The internet is constantly changing, so there’s not much time to grab the reader’s interest before they’ve moved on to another website to obtain the information they’re looking for. So, the big question is, how are they going to stay on your website and not start looking at the website for a veterinarian 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. 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 who’s website they’re viewing, so the best placement for your logo is in the top left corner. The navigation bar will run horizontal from there, and the contact information, such as your phone number, will be in the top right corner. This area is called the header. We will also repeat the contact information at the bottom of the page, which is known as the footer. 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 that website. That’s why we want to make sure the items in your navigation are clear as to what the page will talk about.
For the content, it must be up-to-date and informative. Like the internet, we understand that veterinary medicine constantly advances, and we want the website to reflect what’s happening in your practice. Are you doing something in a different way because it’s less stressful for the pet? Did you start offering a new service? What if a reader makes an appointment with another practice because your website didn’t reflect that you also offer that service? Make sure all of this stays up-to-date on the website.
All these items add up to a great user experience, appointments booked, and, most important, lifetime customers. Are you unsure of whether these are being implemented on your current website? We would be more than happy to take a look!