Websites That Work

4 strategies to help your website attract new clients.

Does your website include elements that make it easy for potential new clients to find you, choose you and start interacting with you?

Certain web-design strategies can help attract and engage pet owners, says Eric Garcia, IT expert, digital marketer and founder of Simply Done Tech Solutions:

1. Check for mobile-friendliness. For a website to be successful, it must be optimized to work on a cell phone, tablet or other mobile device, with a “responsive” design (i.e., one that adapts to the size of the screen used to view it), says Garcia. Otherwise, it’s likely that people will be frustrated by your site—and they might not even find it in the first place. (See box.)

2. Show your local roots. If you do charitable work in your community, such as sponsoring the Little League team or holding fundraisers for local charities, communicate that information (along with event photos) on your website’s “About Us” page, says Garcia. This is one of the most-viewed pages on a veterinary website, he adds, second only to the “Our Veterinarians” page.

“People love to support businesses that support philanthropic causes,” says Garcia. “When potential clients are comparing your website against your competitors’, they should see that you support the local community. Most veterinary practices fail to do this.”

3. Have a new client page. Consider dedicating a page to new clients. Include your hours of operation, address, phone number, mission statement, practice photos and a few details about how you give back to your local community.

“Pull the key information scattered around your website into one simple page with a summary of everything your practice is about, so pet owners can quickly learn as much about you as possible,” says Garcia. The new client page should also include:

• A way for clients to request or book an appointment. Or use a direct booking software such as Vetstoria, Garcia suggests. “Give people the opportunity to schedule an appointment right then and there, and their search ceases,” he says.
• An online registration form.

4. Use storytelling, not statistics. Throughout your site, use storytelling to capture the attention of potential new clients. “Most veterinary professions love science, data and statistics, but that isn’t the way to motivate most pet owners,” says Garcia. “Facts and statistics actually make people less likely to take action.”

So don’t talk on your website about what percent of dogs and cats are prone to getting heartworm or periodontal disease. Instead, share a real story of a real dog that battled heartworms in your practice and is better today. “The power of narrative will motivate people much more than statistics to take care of their own pets,” says Garcia. “Sharing those little stories makes it more likely they’ll bring their pets in and follow the recommendations you provide.”