With the growth of the Internet, physiotherapy websites are fast becoming an integral part of private practice businesses. While the general population does not always make the link, there has always been an intimate relationship between health care and technology. Clinic owners and managers can not only bring their practices closer to the people but reach out and touch them more personally than just a digital flyer.
Whether you have an established clinic or are just starting out in private practice, physiotherapy websites can serve multiple purposes that allow you to concentrate on what you do best, i.e. provide top-notch care to your patients. Here are some examples of what a dynamic, high-quality website can accomplish:
Drive referrals through your clinic doors
A content-rich physiotherapy website enhances your private practice’s credibility and encourages patient prospects to pick up the telephone or set up an appointment online. Regularly updated articles and features help raise your local search engine rankings, so vital if you want people in your area to learn about your services. You also brand your image positively to existing clients, hospitals and others doing preliminary research. As they say, you never get a second chance to make a first impression.
Better market positioning versus competitors
It’s important to positively differentiate your business from competitors in any field, physiotherapy being no exception. Simply being the best from a medical/health perspective will mean nothing if nobody knows you. This is where your website can play a crucial role, especially if your neighbourhood is saturated with physiotherapy clinics. Use online technology to alleviate patient apprehension about visiting a clinic and forge ahead of other, more technophobic owners.
Streamline common relationship management and administrative tasks
Earlier, we alluded to your physiotherapy website as a point of first contact, a method for booking appointments and improving communication. A website’s management suite can offer much more; for example:
- content management
- membership system
- e-mail newsletters and alerts
- blogs
- Twitter updates
- patient testimonials
and much, much, more…
These website benefits and features have the impact of simplifying your office tasks, improving patient-physiotherapist relations and freeing up time for improved patient care and follow-up. Collectively, they constitute vital parts of any private practice’s growth plan.