Building a successful website that grows your practice takes a lot more than 6 things, sure, but these 6 are the foundations! If you’re considering building a new website, start here to ensure you set yourself up for success.
1. A Design That’s Professional & Eye-Catching
It’s no secret that people judge the credibility and authority of a business by its web design. A crisp, modern design can make a wonderful first impression and be instrumental in building trust. Key factors of a successful design include:
- Your logo so people know exactly whose site they’re on
- Photos of your staff and your patients (make sure to get their owner’s permission before using them!)
- Continuity in color (using your logo’s colors as well as compliments is a good palette to follow)
- Readable fonts (try not to use any more than 2 or 3 fonts on your entire site to maintain continuity)
2. Easy Ways to Contact You
If someone is looking for a vet and comes to your site, you want it to be easy as pie to contact you. No searching for contact info and no clicking to another page. It’s incredibly important to have your phone number in the click-to-call format right at the top of every page (and in the footer, too) so every visitor can contact you with the click of a button. Plus, be sure to include your practice’s address, social accounts, and other detailed information in the footer, as this is where people know to look for this information.
3. Callouts to Make Appointments
In addition to your phone number, it’s a great idea to have a way to request appointments online so anyone who is phone shy or simply forgot to call you during your hours can still reach out easily. Callouts to make an appointment should be on practically every page urging visitors to choose your practice for their pet’s care. This may sound pushy, but trust us, it’s not. If done well, callouts can be gentle reminders about the importance of veterinary care and will be one more channel for getting your practice’s unique message across.
4. Trust-Building Elements
Review shopping is a very real thing. People are drawn to read reviews before they purchase anything, even veterinary services. By making reviews and other trust-building elements like AAHA accreditation and your Fear Free Certified status clearly on your website, you’ll inevitably come across as a trustworthy vet. It might even be a good idea to build pages out for each accreditation to help you pop up in searches for “AAHA vet near me” or “Fear Free vet near me.”
5. Speedy Webpage Load Times
Patience is fickle when it comes to website loading times. Studies have shown that the longer it takes for a page to load, the higher the bounce rate is and the lower average time spent on-page. What that means is that web visitors who land on your page decide to leave it very quickly and much more often if the load speed is slow. This inevitably has a negative impact on site conversions (i.e. visitors calling you, or making an appointment). Plus, page load time also has an impact on your Google search ranking, and it’s been shown that Google plays favorites for fast-loading sites.
6. Top-Notch SEO
Last, but most certainly not least, is SEO, or search engine optimization. Optimizing your site to reach the top of search results pages takes a lot more than plugging a few keywords into the copy. It embodies everything we talked about here, and more: web design, clear contact info, trust-building elements, page load time, proper coding, content readability, etc. It’s a lot of work, but the results are worth it. Ranking consistently at the top of local search results for search terms like “veterinarian near me” and “animal hospital near me” can mean a whopping increase in organic conversions—and make a huge impact on your bottom line.
So, what do you do if you don’t have time for all these website improvements? Maybe leave it to the experts. At InTouch, we’ve helped thousands of veterinary practice owners grow their practice through intuitive website design, stellar content, expert coding, and of course, skilled SEO work. Get InTouch today by giving us a call at (800) 493-9003 or filling out our online form.