NorthPoint Domain

Website Awareness

Building It Is Not Enough: Driving Visitors To Your Site

The movie Field of Dreams made famous the phrase “If you build it, they will come.” And it worked. Once the baseball field was complete, people came. With your web presence, however, simply building it does not guarantee that anybody will come. Creating your site — admittedly important — is only one aspect in developing a successful, flourishing web presence. Unlike the magic wrought in Field of Dreams, you have to tell people about it. Here are some easy, effective ways to attract visitors to your site.

  • Include your web address on all your collateral including brochures, business cards, billing statements, stationery, advertising, and even auto signatures for email.
  • Mention your web address and your website’s capabilities, such as online registration and appointment requests, on your organization's phone triage — voice mail, on-hold, and after hours messages.
  • Make sure your entire staff knows of your website and all that’s included in it. Encourage them to mention it to patients when they call in for appointments, questions, or driving directions. Some organizations have made their site their default home page for all users.
  • Encourage your patients to visit the website to complete standard forms such as registration, patient history, HIPAA policy, and for pre- and post-procedure instructions. Studies show that 50 to 75 percent of patients have online access, and many prefer to complete paperwork beforehand.
  • Update your website regularly with the most current information about your services and procedures. Regular updates to your site improve search engine results.
  • Refresh your site with information about upcoming events, news, or presentations. If you have had any media coverage, send the information to your Member Services Advisor for posting.
  • Generate incoming links from relevant websites. Are there hospitals or other health care organizations that will link to your site? Some insurance companies will allow physicians to update their profiles and include their website address.

For assistance with attracting visitors to your site, contact your Member Services Advisor at (800) 603-1420, or for more information, click here.