If your site looks dated, what do you think it tells people about your facility? I know they say you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but that is not what happens online. Patients can and do judge hospitals—and their staff—based on their websites.
A website is a reflection of a healthcare facility. Imagine coming across a cluttered, haphazardly organized site with outdated information when trying to make a serious healthcare decision. What kind of hospital would you expect to find? When patients see a website, they build an image in their heads about what kind of hospital they are going to encounter.
Your hospital website sends a message about your facility and its staff. If it looks dated, it does a disservice to the people who work there. When patients see a cluttered, old fashion or out-of-date website, they will expect a cluttered hospital with staff who use outdated medical procedures. If you and your team provide excellent care, your website should reflect that.
Now imagine a clean, fresh and easy-to-use website that gives patients exactly the information they want. That’s good marketing!
And it’s not just about vanity.
The web is a much bigger part of our lives than it was in 1995, when SRJ created its first hospital website. Patients now expect more from healthcare facilities online website. Modern hospitals are using the opportunities afforded by the web to reach out to patients and the community. Modern websites are mobile-friendly and regularly updated with fresh content so patients can find the information they need quickly and easily.
Yes, a good-looking website is a good advertisement for your facility. But a good-looking, content-rich website is also good marketing. It is a way to communicate your hospital’s mission and present the various services that you offer to your community. And with competition between rural and city hospitals fiercer than ever, gaining an edge in your community through good Web practices is necessary.
Most important, your website sends a message about your facility and the care you provide. What is your website saying about your hospital?
If you are considering redesigning your website give SRJ Marketing Communications a call at 214-528-5775 for a free consultation. SRJ created our first website for a hospital in Texas 25 years ago and we are one of the few firms in the country that specialize in rural healthcare.
