Grow Your Medical Or Healthcare Business Online With WordPress

Medical and health services providers today face increasing challenges.

Online Challenges For The Health Profession

Now, more than ever, businesses in the medical sector must work harder than ever to remain competitive. Not only do you have to become more involved in the community your business serves, you must also maintain an active presence online. This includes having a website and searching for smarter ways to market your medical or health services online.

As well as investing money in offline marketing activities such as advertising on newspapers, ads in industry publications and magazines, radio and tv, etc., you will probably find (if you haven’t already) that in order to compete, increasingly larger amounts of their marketing budget will need to be delegated towards the development and maintenance of a website that attracts new leads, engages visitors, outranks the competition in search engines and helps to increase your reach online.

This means that your website not only has to look great, your web pages have to be fast-loading, and be easy to navigate, but even more importantly, the needs of the website will change in time and some areas may need to be frequently updated. This requires implementing well-developed web and content management strategy.

One other challenge that health-related organizations face online (and most businesses for that matter), is that you have only about 30 seconds or less to provide visitors with what they are looking for or they will look elsewhere.

“Websites have evolved into central information hubs where service information is still present but enhanced with web portals, hyperlinks to state and federal sites, and a variety of free tools.”

Michael Alter, http://www.accountingweb.com/technology/accounting-software/tips-for-improving-your-website

Opportunities For The Medical Profession In The Online Economy

As well as facing many business and technology changes, there are also loads of online opportunities available for health or medical-related practices that can adapt to meet the challenges of the online economy and can think strategically when it comes to marketing themselves better online.

The article below will help you uncover ways to attract more visitors and build more online credibility for your business.

As well as providing tips and information on ways to improve your website, we also recommend that you consider using the WordPress content management system (CMS) to power your medical or health-related business website.

To learn more about the benefits and advantages of using the WordPress content management system, go here:

• Discover Why A Poorly Constructed Website Can Cost You Business
• A Beginner’s Guide To Growing Your Small Business Using A WordPress Blog

Practical Tips For Improving Your Medical Services And Health-Related Website

This section will show you ways to improve your website and get better results online. We show you what web pages you need, what content works best, your layout and navigation structure, etc.

If you need any help with website planning, see this detailed step-by-step guide: The Website Planning Process Explained: A Useful Guide For Non-Technical Business Owners

Ways To Improve Your Website Pages

Professional websites need several essential web pages. Let’s take a look at the pages your  need to have and how to structure your health or medical website for best results.

Your Services And Products

It’s essential to have a page that describes your services and any products that you offer. Depending on which area of health or medical services you specialize in, this page could list services such as:

• Medical And Surgical – e.g. ear, nose and throat, nephrology blood disorders, maxillofacial surgery, aged care, rheumatology, infection control, optometry surgical outpatients, etc.
• Dental Services – e.g. preventive dentistry, holistic dentistry, bad breath treatment, restorations, dental braces, emergency dental, etc.
• Cardiology – e.g. cardiac monitoring, coronary care
• Prenatal and Postnatal – e.g. birth suites, midwifery, etc.
• Child Health services – paediatrics, child development, children services, etc.
• Diagnostic services – breast screens, lung screening, medical imaging, pap smears, psychosis, allergy testing, etc.
• Pathology – lab testing and analysis, routine pathology testing, insurance and corporate testing, speech pathology, etc
• Counselling – mental health, alcohol, tobacco & other drug counselling, couples, wellness, social development services
• Alternative treatments – acupuncture, homeopathy, reiki, yoga, chiropractic services, hypnotherapy, etc.
• Other medical services/therapies – diet and nutrition, sports medicine, lymphedema therapy, speech language therapy, inherited diseases, artificial limbs, assisted living, home care, sexual health, medical equipment, etc.

Make sure to list all of the services you provide, not just the ones you specialize in. Provide your visitors with information that will educate them about what your services do and direct them to your contact or appointment booking page.

About Us

The ‘About Us’ page should give a description of your business and explain to visitors what your business stands for, its unique approach, philanthropic programs, etc.

This page should list any business awards, accreditations, recognitions, certifications, publications, associations, etc., that could be used to promote your medical services and position yourself above your competitors.

(List all of your industry awards certifications, accreditations, recognitions, publications, associations, etc. in your About page. Screenshot image sourced from: squaremedical.com.au)

Your Staff Page

Are you searching for simple ways to sell more products or services online or increase user interaction with your site? Then one of the things you can do, is help your prospective clients get to know you and your organization better.

Your business needs to be relatable. One great way to do that is to have a page that introduces your team members. It should include a photo and a mini bio. Since most visitors are probably not familiar with medical terms your bio descriptions should tell who they are and what they specialize in. It should also explain what those specialized areas mean. This page should include social buttons so your prospective clients can follow individual staff members on their social pages.

