The Status Quo

A typical (fictional) web page for a hospital-owned medical practice is shown below.

Consider the viewpoint of the person coming across this page in a search for a physician office. This practice may well be just what the visitor was looking for, but a quick glance takes the viewer in many different directions. And a quick glance is often the only kind of attention a web page gets before the viewer either decides to keep on reading or to click away.

And even if the viewer stays on the page long enough to start reading, there are so many distracting buttons and side menus that are there just to attract their attention. Once the viewer clicks on any of these, the chances of a return to the practice’s information is remote. All the effort it took to acquire this visit can easily be lost in the shuffle.

The persistent viewer is rewarded with a scarcity of information, certainly not enough to influence a decision to engage with this practice. Bear in mind, the page’s visitor has most likely seen (or will see) several other medical websites as part of their search. When weighing this page against other websites that display much greater depth, it’s hard to imagine this practice being selected.

New Patients aren’t the Only Patients

A large proportion of medical website visits are from current patients, looking for more information. Patient portals, pre- and post-op instructions, insurance info, practice hours, additional services – all are reasons for the return visit. Consider the dismay such a visitor might have when looking for the old, full-featured website and arriving at this page.