Website design is one of the most important marketing strategies for podiatrists. There might have been a time when just having a website was good enough. That is no longer the case. To bring potential patients in the door and increase customer satisfaction and loyalty among your current patients, you need a great podiatry website that is easy to navigate, mobile-friendly, SEO-optimized, and provides your patients with valuable information about their foot and ankle conditions and treatments available.
Many podiatry practices consider using a template-based website, especially when first starting, as they have the misconception that a template will be easy-to-use and cost-effective. Unfortunately, this is often not true.
A template website is a website that is based on a one-size-fits-all approach. They consist of various but very similar designs. You choose one that you like. Your information is then plugged into the template. Although template-based websites are cheaper initially, a custom website usually leads to better conversion rates and a higher return on investment. Below are the main reasons.
1. It is Unique to Your Practice
Your practice is unique, so why should you go with a template that was designed for a generic practice? The goal of most podiatry practices is to exceed patients’ expectations. You want to make a positive impression on first-time visitors to your site. Using a template limits your ability to showcase effectively what makes your practice different from your competition. It may even be unprofessional, especially if your website looks the same as a competitor whose mission, goals, and values aren’t similar to yours.
This can leave an unfavorable impression on potential patients. Having a custom website will help patients identify your practice as unique. It will help you stand out from all of the other podiatrists out there and provide a competitive edge that will attract more traffic and lead to greater conversion rates.
2. Custom Sites are More User-Centric
Template-based foot and ankle websites are often not very user-friendly, which is unfortunate, as user-friendliness is one of the key design factors influencing conversion rates. Important elements that make a site user-friendly site are its navigation, load time, and design. A user-friendly site will result in a better experience for the user and directly influence conversion rates.
On the other hand, a website that is plagued with slow download speeds, navigational flaws, and other problems will lead potential patients to quickly hit the back button and move along to your competitor’s website. If users cannot quickly find what they are looking for, they will get frustrated and leave your site.
A website design firm, especially one specializing in podiatry practices, understands your patients and what they come to your site looking for. They can design a website that makes it easy for your patients to find what they want. O360 is one of the specialists in creating custom websites for podiatrists.
Not only must your website be user-friendly when it is viewed on a desktop or laptop, but it must also be designed for mobile use. The process of going online to find information or services has changed dramatically in recent years. More and more people choose to use mobile phones and tablets over traditional laptops and computers. According to Pew Research Center, almost two-thirds of Americans own a smartphone. Nearly 19 percent of these people rely almost exclusively on their smartphones to access online information and services and stay connected to the world around them. That is why it is essential that your website is responsive, meaning that it must automatically adjust its images, layout, and content to fit the resolution of a mobile phone or device.
Template-based websites are not designed to be responsible. On the other hand, a custom website can be designed to be responsive to how the information is retrieved.
3. SEO-Friendly
Search engine optimization is key when it comes to your website being visible to search engines. If patients cannot find you when they search, it means that your website is not SEO-friendly.
What makes a website search engine friendly? Website design is one of the most important factors in search engine optimization. A website must be designed in such a way that it is user-friendly for your visitors and optimized for search engines. Podiatry website templates are not optimized for search engines. In fact, they are often penalized by Google, Yahoo, and Bing. This means that, with a template-based website, patients cannot find your website as easily as with a custom website. Custom websites are created by designers that are experienced in developing search-engine-friendly websites. They understand how to get your website at to the top of search results and be more visible to new patients.
Check our SEO service.
4. Offers Ongoing Expertise and Support
A template-based website cannot provide you with the same level of expertise and support as one designed by a podiatry marketing firm. The whole idea of a template is the do-it-yourself point. The person who designed the template did not have your specific practice goals in mind at the time they developed the website.
On the other hand, custom website designers will figure out your goals and design a website that is consistent with your needs. They are committed to developing a website for your practice that will lead to more conversations. You can expect a custom website builder to work with you to design a well-thought-out website that appeals to your target market and gets more patients in the door.
5. It Grows with Your Practice
The landscape of foot and ankle care is constantly changing. This is especially true with changes in politics. Template-based websites cannot be changed once your practice grows or changes. This means that they quickly become outdated and useless. On the other hand, custom websites are flexible and can be changed as your needs change. This is ideal for long-term conversions.
A custom sites provide better conversion and help bring in more patients as it is designed specifically for your practice goals. A podiatry website design firm will have the expertise and tools needed to design a flexible, unique, and user-friendly website.
Read our blog titled 25 Marketing Ideas for Podiatry Practices.
Related post: Say no to PT website templates.
