For modern dermatology practices, a website is a data-packed calling card. Without one, converting patients is often ineffective. However, a well-designed site is just the beginning. The next step is making sure it can turn visitors into loyal patients.
Let’s take a closer look at how stunning design and practical functionality help dermatology websites generate patients.
7 Ways to Turn Visitors into Patients
Your website can have several interactive elements that turn visitors into patients. These elements work round-the-clock to put visitors on the path to becoming a patient.
1. Click-to-Call Link
With mobile traffic accounting for almost 60% of all web traffic, it is safe to say that a significant percentage of your patients will use a smartphone when browsing your website.
A click-to-call link is a hyperlink that allows the visitor to initiate the call simply by clicking. Once clicked, the link automatically initiates the call on the visitor’s phone.
This highly convenient feature eliminates the need to copy and paste the phone number or memorize it before opening the calling app. As soon as the visitor decides to make a call, all they need to do is click.
With call tracking, you can get valuable information about your audience’s behavior and use it for further marketing and conversion efforts.
2. Managed Chat
When potential patients come to your website, they may not be ready to convert immediately. Some of them have additional questions. That’s where a medical managed chat comes in.
This live chat works 24/7 to answer patients’ questions, make appointments, redirect visitors to the right specialists, and more. Behind the chat is a team of agents trained to support medical providers.
Since these agents work round-the-clock, none of your potential patients slip through the cracks even if they visit your website at night.
3. Contact Us Page
While clear CTAs, such as “Contact Us” can be effective, they may not work unless you provide a simple way to do it. Instead of just telling the visitor to contact you or book a free consultation, direct them to the “contact us” page.
The contact page should have all the necessary information to help a potential patient speak with you:
- Contact form
- Click-to-call link
- Live chat
- Address of your clinic (ideally with location on an interactive Google Map)
Once the patient arrives on that page, they shouldn’t encounter any distractions. The page should focus solely on contact options.
4. Real-Time Scheduling
More than 40% of patients prefer making appointments online. It’s an excellent option for pressed-for-time patients who may not have an opportunity to call the clinic during working hours.
Real-time scheduling functionality doesn’t just allow the patient to book an appointment at a convenient time. It shows free slots in real-time to prevent overbooking and reduce waiting times at the clinic.
Today, patients often expect clinics to provide real-time scheduling options. You can add a link to the header to make this functionality easier to find.
5. Sidebar Forms
Instead of directing the visitor to a “contact us” page, you can have the entire “contact us” form available on the sidebar. This way your potential patient doesn’t have to search for a place to connect with your practice. It’s always available on the side of the screen.
You can also place these sidebar forms on several pages with a high intent to convert, including practice location pages.
6. Landing Pages
Well-designed landing pages are the key to conversions. They play a significant role in marketing efforts such as paid advertising and SEO. All landing pages should:
- Be easy to navigate
- Contain clear CTAs
- Provide valuable and useful information that contains keywords
- Contain interactive elements that simplify conversion
Your landing pages should be easy to read. Not crowding them with images, videos, and bright colors is essential. Visitors who visit the page should find what they need almost immediately.
7. Micro Conversions Plus E-Mail Automation
The majority of website visitors don’t convert immediately. They need to take several small steps that lead them to the final decision. These steps are micro conversions. Examples include downloading an e-book or subscribing to your newsletter.
Once the potential patient signs up for a service and leaves an e-mail address, you can continue nurturing the lead through e-mail. With e-mail automation tools, personalized e-mail marketing drives high-quality conversions.
Mix Tactics with a Patient Acquisition Platform
The above tactics can improve your conversion rates and drive patient loyalty. Thankfully, you don’t need to choose just one. You can implement all these elements when you build a website on a patient acquisition platform, including 24/7 managed chat and e-mail automation options.
For example, Sonterra Dermatology used DoctorLogic’s patient acquisition platform to increase website conversion rates by 48%. This resulted in 41% more leads per month.
By streamlining your website’s conversion options, you are helping patients choose your clinic over the competition.