On this page, don’t be afraid to humanize your people with personal stories, hobbies, etc., but make sure to outline each team member’s experience, why they are an invaluable asset to your team, and more importantly, how they will help add value to your clients’ business.

(Make sure to add an employee description page. Image sourced from: southperthchiro.com.au)

We have written a detailed tutorial on how to easily create and add a simple team directory in your website using a free WordPress plugin here: Plugin Tutorial: Adding An Employee List Directory To Your WordPress Site

Job Opportunities Page

List any career opportunities available within your organization. This page can include training, employee benefits, professional development, etc. You can also include information such as the job outlook and career opportunities in the medical industry.

Include also a positions available section in your page. If there are no positions currently available, consider inviting people to return periodically to the page, join your updates list, follow you on social media, etc.

Testimonials

Case studies and reviews from clients are a great way to attract prospective clients and showcase your services. Adding a web page with case studies and client reviews also provides social proof online.

(Add a page to your site with case studies and client reviews. Screenshot image source: arrowsmiledental.com)

We have written a comprehensive article on using case studies, testimonials and client reviews improve your business online. Go here to learn more about this: Learn How To Improve Your Visitor-To-Lead Conversions With Meaningful Client Testimonials

Contact Page

A contact page is absolutely vital.

It should include the following:

• Name Of Your Business
• Your physical location
• Telephone
• Facsimile number
• Email address
• Google Map and directions
• Website address
• Contact form
• Request for more information – who to contact
• Links to social media networks
• Interactive chat feature

If your business services different areas you will want to make that clear when showing your address and contact information.

Consider also including a few links point to commonly-asked questions page, useful pages, online booking form, support page, newsletter opt-in form, blog, etc.

Add A Medical Or Health-Related Blog

A blog is a powerful marketing tool for your business. Many blogging platforms are built around a content management system that allows you to promote your business by publishing content such as news and announcements, new releases, useful information, opinions and discussions, promotional videos, media presentations, etc.

If you already have an established website, then consider adding a WordPress-powered blog to promote your medical business.

If you don’t have a website yet, or if your existing site is hard to keep updated or not giving you the results you want, then WordPress can be used both as your website and business blog.

Something not many businesses know about, is that WordPress can become an automated traffic-generation system that will help begin to attract web traffic to your web site, simply by publishing new content to your website on a consistent basis.

(An expertly configured WordPress site can generate new visitors automatically to your site)

For more details:

• Website Traffic Blueprint – Discover How To Automatically Generate More Traffic For Your Business

Legal Info Pages

Having a compliant website is vital. This is not only important for building credibility with visitors, but also to ensure that no local, regional or federal laws and regulations are being contravened wherever you practice.

Depending on the services you provide, adding the following legal pages to your website will help you stay out of trouble with most regulatory authorities, third-party service providers (e.g. Facebook), and other potential legal threats and inconveniences:

• Contact Us
• Privacy Policy
• Terms And Conditions Of Use
• Website Disclaimer
• Affiliate Agreement
• Anti-Spam Policy
• Compensation Disclosure
• DMCA Notice
• Earnings Disclaimer
• External Links Policy
• Health/Financial Disclaimers
• Refund Policy
• Video/Audio Terms
• etc.

We have written a comprehensive article on adding legal pages to your website. If you would like to know more here: How To Add Legal Pages To Your Website

Ways To Improve Your Content

In today’s highly competitive online economy, the sooner you start engaging in the practice of content marketing, the sooner you will begin to differentiate yourself from other competitors.

Provide great content with useful tips or information that will get your readers sharing your web pages with others and coming back for more. Using content is the most effective way to inform and teach your visitors and prospective clients about using your services and products.

For example, if your business provides products or services that help people lose weight, then some of the topics you can cover in your web content include:

• Nutrients your body needs on a daily basis (protein, carbs, minerals, fats, vitamins)
• How to calculate how many calories you burn each day
• How you eat your food is just as important as what you eat (eat at table, chew slowly)
• How to make right choices when eating at restaurants
• Etc.

You can also create a series of informative articles that will help your your prospective clients understand your health services, by explaining benefits, procedures, costs (including payment plans, insurance coverage, etc).

Use the same keywords and terminology in your articles that readers will be searching for online.

We recommend subscribing to our Content Marketing Email Training Series. You will receive a comprehensive series of training emails with easy-to-digest information and practical tips that will teach you how to drive more traffic to your site, save money creating useful content for your visitors and grow your business online using content. It’s not only a great course with loads of useful information, it’s also 100% FREE!

Improve User Experience

Improving your website’s user experience (generally referred to as UX) helps you keep visitors coming back and using your site. This section will show you ways you can improve visitor engagement and UX.

Content Syndication – RSS Feeds

RSS feeds can help to improve visitor engagement and user experience in many ways.

If you provide content that adds value to others, other sites may want to syndicate your content to their visitors.

