Most websites are simply online brochures that fail to convert visitors into leads and patients. If structured well, your website can become a powerful revenue-generating asset.
In this 3 part video series, I’ll go through the most important aspects of high performing website;
- How to stop your website from becoming a “leaky bucket” that isn’t performing
- The importance of giving your website a clear “job” and key performance indicators (KPIs)
- How to use content upgrades as a powerful tool for capturing website visitors
- How to use landing pages to ensure your paid ads convert well
- The three – step structure for the “hero” section of your home page that compels visitors to take action
- The most important design and user experience for maximising conversions
Welcome to another episode of Online Marketing For Doctors TV & Podcast—your go-to resource for growing and scaling your practice. I’m Huyen Truong, a Strategic Marketing Consultant for medical clinics. Over the past decade, my team and I have helped clinics across Australia, the UK, the US, Singapore, India, Canada, New Zealand, and beyond to thrive using our proven patient generation system.
Today, we’re going to dive in the first topic “How to stop your website from becoming a “leaky bucket” that isn’t performing”
1. Leaky Buckets
Most websites are just online brochures. They’re filled with cheesy stock images of perfectly diverse groups of people high-fiving each other or shaking hands. They make unsubstantiated claims of being the leader in their category. If they have a call to action, it’s usually something weak like “contact us to find out more” or “enter your details for a free quote.”
Even if an ideal prospect happens upon the website, the chances of it being the exact right time they’re making a purchasing decision are small. The chances of them actually following through with an action that leads to a sale are extremely small.
The situation is even worse when expensive leads from paid ads land on a website only to briefly glance at it and then click away. If there’s something that really interests them, they may linger for a while. However, even then, the website will likely end up being one of dozens of browser tabs they have open, most of which they’ll never return to.
2. Plugging the Leaks
Someone giving over their email address is valuable to you-and potentially perceived as risky to them. People are concerned about how their data will be used, and rightly so. We’ve all been pummeled with spam by overzealous marketers before.
For this reason, there needs to be an exchange of value, one where they feel like they’re getting a great deal by giving you their email address or other details. You give them something that’ll help them on their journey to solving whatever problem they’re trying to solve; in return, you get their contact information.
A blockage for many entrepreneurs is what to offer to make this value exchange compelling. Your flagship asset is a good candidate; typically, it would be featured on your home page. (I’ll discuss the layout of your home page shortly.)
3. Content Upgrades
“Content upgrades” are valuable pieces of downloadable content that complement product, service, or article pages across your website. I’ve found content upgrades to be powerful tools for driving email opt-ins. Examples of content upgrades include:
- Checklists: A summarised, actionable version of the key points covered on the web page that the prospect is visiting.
- Worksheets or templates: Tools that help readers apply the knowledge or concepts presented, making it easier for them to achieve desired outcomes.
- Additional tips or strategies: Supplementary information that builds on the web page content, providing further insights or advice.
- Exclusive interviews or case studies: Real-life examples or in- depth analyses related to the web page content.
- Video or audio content: An alternative format of the web page content, catering to different learning preferences and offering a more immersive experience.
- Discounts or coupon codes: For e-commerce stores, a one-time discount or coupon code can be an effective way to drive email opt-ins.
Content upgrades enhance the user experience, build trust with the audience, and provide additional value to the web page visitor.
They are typically more effective than generic lead magnets because they directly address the needs or interests of readers who are already engaged with one of your web pages.
The email address of your web page visitor is captured, and the content upgrade is automatically delivered by your CRM system, which gives them instant gratification.
Offering content upgrades on relevant pages of your website and using clear calls to action will help you grow your email list. Content upgrades are an effective way of plugging website traffic leaks while delivering a lot of value to your audience.
4. Your Home Page
On a website, “above the fold” refers to the portion of a web page that is visible on the screen without the user needing to scroll down.
The top fold of your home page is commonly referred to as the “hero section.” This is typically the most highly trafficked part of your entire website. While you’ll have specific landing pages for specific products, ads, or promotions, your hero section serves as a kind of catch-all landing page.
On numerous occasions, I’ve spent several minutes on a website scrolling and clicking, only to be left more confused than when I started. They often string together a lot of meaningless jargon and weasel words.
I recently came across a website whose home page was headlined “Solutions for Your Long-Term Health Goals.” The description below reads, “At [Clinic Name], we are committed to delivering compassionate, innovative healthcare by embracing our core values of passion, integrity, and creativity. Through proactive, solution-focused care, we aim to inspire positive, transformative change in our patients, staff, and the broader medical community, fostering collaboration and partnership at every step.”
I still have no idea what the heck this clinic actually does or who they do it for. I wonder how many potential patients and how much revenue they’ve lost over the years because of their messaging.
Clarity is king when it comes to this crucial section of your website. A good structure for the hero section of your website is:
- Here’s what I’ve got: This is the headline of your home page.
- Here’s how it makes your life better: This clearly and concisely explains the transformation your prospects will experience and how it will make their lives better. Don’t write a novel here. This should be one sentence, two maximum.
- Here’s what I want you to do next: This is the specific next action they should take.
Here’s an example:
Caffeine-Infused Protein Bar
The delicious, nutritious, all-natural snack with organic green coffee that helps you crush your workout without the crash.
