can in most other media. Think about how much actual information about you and your medical practice you can actually get in a yellow pages or other advertisement. The typical ad has very little actual content that the consumer can use to make a decision. Why not supplement that information with your website? You can even put your URL (web address) in your yellow pages ad, business card, stationary, or other media, so that patients can refer to your web page anytime for further information.
- Your webpage can help cut down on telephone “FAQs”: Directions to your office or practice, your hours, your policies, or other information can be included in your page.
- Your website can help you to target certain procedures and conditions in developing your medical practice. Based upon what type of information you put in your site, you can target the conditions you most wish to treat and the procedures you most wish to do. People searching the internet for information in that area or topic will naturally find your page ( at least if you have met the 7 attributes ). Of course, these procedures may include services which are non-covered, non insurance-based procedures and visits, thus decreasing your dependence on third party payors.
- Your medical practice website can help attract patients who are outside of your current promotional efforts geographically. If you have something that differentiates you from others, it is quite possible that you can interest patients from a considerable distance.
- The internet user in general as a target: The internet user is of well above average financial means, according to all major surveys. Your web page is available 24 hours a day, whenever someone is looking for it.
- Strengthen your relationship with your current patients: You can include helpful information of all sorts for your patients which they will appreciate. (Of course, your patients may even refer some of their friends to your website-posted “Tips on ...”)
- Your website enhances your reputation for providing cutting edge service. Only a tiny minority of practitioners are on the web.
- Others are doing it: large HMOs and University practices are well represented on the web. Shouldn’t your medical practice be on the web?