Some of the benefits of syndicating your content to other businesses using RSS feeds, include:

• All of your content updates are kept in one place
• Content distribution doesn’t rely on email
• RSS feeds can be shared and picked up by other sites online
• Users can subscribe to your feed
• An RSS feed provides links to your content
• Feeds can be submitted to RSS directories
• RSS provides a number of ways for your readers to receive your content (e.g. subscribers can view the content on their mobile device using feed readers)
• RSS is built into WordPress

There are also a number of benefits when it comes to adding syndicated content to your site from other sites, such as the fact that you don’t have to write, manage or update the content.

To find RSS feeds with loads of useful content for your website, search online for medical or health-related government departments or key industry bodies.

For example, here are a few RSS feeds you could add to a health or medical-related website:

• US Department Of Health And Human Services – e.g. Blog RSS feed: http://feeds.feedburner.com/SelectedHhsBlogPosts, etc. You can also select specific RSS feeds, like feeds on women’s health issues (e.g. Breastfeeding, Environmental health, Illnesses and disabilities, Minority women’s health, Pregnancy, etc.) here: http://womenshealth.gov/news/rss/rss-feeds.html
• US National Libraries Of Medicine – For a directory of RSS feeds from leading medical journals, publications and websites (e.g. Journal of Neurophysiology, BMJ Journal of Medical Genetics, BMJ Sexually Transmitted Infections, BMJ Tobacco Control, BMJ Evidence-Based Mental Health, etc.) go here: http://www.healthplusplus.com/wiki/List_of_RSS_feeds_on_health
• National Institutes Of Health (www.nih.gov) - Find many health-related feeds here: http://www.nih.gov/Subscriptions.htm
• FDA – Get FDA-related RSS feeds (e.g. criminal investigations press releases, health fraud, tainted products marked as dietary supplements, foods, etc.) and podcasts here: http://www.fda.gov/AboutFDA/ContactFDA/StayInformed/RSSFeeds
• UK Department Of Health (https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-of-health) – Latest news: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-of-health.atom
• The Department Of Health (Australian Government): http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/xml/rssLatestNews.xml
• Department Of Public Health (Australia – State Level): e.g. NSW – http://www.health.nsw.gov.au/pages/rss.aspx
• Centers For Disease Control And Prevention - Get many health-related news feeds and podcasts here: http://www2c.cdc.gov/podcasts/rss.asp
• Medical News Feeds: You can search medical news RSS feeds by going to publications like the NYTimes RSS feeds section (e.g. Fitness and nutrition: http://www.nytimes.com/services/xml/rss/nyt/Nutrition.xml)
• MedicineNet.com – Weekly Health and Medical News Digest: http://www.medicinenet.com/rss/weeklyhealth.xml. You can also choose specific RSS feeds here (http://www.medicinenet.com/rss/article.htm) (e.g. Lung Conditions, Asthma, Migraine Headaches, Oral Health, Sexual Health, Women’s Health, etc.)
• MedicalNewsToday.com – MNT Medical News Headlines: http://rss.medicalnewstoday.com/featurednews.xml
• Medical News Today – You can also select individual RSS feeds here: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/newsfeeds-rss (e.g. Anxiety/Stress, Arthritis/Rheumatology, Medical Insurance, Aid/Disasters, COPD, Litigation/Medical Malpractice, Statins, etc.)

You can also just search online for general RSS feeds, e.g. “medical rss feeds” or search for feeds on specific areas, e.g. “infectious diseases rss feeds”, “drugs addiction rss feeds”, “crohn’s rss feeds”, etc.

(RSS feeds can help to improve your site’s user experience.)

Adding Forms

Adding checklists and medical forms to your site is a great way to help increase user engagement, add value to your readers and provide something unique. Charts and checklists can provide useful step-by-step instructions and resources to get necessary tasks done. They can also be great educational tools.

You can provide online or downloadable checklists and forms covering a range of areas such as:

• Booking appointments
• Checklists for post-surgery recovery
• Health checklists for specific conditions
• Dental checklists – e.g. first visit, oral hygiene program, cosmetic dentistry, etc.
• Fitness and nutrition program checklists
• General charts & infographics (e.g. caloric level of different foods, the importance of sleep at different ages, etc.)

Add Other Tools

Providing unique tools, gadgets and applications on your website can help increase visitor engagement and add value to your visitors. Health-related calculators are great tools you can add to your website. Others would include things like nutritional tools, or even recipes.

In the next section, we look at a number of online tools you can use in your website using WordPress plugins and themes that can also help improve your seo, increase user engagement and drive more visitors to your business.

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This is the end of part one of this guide on ways to grow your medical-related business online.

Click here to continue:

• Online Business Tips For Medical And Health Services Providers – WordPress Plugins & Themes That Can Improve Search Engine Optimization, Increase User Engagement And Generate More Web Traffic

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