Just about every business can benefit from a website - and pharmacies are no exception. Your website is a reflection of your pharmacy and often a patient’s first impression of you. A well-designed pharmacy website that allows for patients to not only view, but take an immediate action (like send in a refill, or book an appointment) is the best way to retain and bring in new patients to your doorstep.
Today, we’ll discuss 6 common features of pharmacy websites that turn potential patients away, along with solutions you can incorporate.
Nowadays, new patients are much more likely to Google your online presence before visiting you on location. Is your website kept up to date? When your content seems old, it leaves a bad impression on patients...and they may simply look elsewhere.
Search engines algorithms place higher value on recent, active websites; so by waiting too long between updates, it harms your pharmacy’s position in search results. The longer you take to update your website, the lower you rank in search engines and the less likely patients will contact you.
Patients visit your site to look for something, whether it be store hours or services offered at your pharmacy— don’t make it hard for them to find what they need!
As soon as a patient lands on your site, it shouldn’t take more than 5 seconds to take the action they need. Appearance matters — if your website looks outdated, clunky, or has too little (or too much) information, people will give up. Keep the demographic that you're serving in mind as well! The more clearly laid out your site is, the better; information-overload comes off more distracting than helpful.
Your site can’t only look good on a desktop computer— most of your patients will be reaching your site on a mobile device. You want your site to look great, no matter the device they’re using.
When catering to mobile users, asking patients to text, Whatsapp, or Facebook message you is not only unsecure, but can be seen as unprofessional and turn patients away from your pharmacy.
A online call-to-action is an essential part of your website. Without one, patients will not have the choice of accessing services or filling prescriptions conventionally online. A great example of a call-to-action is a clear “Order Prescription” or “Register for a Flu Shot” button.
Although a button saying “Call to Schedule Your Appointment” does serve as a call-to-action, the inconvenience of calling leads to customer drop off. Having an online action makes your pharmacy conveniently accessible 24/7, through your holidays and busiest days. An online call-to-action also improves your position in search results as online user engagement is tracked by google and other search sites.
Consumers are becoming more aware of their online privacy and security rights. Keep in mind that Facebook, Google, and other free services are often not designed for healthcare use. Many of these services generate revenue through data collection and advertising, which is prohibited when conducting healthcare services.
Be mindful that some services that sell to pharmacies still collect data for advertising purposes. Ensure any third-party software providers you use are not going to cause concern or complaints to your privacy commissioner. If your site is well designed, it builds trust that your site and practice meets these regulatory requirements.
Pharmacies that actively promote their pharmacists are typically much more successful at connecting with their communities. You may not be able to compete with brand recognition from corporate pharmacies, but by doing simple things like putting a picture of yourself on your website, explaining your professional background and talking about why you love being a pharmacist, you’re taking a huge step towards building that trust and personal connection with your community.
If you're looking for an all-in-one simple solution to a pharmacy online presence, try MedEssist! Even investing in an expensive web designer will sometimes still lead to an out of date site or one that does not meet healthcare privacy standards. Remember, the aim of your site should be to benefit those looking for information about your pharmacy, and getting them to engage with your services, and The MedEssist Portal is designed specifically for this.
Staying active on website updates, social media, newsletters, customer appreciation events and customer surveys is incredibly simple with MedEssist. You can update your online presence at any time and ensure that registering for any pharmacy service is made as easy as possible.
Whenever patients access your site, it should be actively promoting everything you do to new and returning customers. You’re often too busy to promote yourself, so it's important to have a system that's doing this work for you.
Pharmacies using MedEssist have seen an increase in revenue, have received positive Google reviews and most of all, have enhanced accessibility for their patients.
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