5 Web Design Best Practices for Optometrists

As an optometrist, your key focus is the vision of your patients, their eye health, and how you can improve both. At your practice, you understand just how important vision is and how your patients’ vision affects every part of their life.

But have you ever considered how your website appears to your patients?

Believe it or not, your website’s qualities affect your patients’ willingness to become one of your patients, so it’s crucial that your web design is user-friendly and appealing.

It’s not uncommon for optometrists to underestimate the importance of your web presence, especially when you’re constantly focused on the care of your patients. However, if your web design is lacking, you could be losing patients.

Call 888-601-5359 to speak with a strategist about web design services from WebFX, or keep reading for a few best practices you should keep in mind for your optometry practice’s website.

Why website design for optometry matters

The condition and quality of your website affects your customer traffic more than you think, for many reasons. Here’s why your web design matters:

It gives a first impression

Just like the waiting room gives a first impression of your physical location, a website gives a first impression to patients who are searching for you online.

It only takes 50 milliseconds for a website visitor to determine whether or not they will stay on your site or bounce from it. If they decide to bounce from your site, chances are, they won’t be selecting your practice for their vision needs.

That’s enough of a reason to want your first impression to be great. Not just at your physical location but your online location as well.

It’s usually where the search starts

The Internet provides users with answers at their fingertips, and finding your optometry practice is no different.

80% of people use a search engine like Google to locate a service or product that they need. If your website shows up in a search for an optometry practice, the first thing potential patients will see is your website, which makes it detrimental to their decision.

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Optometry website design best practices

In the past, the fact that you had a website for your optometry practice was enough to put you above your competition. Today, that’s no longer the case—when it comes to your web design, your patients expect more than just an informational hub, they expect great design too!

So how can you ensure you’re meeting their expectations? Take a look at our website design best practices listed below.

1. Responsive, mobile-friendly design

Responsive design, or a website that is accessible on any device, is extremely important to your website design. This kind of website will resize itself appropriately to the screen size of the device visitors view your site from, scaling the content up or down to match the screen size.

At its roots, responsive design makes sure that your website looks and works just as well on a mobile device or tablet as it does on a desktop computer.

If your website lacks this quality, visitors on smaller devices may need to zoom or scroll to view your pages—something that can easily become frustrating. 50% of mobile users who search for a local service are likely to visit that service.

However, if your website isn’t mobile friendly, that 50% will likely jump from your page before they make it to your location.

2. Simple design

You’ve heard the phrase “less is more,” which also holds true for web design. A clean, minimal website design is the best for attracting potential patients.

The more complicated and cluttered design elements are, the more likely it is to distract your site visitors.

When potential patients are distracted by the design of your website, it takes the focus away from your important content, your calls-to-action, and other important aspects in the process of choosing your practice.

3. Informative, detailed information

Less may be more with design elements, but that’s not the case with the content on your website.

The reason users visit your website is to find information about your practice and the services you offer, and it’s your job to provide that information. It’s important to give your visitors what they’re looking for if you want them to stay on your site.

You can do so by providing them with detailed information about what they can expect during an appointment, and the doctors you have on staff.

Not only does providing information let your patients know what to expect, it also shows how knowledgeable you are in your field. You can also post articles that are not directly linked to your practice, but information about eye health, developments in eye care or what kind of eye tests you should always take part in.

The more information you can give your potential patients, the more comfortable they will feel about putting their vision health in your hands.

4. User-friendly navigation

Navigation is key when it comes to a good user experience.

The navigation bar is typically the menu at the top of your page that outlines all the main pages on your website, and without one, it’s extremely difficult for users to find their way around.

If users can’t find what they’re looking for easily, they’ll bounce from your site in search of a website that has a streamlined navigation bar that directly points them where they need to go.

Your navigation bar could include tabs that point to your home page, an about us page and pages about your services and informational articles.

5. Clear calls-to-action

One of the most important aspects of your optometry practice’s website design is the inclusion of clear calls-to-action, which refer to the places on the page that encourages visitors to take the next step.

An example would be a button on the page that reads “call now” with a phone number.

If they aren’t visible and clear on each page, you could miss your chance for potential patients to contact you about your business.

Want to speak with an expert? Call us at 888-601-5359

Does your optometry website design need an update?

If your practice’s web design doesn’t follow these best practices, it may be time for an update!

At WebFX, we have all the tools necessary to design the best website for your practice, and we offer strategies like social media, SEO, and so much more.

Feel free to contact us online or give us a call at 888-601-5359!

We can’t wait to hear from you!