Why Your Practice Should Be Mobile Friendly

By: Cheska Sia

Of the 7.5 billion people on earth, approximately 5 billion own a mobile device. With the vast majority of society owning at least one handheld device, smartphones are used as the primary method for communication and as a reliable means for finding information online. For adults between the ages of 18 and 44, smartphones are indispensable. Whether people are searching for local practices or want to find opening or closing times, a mobile friendly website can easily help patients discover and contact your practice.
Being mobile friendly requires more than just a responsive website. It means to enhance and promote a positive user experience. From organizing information to receiving real-time updates, people quite often rely on these devices to structure their daily routines. Having a mobile friendly site appeals and speaks to the seemingly continuous advancement of technology, and thus can leverage your practice.
If your practice is not yet mobile friendly, here are some reasons why interacting with mobile users should be prioritized.

Patients Rely on User Friendly Sites for Direct Information

Your practice's mobile display should provide a pleasing experience for your audience According to MarginMedia, 48% of mobile users assess a practice's level of concern by whether or not they have optimized their site for mobile devices. If your audience encounters challenges (for example: needing to zoom in to text, or panning your site from side to side) they can become easily frustrated and are unlikely to re-visit your practice's site in the future. If your mobile display does not perform well, 57% of your visitors are unlikely to recommend your practice.

A solution is to create a mobile template that is easy to navigate through. Include Call To Actions (CTA) so that important information (such as: contact number, office hours, location, and requesting an appointment) can be found easily. A mobile site should provide people with what they need, immediately. Use your mobile site to enhance patient experience because this interaction will leave lasting impressions and is a reflection of how people view your practice. Your full/desktop website can serve as a supplementary resource in addition to your mobile site.

Mobile Sites Lead to Stronger SEO

According to Internet Retailer, 60% of people access the internet primarily through their mobile devices. Since 80% of internet users own a mobile device, it is not surprising that smartphones are used to search the web. Google recognizes and prioritizes sites that are optimized for mobile devices. In 2015, Google launched an algorithm called "Mobilegeddon" that gives preference to mobile sites (on mobile searches). This algorithm determines where your practice appears on Google's search results, thus, demonstrating the importance of mobile integration. By having a mobile friendly website, your practice is more likely to observe higher Google rankings than not having a mobile friendly site. In turn, this may lead to an increase in potential clients.


The Speed and Convenience of Your Mobile Site Determines Patient Loyalty

Mobile responsive sites should be effective and functional. As people are mostly browsing the web using their mobile devices, ensure that patients who want to access your site can also do so on their phones easily.9 Give them the ease of locating and contacting your office without needing a desktop computer. Efficiency can reinforce reliability and encourages better communication between your patients and your practice.
In addition to ensuring that your site loads on a mobile device, it is imperative that you observe how quickly it loads too. On average, people will wait about 6-10 seconds for mobile sites to load before closing the page. A quicker loading time will keep your audience's attention and encourage them to navigate through your page.

To Elevate Your Practice Alongside the Progression of Technology

As of 2014, the number of mobile devices exceeds the number of people in the world. With the rapid increase of smartphones, mobile activity and usage are normalized. Therefore, in the best interest of all healthcare practices, keeping up to speed with the constant progression of the mobile industry is vital.
One way to advance your practice is through accelerated mobile pages (AMP): a script, introduced by Google in 2015, that accelerates the loading time of your practice's HTML markup on mobile devices.11 AMPs rely on basic HTML coding, and need to be validated before being optimized to load instantaneously. Although AMPs were initially formatted for news publishers, a number of companies have contributed to ensure that AMPs can be supported across multiple platforms to target different clientele. From WordPress to YouTube, AMP plugins can be enabled to help load your content faster while boosting your practice's organic SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and SERP (Search Engine Results Page) rankings.

With high performance levels, AMPs appeal to the 40% of visitors that do not wait more than 3 seconds for a mobile site to load. Shorter loading times are beneficial because your practice may find an increase in patients, a decrease in bounce rates, and an increase in Google recognition. As Google continues to develop the design of AMPs, utilizing and integrating AMP resources in its earlier stages may give your practice leverage in the digital world.

