The internet is constantly changing. There’s never much time to grab the reader’s attention before they decide your site doesn’t have the information they’re looking for and move on to another site where the information is easier to find. So, the big question is, what makes them stay on your site and keep them from looking at another veterinarian’s website located a mile away? It’s all about user experience—you want your website to follow best practices and be up-to-date and informative.
As internet users, we know where to look for information, even if we don’t realize it—it’s subconscious. Luckily, best practices are geared towards our subconscious ideas. As long as your veterinary website follows the general best practices for user experience, your readers will stay on the website, find it credible, and make an appointment.
We want to make sure that your readers know whose website they’re viewing, so the best placement for your logo is at the top of the page, usually in the left corner. However, other placements can work as well, as long as it is clearly defined at the top. This top area is called the header, and will also feature vital contact information such as your phone number. We will also repeat your contact information at the bottom of the page, which is known as the footer. The navigation bar in the header will run horizontally below your contact information and will feature a clear path to all of your site’s pages. Have you ever clicked on a page, thought it would talk about one thing, but it ended up being about something else? This is frustrating, and you probably closed the website. That’s why we want to make sure the items in your navigation are clearly titled as to what the page will talk about.
As for the content, it must be engaging, relevant, and informative. We understand that veterinary medicine constantly advances, so your website should reflect what’s happening in your practice as you grow. Maybe you’re performing a service differently because it’s less stressful for the pet. Or maybe you’re adding a completely new service to your repertoire! Let your website visitors know, so they can book an appointment with you, rather than your competitor. Bottom line? Keep your web content up-to-date!
Each of these elements combines to create a great user experience, which equates to more appointments booked, and most importantly, helps establish lifetime customers. Not sure if your current website is meeting these best practices? We would be more than happy to take a look!
Reviewed by: Mary B. on Nov. 15, 2019