How to Build an Expert Website for Natural Health Doctors
Let me ask you this — how might you evaluate your current online presence? What do you think it would it be like for a person who doesn’t know you at all to find you online? What would be their initial experience? Got it?
Okay, so now ask yourself — how do you stand up to the competition? Do you look like an expert? Would you want to visit your business based on how your online presence looks?
The fact is, you can be the most qualified and talented healthcare provider in North America, but if you don’t have a properly functioning website, you are going to deter patients from visiting your practice.
A Poor Quality Website can be Detrimental to Your Business
We live in the digital age and no matter the industry; a poor website can prove detrimental. Chances are you are completely unaware of how much business you might be losing from a bad online presence. It’s possible that you’re wasting a lot of time worrying about things that really don’t matter and are not going to get more patients into your practice.
The purpose of this informative guide is to help you better understand what is actually valuable, what legitimately works, and what steps you should be focusing your energy on. Get the guidelines to see how you measure up when it comes to a potential patient’s digital journey to find you online.
FACT: More often than not, even if someone has been referred to you by a friend or family member, they are still going to check you out online.
What Message do you Want to Send?
If your website looks like a doctor’s office from 1980, then you are going to leave an unfortunate impression that implies….
- You are out of date and out of touch
- You don’t care about the patient’s experience
- You don’t invest back into your practice
Is that the message you want to send to people who don’t even know you yet?
Having an online presence that looks like a luxury car instead of a rusted-out jalopy is the difference between people wanting to spend whatever it costs to be your patient from those who want to nickel-and-dime everything you suggest.
How to Create the Right Perception
Perception is key. If you want to stand out as an expert online there are some very important aspects that you need to be aware of. And it all begins with having a functioning website that allows patients to:
- Find information with ease to learn about what you offer
- Go on a patient journey with you as their expert
- Resonate with who you are and what you do
- Inspires them to book with you
Now, let’s look at the essential things your website needs…
1. Legible Typography
A website full of helpful information is a wonderful tool for your practice. That said, what good is the information if it is difficult to read? When designing your website, it is important to consider a legible typography.
- Sans serif fonts are better for the web.
- Type size should be at least 16, with an easy-to-use widget for making text bigger.
- Lines of text shouldn’t exceed 75 characters (roughly 15 words).
- Line height should be at least 140 percent, so there’s white space between each line.
- Headlines and subheads should get progressively smaller.
- Paragraphs should be short with spaces between them.
- Bulleted lists are your friends.
2. Opt-in (also known as an ethical bribe)
Your website should serve all types of patients who land on its pages — from cold prospects who have never seen or heard of you before, to warm ones who may have stopped by before or heard of you through a friend, to hot leads who are ready to book. By having an opt-in on your site in the form of a quiz, a starter guide, or some other type of valuable download, you can achieve three things:
- Grow your email list of prospective clients to send valuable information to
- Nurture those prospects through a series of communication to help them better understand what you can do for them and the transformation you offer.
- Deliver free value immediately which sets you apart and helps them to start improving their health with your wisdom.
Quizes
The type of quiz that performs best has between 5-7 questions. It’s area of focus is very specific, such as: How imbalanced are your hormones? Are you bloated or is your gut not working right? Is it time to see a doctor about your pain? Is your brain healthy?
Downloads
When it comes to downloads, what currently works is no longer the lengthy ebook or the download that has no real meat on the bone. People want something they consider high quality with a perceived value.
In exchange for receiving something free from you, your opt-in leaves them feeling like they owe you their attention in return. It’s basic human psychology — but you have to make it count! We often see ultimate guides, training series, masterclasses, audio clips, and checklists / step-by-step guides all being well-received.
Just remember to add as much value as you can. When your prospective patient sees the value in what you give them for free, they’ll be excited about what you might give them when they come to see you. You and I both know that the energy you give to a patient just by holding space for them and listening to their problems is priceless.
But first, you need to get them in the door!
3. Calls to action
Once a patient arrives at your website, you need to keep their attention and help them navigate through the site. To do this, you need to offer interesting and relevant calls to action. These may include (but are not restricted to) calls to click your opt-in or book a discovery call with you.
In addition to call-to-action buttons, you’ll also want to ensure your navigation tabs are organized and engaging.
Keep everything congruent and on brand. Don’t have people wondering if they’ve left your site when they click on the next page. Having someone with a keen eye for design and functionality is well worth outsourcing.
4. Mobile Friendly
You would be shocked to find out how many people browse your site on their phone. In fact, it’s likely the most common way. Statistics tell us that smartphone users look up health-related info on their phones 48% of the time.
More and more of us are using our mobile phones to do our browsing. We now even have audible searching tools like Alexa, Google Home and the infamous, “Hey Siri, how can I fix heartburn without pills” type of searching!
Therefore, it is important to have a site specifically designed for mobile. This will help with functionality, load times and SEO processes.
Pro Tip – Use Mobile Friendly Long Form Keywords!
