Having a few additional free hours during COVID-19, we can use this time to upgrade and improve our company websites. If your current site is outdated and in dire need of improvement, customers that reach your site will quickly leave to find a more informative and up-to-date website. Your webmaster or developer can work with you to determine the best areas of your site which need improvement. Once the upgrade has been done you can then offer your visitors a more modern and updated user experience.
The site should have a clear purpose and offer a “free quote” or an offer that might benefit the visitor. Anyone visiting the site should know within seconds how to reach you and what services or products you offer.
Make sure your telephone number is clearly visible on the top half of the home page. The site menu (navigation) should be easy to use and we suggest at least one or two calls to action elements featured on the first page of the site.
The most important thing to remember today is to have the site developed using a mobile platform. Smartphones are being used by all of us and if our website does not show properly on mobile devices, no matter what else you do, the site will not be considered an updated site. It is mandatory today for you to have a mobile-friendly website. We are “mobile-first” designers. Contact our team for your next site update and review our portfolio to see our latest work.
Need a website critique?
If you no longer have a webmaster and cannot reach your site developer, please contact us. Our team is offering a “free” website critique during this pandemic. It takes only a few minutes. We will be checking for the following problems most often detected:
- Mobile-friendliness
- Professional look & feel
- Website speed (how fast it loads)
- Webpage readability (content quality)
- Poor navigation elements
- Linking strategy
- Modern site elements
- Promotion tools
Specific tools for medical sites:
Inside Design Orlando specializes in medical website design. We are seeing that most modern medical websites have installed access to “patient portals” within the site. This is a third party site that allows the patients to access their medical records and treatment using a secure login. Once the patient is logged into their account they are then able to make appointments and see medical information related just to their specific needs.
Another page that is a must for medical sites is a page called “office visits.” This page offers information that will tell the patient how to show up for the appointment (either in person or by Telehealth option). In this era of the COVID-19, most medical firms have set up “telehealth” screenings for those patients confined at home. For patient convenience, it is also a great idea to add an FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) page to the site. This page will answer the most popular questions most often asked.
Telehealth Definition:
Telehealth is a space to provide the distribution of health-related services. Telehealth information is delivered via electronic technology. It allows patient and clinician contact to receive medical advice and patient monitoring. If the patient needs to be admitted to the hospital, the physician will suggest this. This option has proven very successful especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. This keeps patient exposure to a minimum. It is also helpful for pediatric patients.
For patients needing refills for controlled substances, they will still need to be seen in person. This will allow the physician to ask for a drug screening and stay current with their blood tests. This is necessary only for those patients asking for medical refills. Portal login areas allow the patient a secure place to see account information and any other private testing results.
Promoting your site using a professional blogger:
It is always a smart decision to invest in professional blogging services. Those visiting your site are there expecting to find the latest information related to your service. Your website page content should be refreshed regularly. The blog page of the site should feature the latest news and views as it is available online. Professional bloggers are skilled creative writers who will keep your site relevant and competitive with this information. Blogging is not a secretarial project. The writer should be familiar with SEO (Search Engine Optimization) rules to keep the site full of great content.
The internet was created as an informational tool. It was not created to run your business. Passing on relevant and up to date information will help you prevail and stay higher in the SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages). Those sites who do not promote their sites through blogging or keeping the content fresh will find themselves far behind their competitors.
Choosing relevant pictures for the website:
Your website should be aesthetically pleasing with relevant pictures. When choosing stock pictures, make sure the ones you choose will represent your brand. Check each one before making a purchase to see how many times they have been purchased.
Do not choose the same images that are used on other competitor sites. Choose newer images and include pictures full of emotion which is always a good idea. The main thing is to remember that each picture chosen for the site should work well with your brand.
If you decide to use your own images, make sure they are professionally edited before adding them to the site. An even better suggestion is to hire a professional photographer to provide your company images (if your budget allows).
Most cell phone images are of good quality pixel-wise, however, lighting and other techniques are often not considered by the photographer. Use a good camera when taking pictures. When you are taking photos for the employee pictures, ask your team to dress appropriately, and use the same background for all team pictures. This will help the images to look more professional.
Importance of social media integration:
Today the majority of the public uses social media as they look for company services and products. Be sure to link all of your social media sites to your website. If you blog regularly, you can link the new blog posts to your company Facebook page which is a great way to boost your site visibility scores.
Inside Design Orlando News:
This month we will be launching two new website re-designs. Stay tuned as we launch the new and improved site for Signature Janitorial Services and also Amfund, Inc. We appreciate our clients, both past and present, and look forward to meeting new ones in the future.
Slowly we are all welcoming new clients to our business brands as COVID-19 subsides and as our companies come back online. Stay safe and we look forward to seeing all of you back out there enjoying your “new normal” soon.
More next time:
Jean Holland-Rose
Chief Creative Officer & SEO Professional