With the regular usage of smartphones, having a mobile friendly website is now a necessity. Offer your patients the ease and comfort of navigating through your site at any place and at any time. By doing so, you can promote a positive user experience. Mobile sites should allow for quick and convenient access to important information that your patients seek. Consider investing in a mobile friendly website, as it may optimize your site when searched in Google. If your practice is interested in launching a mobile site, UpOnline can help design and develop a customized solution. Contact us today for more information!

Why Your Practice Should Prioritize Consistency

By: Cheska Sia

In the digital world, you want your practice to hold a reputable standing. However, good reviews and high performance levels are not always easily achieved. Fortunately, there is a strategy that could help your practice set and meet goals: consistency.

Consistency involves effort from your practice for the benefit of your patients. Consistency communicates that your practice prioritizes its patients.

From regularly monitoring your website and/or social platform(s) to distributing monthly newsletters, communication aimed towards your patients should be a necessity. Keep your patients knowledgeable about the changes or developments that your practice undergoes. Frequent engagement can help your patients feel comfortable both in and out of the office. Consistency emphasizes how much your practice cares about its patients, which could result in recognition and reliability in the digital realm.

Do you want your practice to stay consistent? Do you want to know how consistency can benefit, not just your patients but, your practice too? Read the following points below to find out.

Show Appreciation to Enhance User Experience

Whether you post testimonials or hold contests for your patients, let your patients know that you value them. Share their experiences and reward them for choosing your practice. Your practice should create a fun, safe environment that patients want to engage with. Keep them involved by offering incentives and praise in return for their loyalty.



Let Your Patients Know You are Listening

Patients appreciate an open, direct line of communication with practices. Maintain an active online profile to nurture their needs. Whether through live-web chats or social platforms (like: Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter), regularly respond to your patient's questions and/or concerns, which could lead to trusting relationships. Since the basis of building a loyal audience is user satisfaction, always aim to give your patients a comfortable and welcoming experience.



Help Your Patients Learn About Your Practice Through Interesting Posts/Articles

Establish yourself as a figure of authority. Create content that demonstrates your expertise in your field of practice. Share knowledge that your audience will find useful. If your audience finds the content that you produce to be valuable, it is likely that they will share your content across one or more of their social media accounts.


As more people click your links, there are several ways that your practice may benefit: increased online visibility and improved SEO rankings, resulting in greater potential for new clients. This exposure can appeal to new clients and, in turn, build your practice's following. By gaining high credibility, your audience is more likely to search for and share your practice.



Send E-blasts to Your Patients to Stay Involved

In order for your practice to achieve and maintain a good reputation, try sending monthly newsletters or conducting surveys. If your patient does not have any social media accounts, chances are high that they have an email address. From introducing new team members to discussing issues that your practice can help mitigate, newsletters allow your patients to keep up to date with your practice.

People want to be updated with the most current news, so create content that your customers are interested in. Include sections that invite your patients to interact with your practice. Discuss community events or interesting topics that encourage your patients to visit your website and social media for more information. Add Call to Action (CTA) buttons in your e-blasts because they can give your patients the opportunity to actively engage in online discussions.


Online surveys also allow patients to express their thoughts and/or concerns. However, this approach is more focused towards your office and the services that your practice offers. Feedback from patients can make your practice aware of areas that may need to be adjusted. Implementing these suggestions could potentially build trust with customers. Making these improvements also demonstrates that you work with your patients in mind. If your practice needs help applying these methods of consistency, UpOnline offers great eNewsletter and online survey services to help with your digital marketing needs.



Monthly Reports to Measure, Track, and Improve Performance

Collect and analyze your website and/or social media platforms' statistics on a regular basis. Record both quantitative and qualitative observations. Organize your data by creating monthly reports. These results will give you an idea of where you stand in terms of your practice's goals and, more importantly, is an indication of how your marketing strategies are doing.

Evidently, consistency plays an influential role in your practice's success. Being consistent can strengthen your practice's relationships with its patients. Allow your audience to contact your practice and keep up to date with the ongoing events at your office. Consistency shows your patients that you value their input and that their well-being is a priority. Consistent activity in the virtual world promotes your concern for hospitality and is an effective way of connecting you to your audience. Through consistency, your practice builds an online presence, asserts reliability in your field of practice, and may observe an increase in patient referrals!