In fact, Google actually prefers long form keywords to short ones. One juicy tip we just love is to include an FAQ page on your site that has a list of questions that people would typically ask their phone instead of type. We speak differently than we type and Google knows that.
5. Engaging & Consistent Content
Consider starting a blog for your website. Give your patients information on topics that might interest them – this will give them more reasons to come back to your site.
Also, make sure to stay away from any complicated medical terminology. Instead, use accessible language that is easy to understand for the average person.
Your blog should be updated once or twice a month. Adding a video summary of your blog post instead of just an image is also a great add-on to increase engagement! Remember, when designing this type of content, keep it applicable to the layperson — easy to digest and easy to implement.
Don’t be afraid of giving all of your information away. Information is free. What you have to offer is the unique ability to assess the challenge, disseminate all the information, and provide a customized solution that works. That is what people are paying you for, customized care!
If creating new content is dragging you down and it’s something you’d love to check off your list, maybe outsourcing it is the right way to go. Check out this done-for-you option. It’ll save you time, money and grow your audience without taking you out of your zone of genius.
6. Video
Video is the most consumed content on the planet right now. If you don’t have video on your website, you are missing out! Video allows your potential patients to get to know you and resonate with your message and promise of transformation. Because that’s really what you are offering — a transformation to better health!
- Start with a “why” video (a.k.a. a trailer) that highlights your journey, incorporates some emotion, and allows patients to understand why they should be excited to work with you. Resonating with your audience is a key component to building your brand. Want to see what my video looks like? Click here and scroll down to “Why are We the Right Fit?”.
- Include some short videos about specific health topics. You can post these on your social media too.
- Share some patient success stories (without names, of course) so people can learn more about what it’s like to work with you. Case studies and frequently asked questions videos are valuable as well.
7. Analysis and Retargeting:
Google Analytics can help you understand where your traffic is coming from and will allow some deeper insight into who is checking you out online. Fortunately, it’s easy to install (for the most part). However, you also need to look at reconnecting with visitors who have been on your site, but not taken any action.
You may have heard that people need to see you, your messaging, and experience multiple touch points or connections with you before they buy. Retargeting customers with Facebook ads or even boosting a video you’ve done is easy using Facebook Pixel. This pixel is a piece of code that gets installed into your website and allows you to show your ads or boosted videos to the same people who have already shown interest by visiting your site. It’s quite brilliant, really. And in my humble opinion, underused.
What NOT to Do on Your Website
Now that we’ve covered the essential elements your site needs, can we talk about what not to do?
- Please don’t list everything you do, who you serve and all the things you can think of on your homepage. Truth is, nobody has the capacity to absorb all of that. It’s overwhelming and has no value. Instead, dial it right back. Remember, unless someone is a hot lead and ready to book (in which case they want your phone number and location), everyone else is just getting warmed up. In reality, they are not likely to buy from you just yet without more engagement and communication.
- If you already have a blog, but it’s not kept current, then please delete the dates. Otherwise, it just looks bad. Blogs are great for showcasing your knowledge, but if done poorly and left stagnant, they can be worse than having no blog at all. If you are looking for an easier way to post consistent content, click here.
- Now, let’s talk images. Even though the trees, the forest, the stream, and a happy family are all lovely and reminiscent of the holistic/natural health industry, remember people buy people. The image you choose to sit at the top of your website sets the tone for the rest of the site. Use this opportunity to show you, your face, and your team. Often the people making websites are making them with graphic design in mind, not conversion or brand building. Therefore, a lot of sites are missing a lot of essential elements in this fast-moving digital age.
- Lastly, skip the traditional bio that reads like a resume – it’s not helping you resonate with your ideal patients. Instead it is completely relevant to share your story, your journey, or your passion. This helps people to connect to you and understand what you do and why you do it. Make it count!
So how do you rank?
Did you assess your site and see what’s missing? Does your site:
✅ Act as a tool to take prospects from cold to warm and from warm to hot
✅ Build your email database
✅ Nurture prospects with valuable communication
✅ Provide free expert content
✅ Is easily legible
✅ Designed to wow
✅ Share quality videos
✅ Utilize Google Analytics and Facebook Pixel
Let’s face it, you are a doctor and people expect you to have a strong brand. Even if you don’t feel like that’s an important element for your practice, in this digital age, it’s important for every business regardless of industry.
An engaging and professional website truly shows you as an expert and that you are modern, up-to-date and ready to wow your clients. It allows for you to reconnect, nurture and really build visitors into fans who feel like they know you before they come in to see you! The elements listed above are all part of the experience. If you’ve ever been impressed by a website you’ve visited, then remember, that is the feeling you want for your future patients.
Don’t waste any more time trying to figure it out alone!
And NO, it doesn’t have to take 6 months, feel like birthing a child, and stop you from working. On the contrary, it can be easy, quick and shiny new in a short matter of weeks if you are working with the right team!
If you want to review your website and are ready to ramp up your expert online presence, book a call. We can help!