Shop Now or Get your free sample pack here
The headline clearly states exactly what’s being offered: a caffeine- infused protein bar. There’s no guessing involved.
It makes our target market’s lives better by providing protein and helping them crush their workout, things they really want. We also address potential objections of healthfulness and taste head-on by telling them it’s organic, all-natural, and delicious. Lastly, we give them the good thing without the bad thing by telling them they won’t have a caffeine-induced crash.
Finally, we have a primary call to action that directs them to where they can buy the product immediately. For the more risk-averse, we have a secondary call to action that invites them to order a free sample pack. Either way, their details will be captured in the CRM system for future nurturing and follow-up.
I recommend using a different, preferably brighter, color for your primary call-to-action button. Make strategic use of imagery in your hero section that supports and enhances your message. Images of people achieving your prospect’s dream outcome are ideal. Also, our gaze is naturally drawn to where others are looking. You can use this to draw more attention to your call-to-action button by ensuring the people in your images are looking towards it.
Avoid auto-playing videos, animations, or carousels in your hero section. They’re distracting and scream outdated web design.
Social proof is another powerful thing to include on your home page. Awards, press coverage, prestigious clients you’ve worked with, great reviews, testimonials, and so on. These reassure your visitors that you’re legitimate and trustworthy.
5. Your About Page
After your home page, your “About” page will typically be your website’s second most viewed page.
Someone may visit your About page for many reasons, depending on what business you’re in. Here are some of the most common ones:
- Figuring out who’s behind this business: Are they legit?
- Checking out your team: What’s the size of the team (and business)? What roles do they have there? Do they know what they’re doing? Will they be fun to work with?
- For personality- or thought leader-based businesses: Has this person helped people like me? Does this person know what I’m struggling with, or have they been through what I’m going through?
- For product-based businesses: Where is this stuff made? Is it eco- friendly? How did they come up with the idea?
Your About page is a great place to tell your story, but don’t make the common mistake of making it about yourself. Tell your story in a way that’s directly relevant to whatever result your target market wants.
I recommend starting your About page with the most compelling thing you’ve got for your ideal prospect. Is there a big problem or something important that they need to be aware of? Is there an impressive claim you can make that relates to them?
When writing your About page, it’s important to focus on the transformation you offer. Instead of just listing your qualifications and experience, consider how it solves their problems. For example, I highly recommend using visuals on your About page. Include photos of yourself, your team, and your office or theatre. Imagine taking the person for a tour through your business and letting them meet your team. Action shots of your team doing their thing are a good way to replicate this.
6. Other Common Pages and Features
Other common pages you might include in your website are:
- Products and services pages: These describe, demonstrate,and sell what you do. There should be well-thought-out next steps. For a consulting business, it might be scheduling a discovery call. You’ll likely include pricing also. If your pricing is custom or built-to-order, I recommend including a price range here.
- Contact page: Give people multiple ways to contact you. Include your phone number if you take inbound calls. If people visit your physical location, include helpful information like a map, landmarks, and parking instructions. Also, include a form that routes enquiries to the right place within your clinic based on the form’s content or a selected option. For example, sales enquiries might be piped into your sales CRM system, while support-related requests could create a ticket in your helpdesk system.
- Sales pages: These are focused on converting visitors into customers. You’ll typically send leads you’ve previously captured on your landing page to sales pages throughout your marketing process. A good sales page should include, at minimum, a headline, a problem, a solution, social proof, and a call to action.
- Frequently asked questions (FAQS): Answer common customer enquiries. This can save time for both you and your visitor. Ensure these are genuine and helpful, not made up and self-focused, like, “Why are you so awesome?” and “How do I buy more of your stuff?”
- Wall of love: A page featuring reviews, testimonials, and overwhelming social proof.
- News, media, or articles: This will be your content hub. Here, you’ll provide updates, post relevant articles and videos, and share insights related to your business or industry. This can generate a lot of organic search engine traffic if done well.
- Compliance: These are legal compliance pages like terms and conditions and your privacy policy.
- Live chat: If you have the team members to staff it reliably, live chat can be a very powerful conversion tool. While many people may hesitate to call or email you, they’ll often be much more open to using live chat.
Some Action Items For This Episode
- Set clear KPIs for your website and monitor these regular
- Review the hero section of your website. Revise it so it’s clear, compelling, and has a strong call to action.
- Take an objective look at your website through analytics and heat-mapping tools to ensure it’s optimised for conversions.
We also leave the link to our “How Good Is Your Website?” quiz on the show note so you can do a 2 min quick check up to see how well your website is performing now.
By answering these quiz questions, you’ll gain insights into the effectiveness of your website. If you’d like a comprehensive audit and a 360-degree overview of your website, please reach out for a discovery call. We’ll schedule a website audit and strategy session for you.
Ok that wraps up another episode of the OMD TV & podcast show.
If this was helpful to you, please subscribe to the OMD TV and Podcast Show so you don’t miss any future episodes. And please share this episode with your staff and colleagues.
If you want to learn more about Online Marketing For Doctors offers and how our team can help you generate more new patients and referring doctors via creating a high converting website for medical and healthcare practices, please reach out to us and book a 15-minute discovery call with us as I mentioned above. I’ll leave a link to it in the show notes below.
Thank you so much and hope to talk to you on a discovery call soon. 🥳
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