It has become a common practice for patients to look online for any information on a healthcare professional’s credibility before actually consulting in person. This is even more relevant for pediatricians, who can come under greater scrutiny by concerned parents. Besides having a physical clinic, it has become equally important to develop an online presence. This can easily be done by making a website. It won’t just build credibility about your services but helps new and potential clients find out about you. Let’s share some tips on how you can create a website for your medical practice.
Make your online presence effective with a website for your medical practice
Step By Step Guide On How To Create A Website For Your Medical Practice
Step 01 – Get A Web Hosting Company And Domain Name
Getting hosted and getting a domain name are the two things that you’d first need to start a website. You need a web hosting company to store your website’s files on the internet. In simple terms, it is like purchasing some amount of space on the internet for your website to exist. A domain name is also crucial because it’s your website’s identity – it is the name of your website. For the domain, brainstorm a few names you’d like to have for your website.
Setting up web hosting shouldn’t be too difficult since most major internet service providers can offer this service. You’ll have to pay a certain amount of money for hosting, but you’ll have laid the groundwork once it’s done. This step goes hand in hand with registering your domain name.
The domain name shouldn’t be too complex, but relevant to what you’ve been calling your medical practice. For instance, if your practice is called Super Health, your domain name can be superhealth.com. If the name you choose is available and not taken already, you can purchase it. You can consider using GoDaddy to make a hosting account and purchase a domain name. Put on your thinking caps, since you can only use a domain name that hasn’t yet been registered.
Step 02 – Choose A Software To Build Your Website
Building your website online is easy these days because there are tools online that make the process simple. You don’t need to code the website yourself – simply select a software to do it for you. There are many options out there on which you can build your website. The most trusted one, and perfect for beginners, is WordPress.
For starters, it is highly recommended to go with WordPress but if you’d like to pay for another software you can do that too. If you dedicate a weekend or two to learn all about WordPress, you will easily get an idea of how it works.
Step 03 – Begin Customizing The Layout Of Your Website
After you’re done with hosting, registering a domain name, and choosing a software to build your website, you can begin to work on its appearance. To do this, you’d need to log into WordPress or the respective software you chose to build your website. You would then have to spend some time browsing through the available themes. Install and activate the theme that you like best. If you’re going for a neat and clean style, pick a theme that speaks that. Make sure you preview how the design looks before you import it to your website.
Step 04 – Fill The ‘About Us’ Section
After you’ve selected a layout for your website, it’s time to look closely at each section, starting with the ‘About Us’ bit. This is one of the most important portions of your website where you must give visitors a gist of your work as a physician or pediatrician. Here are some pointers that you can include in your ‘About us’ section –
- Mention your vision as a pediatrician. This tells your story, introducing you to potential parents who wish to contact you and haven’t met you.
- Showcase your background in the medical field, your qualifications, and state how long you’ve been running a medical clinic. This will show your expertise.
- Consider putting up a photo of yourself so that it’s not just words, but people can put a face to the person who runs the clinic.
- You can also put up a picture of the staff that assist you with your medical practice. In a way, this tells new clients that you have a supportive team of people to help you run the clinic.
- Don’t forget to also put up the commendable milestones the clinic has received.
Overall, pieces of information that show off your credibility and reliability must be included in the ‘about you’ section.
Step 05 – Work On The Content For Each Section Of Your Website
After you fill the ‘About Us’ section, keep moving forward one section at a time to fill it with relevant information. You can begin with the easy sections like the ‘Contact Us’ page. On this page, you would need to list your phone number, address, and email address. Customize the header (top section) and footer (lowermost section) of your website. It would also make sense for you to have a testimonial section where feedback from past customers is highlighted. To not feel overwhelmed with the task, take your time with each portion.
Tip – Look at other websites for medical practices, jot down what you liked and work on incorporating it into your website.
Step 06 – Regularly Update Your Website
Once you’ve got your website up and running, don’t let it stagnate. Keep going back to your website to update it with new content. You could perhaps consider starting a blog with health-related content. Most healthcare websites also have the ability for patients to book appointments online. This makes it easy to schedule patients effectively.
Make sure to regularly update your website for any new developments and achievements
Whenever you have the time, find new ways to upgrade the website. If you’ve done any renovations within the clinic, make sure you also upload new pictures of your clinic online. At times when you feel that handling the website is beyond your control, don’t stop yourself from hiring agencies with expert knowledge on the same. Telemedicine is gaining increasing importance, and a website is just one of the basic ways to keep up with the times.
Conclusion
Now that you have the basic guidelines on how you can create a website for your medical practice, you must be confident when going about it. Remember that it is a learning process and it will take time to build a well-rounded website. If you’re still not ready to take the leap and make a website, you can take smaller steps like downloading the ImmunifyMe app to streamline your appointment process.
FAQs On How To Create A Website For Your Medical Practice
What Should A Medical Practice Website Include?
When you create a website for your medical practice, you can pick and choose what you’d like to display on it. But ideally, a medical practice website should include the following –
- Doctor’s Story And Achievements
- Clinic Milestones And Pictures
- Testimonials
- Contact Information
- ‘Schedule An Appointment’ Option
- Blogs Posts Related To The Health Space
- FAQ Section
What Makes An Effective Medical Website?
An effective medical website is one that doesn’t have glitches. Your medical website should be responsive on different types of phones and laptops as well. If your website features options for patients to book appointments and see a history of their medical visits, it also makes it more effective.
Why Does A Doctor Need A Website?
Most patients go online to confirm the credibility of a doctor. They form an image depending on what information they find online. As a doctor, if you have a website, you’ll have an online presence on which you inform and interact with potential new customers. If you don’t have one your clinic remains inaccessible to those trying to google you.
How Much Does It Cost To Build A Medical Website?
The cost to build a medical website depends on various factors. A domain name could cost you anywhere from INR 199 to INR 1,000 or more. Website Hosting costs range from INR 2,000 to INR 10,000. Some website themes are free but if you wish to get a particular layout, you’ll need to pay for it. Logo design, content development, and making your website responsive can also cost you depending on how much professional help you’re taking.