Most veterinary practices understand the importance of keeping their websites up to date to maintain a competitive online presence and attract and convert more clients. The problem is, in a busy clinic where time is always at a premium, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s easy to dismiss even the smallest website upgrade as too complicated and bothersome, which is why there are so many website services around to help practices avoid the mistake of not staying current. Yet therein lies the bigger challenge for veterinary teams.<\/p>\n
With website services seemingly available on every street corner, practices can feel overwhelmed in trying to sort the ones that can actually help a practice grow from the ones that may do more harm than good. And that leads some practices to throw up their hands and remain with the websites they know, even though those sites may be outdated, outmoded and out of step with what pet owners want and expect in a veterinarian website.
\nTo avoid that and help you find the\u00c2\u00a0right website service to boost your online presence and clinic profitability, here are five simple questions to easily get you pointed in the right direction:<\/p>\n
This may seem like an obvious starting point, but with so many website design companies competing against each other, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s easy to get distracted when \u00e2\u20ac\u0153amazing\u00e2\u20ac\u009d deals and flashy sales pitches start flying at you like free donuts. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s even easier to get taken in by the assurance of someone saying, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Yes, we can design you a new website!\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
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However, there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a big difference between someone who knows about general website design and someone who combines this knowledge with proven expertise in delivering what veterinary clinics need to meet the specific needs of pet owners. To steer yourself toward the latter, ask, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Do you specialize in veterinary websites?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d If they don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t, or if they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re willing to \u00e2\u20ac\u0153take a shot at it\u00e2\u20ac\u009d at the risk of your clinic\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s profitability and reputation, you should likely move on.<\/p>\n
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This question easily narrows down any list of candidates from the first question, and you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re looking for specific and unhesitant answers. Here\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s why: <\/p>\n While a company may deliver you a website that initially draws pet owners, that same website may fall flat a few months down the road. To steer clear of this, ask why certain elements work, and listen for specifics. If you ask, for example, why clean and modern website designs are important, be wary of hesitant non-answers like, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153They look good.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Listen instead for informed, clear answers like, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153According to web-credibility research by Stanford University, 75% of people surveyed said they made judgments about a company\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s credibility based on their website design.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d <\/p>\n It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s all well and good for a veterinary website designer to deliver something that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s clean, fresh and functional. Yet such bells and whistles are the mechanical\u00c2\u00a0features<\/em>\u00c2\u00a0of a website, and people firstly make\u00c2\u00a0emotional<\/em>\u00c2\u00a0decisions about products or services.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n In fact, research by Harvard Business School professor Gerald Zaltman found that 95% of purchase decisions take place in the subconscious (or, the realm of emotions). And that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s why you often hear the word \u00e2\u20ac\u0153storytelling\u00e2\u20ac\u009d connected to effective websites. <\/p>\n Ask how they can shape that story in your website through key design features like responsive images, slideshow functionality and embedded video. These are key elements behind some of the most successful veterinary websites, and if some website service can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t offer them, or if they don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t understand the importance of story, find a website service that does understand.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n This is a really important question. The growth of your practice relies on new clients, and with roughly 80% of people now using the internet to find any kind of product or service, your website\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s ranking and discovery on Google hinges on the right search engine optimization (SEO) to be competitive. And if you haven\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t looked into this particular aspect of your website today, you likely want to do this quickly. <\/p>\n Do they give you simple but regular performance reports? Do they include tailored keywords that align with the most current search-engine algorithms\u00e2\u20ac\u201dall to keep your website ranking high and keep it there? If not, you probably want to find a service that offers these essentials.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n This, of course, is the ultimate question. Analytics matter to the overall performance and ongoing success of a veterinarian website, and you shouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have to rely on a website company to give you this information on a schedule that works for them. One of the most important features you can have in your website is easy access to your website usage statistics with a convenient Google Analytics widget. <\/p>\n
\nEven though some website companies may have experience designing for veterinary practices\u00e2\u20ac\u201dincluding some success stories to back up their reputation\u00e2\u20ac\u201dthey may not know\u00c2\u00a0why<\/em>\u00c2\u00a0something has worked. They\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve just found that it does, so they keep repeating the process. Yet blind repetition is not intelligence and can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t anticipate and respond to the needs of pet owners as they change.<\/p>\n
\n(This, by the way,\u00c2\u00a0is<\/em>\u00c2\u00a0why modern website designs are important to veterinary practices in attracting and converting more clients.)<\/p>\nDo you want to know my story?<\/h2>\n
\nSince time immemorial, people have emotionally connected to others through the power of story, and your story likely isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t that you got involved in veterinary medicine purely for the chance to look smashing in a stethoscope. The first reason that compelled you toward a life in veterinary medicine was likely a love of animals, and the tools were just the features, meaning you have a powerful emotional story that will attract and resonate with pet owners. So, ask a website service if they want to hear your story.<\/p>\nHow Will More Pet Owners Find My Website?<\/h2>\n
\nAccording to research by Hubspot, 61% of businesses surveyed said that improving their SEO and growing their online presence in the immediate future was their top priority. Those businesses naturally include competing local veterinary practices, so SEO should be a central part of what a website service offers you, and the service should be ongoing.
\nWhere Google ranking factors can change like the weather, you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d have to detract a fair amount of time from patient care on an ongoing basis to track and tweak your website\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s SEO. Does a website service track your SEO for you?<\/p>\nHow can I easily see how my website is performing?<\/h2>\n
\nVetNetwork was founded by a veterinarian with over 25 years in the industry. That makes it one of a kind in this industry. We know what works and what does not work with marketing a veterinary practice online. From using the correct terminology in\u00c2\u00a0veterinary marketing blogs<\/a>\u00c2\u00a0to increasing client engagement by encouraging people to share about their pets, you can count on our team of professional veterinary marketers to achieve the results you seek.<\/p>\n