When Should You Replace Your Website?

Ever own a car that is older than most middle school children? One that has you visiting your mechanic more often than most of your friends? One where the repairs are costing you the price of a new car?

In the case of an old car, it’s clear when it’s time to replace it though many of us hang on too long and spend too much due to an emotional attachment to a chunk of metal.

With medical websites, it’s much less apparent when to replace it.

You only need to know to ask yourself two questions in order to make the assessment.

Before we share the easy way to evaluate your website, let’s agree on one thing. If you own a medical practice, the primary role of your website is simple. It’s to attract patients and get the phone ringing so you can schedule them in for visit. Right?

Now let’s look at where this simple process can go wrong online.

1. Your Bounce Rate
   The number one problem with most medical practice sites is 90% or more of patients find them and then don’t stay for more than a few seconds. Patients reach your site, then don’t see what they want, and leave, going to your competitors.

   The percent of people who leave without looking around is causing your bounce rate. Good sites have bounce rates as low as 70% and truly excellent sites can have bounce rates of 50% or lower. The lower the bounce rate, the more patients learn about your practice and the more likely they are to contact you.

   • Measurement #1
     Check your web analytics to see what your website’s bounce rate is. If it’s over 80% then the problem isn’t you or your practice but your website–which is sending patients away. The alternative is to get a direct response site from someone who has a track record of building sites with low bounce rates. Talk to us…
2. Your Website Conversion Rate
   Ideally, you have a site where patients stay for a few minutes at least, they read multiple pages to get to know more about their symptoms and discover the solutions you provide. The next step is getting them to take action, to fill in an email form or pick up the phone and call you, or even schedule a visit online.

   The problem with the vast majority of medical practice websites is that they may get patients reading, but they don’t generate many contacts. The bottom line is a good direct response website can prompt up to 5% of patients visiting to contact you. Most only generate a dismal response rate of less than .05%.

   • Measurement #2
     Evaluating your site just involves a simple calculation. Take the number of new patients who contact your practice and divide it by the number of unique visitors. The result is your website conversion rate. Need help cranking then numbers? Talk to us.

     Let’s do the math.

     The average practice website bounce rate is 90% or more, the average conversion rate is .05% which means you rarely, if ever, get patients calling you.

     An effective direct response website has a bounce rate of 50-70% and converts up to 5%, which on an annual basis can be a $570,000 difference in revenue. Yes, even though your site may look fine, it could be costing you $570,000 in patients who are going to your competitors.

Ready to attract more patients online? Schedule a free website review…