How to Create a Successful Healthcare Website

In today’s digital age, having a strong online presence is essential for healthcare organizations. With so many people searching for healthcare advice, it is important to create a user-friendly healthcare website that will help users find the information they need quickly and easily. But what makes a healthcare website successful?

With the right tools and understanding of healthcare website design, you can create or improve your website without breaking the bank.

This guide covers the following topics:

● Choosing the suitable CMS

● Mobile Optimization

● Interactivity

● Valuable content

● Navigation & visuals

● Branding

● Loading speed

● Web Accessibility

● Contact information

● Secure patient resources

So, if you want to create a successful website for your healthcare practice, follow the tips below.

Choosing the Suitable CMS

CMS is a software platform that allows you to quickly and easily create and manage your website’s content. When choosing a CMS for your healthcare website, it is important to consider the following:

● The size and complexity of your website

● The type of content you plan to manage

● Security and performance

● Ease of use

● Scalability and flexibility

● Cost

Popular open-source CMSs, such as WordPress, Joomla, and Drupal, are great for healthcare websites. These platforms are cost-effective, easy to use, and, most importantly, feature a wide range of healthcare-specific themes and plugins.

Make Sure Your Website is Optimized for Mobile Devices

To design an effective medical website, it’s crucial to prioritize mobile responsiveness. With over 90% of the global internet population using mobile devices to access the internet, medical professionals can’t afford to ignore this audience.

A mobile-friendly website adjusts to fit the screen of any device, providing a positive user experience without the need to pinch and zoom. Optimizing your website for mobile devices can also boost your visibility on search engines, leading to more prospects.

To make your website mobile-friendly, you should:

● Use legible font sizes

● Improve page loading time

● Make sure your buttons are easy to click

● Use a simplified navigation menu

A perfect example of a great mobile-optimized healthcare website is Cleveland Clinic. If you view it from your phone, it has all the elements we have listed.

Make Your Healthcare Website Interactive

An interactive healthcare website is essential in today’s digital world. With one, you can avoid losing patients to competitors with more engaging designs.

To improve patient engagement and achieve conversion goals, create interactive forms, feature call-to-action buttons, and offer a patient portal. Ensure your CMS provides responsive forms and complies with HIPAA regulations to keep personal information secure.

By implementing these features, you can improve the user experience and see a positive impact on key metrics like time spent on the page and click-through rate.

One of the most interactive websites with a very clean website is the Mayo Clinic. The website is a perfect example of CTAs done right, with detailed forms you can fill out, questions regarding your symptoms, and a referral program.

Create Valuable Content for Your Website

Valuable content on your healthcare website can attract and retain patients while positioning you as an authority in your field. Creating and sharing such content is cost-effective and generates more leads.

You can share the following types of content:

1. Blog posts

2. Q&A articles

3. Patient reviews to offer relevant and expert information.

Start with these content types to solidify your content marketing strategy. Valuable content builds awareness, generates leads, and retains customers.

Johns Hopkins Hospital offers various content on its website, including articles, research, and training program guides.

Improve Website UX with Clear Navigation and Visuals

For an intuitive medical web design, easy navigation is crucial. Visitors need to be able to find what they are looking for quickly, or they may leave. A well-designed menu and clear calls-to-action can help patients easily navigate your website.

Compelling imagery can make your medical website design engaging and memorable. High-quality, original images and videos can showcase your practice and staff while enriching educational content. But, be careful not to overload pages with too many images, and always ask for permission before sharing medical diagrams or patient photos.

MedExpress has one of the best and clearest navigation out of all the healthcare websites. When you first go to their home page, everything is listed in the top right corner, such as the patient portal, location, search bar, and the option to pay your bill.

Integrate Your Brand Into Your Website Design

To stand out among healthcare providers, your website needs to communicate your brand identity and values clearly. Integrating your brand identity into your website design can help patients instantly recognize your practice and become more familiar with it. Use a consistent color scheme and font to connect with your target audience, and select original images representing your services.

These branded elements will tie together to accurately communicate what your practice stands for and who you serve.

While it may appear insignificant, selecting the colors for your website carries weight as color psychology plays a vital role. A prime example is Maven’s website, which is entirely green. Studies indicate that green can positively affect one’s mental state by reducing pain and anxiety.

Maven’s website’s deliberate and well-planned monochromatic color scheme is an exceptional decision. Another great example is Tia’s website. Using doodles and a unique color scheme separates them from the rest while supporting their brand.

Optimize Website Speed

Fast loading times are crucial for your medical website to meet user expectations. Here are some tips to optimize your website’s speed:

● Compress images—Use tools like TinyPNG to compress images and reduce file size.

● Reduce redirects—Simplify redirect chains to minimize HTTP request-response cycles.

● Minify code—Remove unnecessary characters, comments, formatting, and unused code to reduce page elements.

Measure your website’s speed using Google’s free PageSpeed Insights tool and make necessary adjustments. Faster load times demonstrate your commitment to user experience and set the tone for positive patient interactions.

Website speed is one of the most important things, regardless of the content tied to the said website. This is also the case when it comes to different healthcare websites. Among many listed here, one of the speediest is definitely Cleveland Clinic.

Ensure Your Website Is Accessible

Enhancing your medical website’s accessibility is crucial to reaching a wider audience, especially those with disabilities.

Some of the most important Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) you should consider are:

● Ensuring text can be resized without assistive technology

● Providing alternative text for images

● Making sure elements have visible focus indicator

● Ensuring content can be experienced in different ways

One Medical is an example of an accessible healthcare website and utilizes everything listed here, including contrast colors, orange and green, and large and small text.

Ensure Easy Access to Contact Information

Clear and accessible contact information is crucial to encourage new or returning patients to reach out. Ensure that your phone number and email are prominently displayed on your website and provide directions to your facility.

If your practice offers online scheduling, use a CTA button to direct visitors to your scheduling tool and provide clear instructions on how to use it. Regularly update your contact information to avoid confusion and continue building rapport with your website visitors.

A great example of easy access to contact information is Infinite Medical Express. They have a Contact button at their top navigation bar. When you click the button, it will automatically take you to a form you can fill in with your name, email, phone number, and a message you wish to send. Another option right next to the form is their contact information, phone number, and email, as well as their location and working hours.

Healthcare Website FAQs

In this section, we will aim to address frequently asked questions about designing healthcare websites. By providing this information, we hope to offer a strong starting point for creating a website that showcases your practice effectively.

What is a Healthcare Website?

Your healthcare website virtually reflects your brand’s mission and values. It should showcase your profession and how you care for your patients. It is a convenient resource for patients to access answers, schedule appointments, and receive news. When designing your website, consider how you want to present your practice and how your audience will perceive it.

How Do You Create a Healthcare Website?

Choosing the right website builder or CMS (content management system) is crucial for creating a well-designed website that offers resources and tools to patients. Many CMS options exist, but some are better suited for medical website development.

In case you want to hire a company that specializes in healthcare website development, we recommend Digital Silk. Go to the website of this digital agency to find out more.

What are the Elements of a Successful Healthcare Website?

A successful healthcare website must:

● Be accessible to all visitors, regardless of ability or device used.

● Be easy to navigate

● Contain clear information and valuable resources.