The first place people turn to when looking for health information is the web.
So if your content isn’t found here, then you’re missing out on traffic and potential customers. If you’re in the health industry, you can use your website to attract patients to your business.
Or to entice visitors to download your e-book. Businesses in all industries have successfully used websites to increase lead generation and conversions. The key to making health and wellness websites visible is using a solid internet marketing strategy.
And it all begins with web design. The site your visitors enter into should speak volumes for your brand. Otherwise, it will turn people off and away from your doorstep.
So here is a quick guide on what makes health and wellness websites attractive.
Health and Wellness Websites Use Vibrant Designs
The last thing a user wants to see when they enter health and wellness sites is a design that looks sterile. Portraying the look and feel of a hospital isn’t the way to go.
Health is all about vibrancy and life, so give your website a design that says just that. Some brands decide to go with nature, such as trees, leaves and flowers as the background, while others opt for abstract rainbow colors and earthy tones.
At the end of the day, you want your design to be clean and tidy, but not lacking in personality. You’re off to a great start if you can engage your visitors visually.
So don’t be afraid to add a splash of color to your website palette.
Ensure the Navigation is Simple
Once visitors enter your site, where can they go next? Will they know? If not, then you could witness a high bounce rate. This is why it’s so important to make the navigation on your site easy.
An intuitive navigation is the goal here. Place your navigation menus somewhere that’s noticeable and familiar. Most navigations are on the top and side of the screen. However, you can also go with a drop-down menu.
From here, every relevant subtopic should be visible. As long as the navigation is simple and you have what the visitors are looking for, there’s no reason for them to leave.
And the longer visitors stay on your site, the better it will look to search engines. Google shines a favorable light on health and wellness websites with sticky visitors.
Include Useful Information
When users look up health topics, they’re looking for answers. This could be symptoms of an illness, treatment options or available local services.
Do your research to determine what it is your audience wants to know. Then answer their most pressing questions right on your website. You can include web pages to the top concerns and questions they have.
For instance, how to prevent cavities or home remedies for the flu. Then besides health information, you want to include business info.
This includes your business location, phone number, business hours and directions. The goal is to educate your visitors and then drive them to your business.
If you fail to provide the information they need, they’ll quickly leave your site to find another website that will.
Build a Blog as an Educational Tool
Now, this further elaborates on the concept of acting as an information source. One way to provide value is to open a knowledge base. And what better way to do this than with a business blog?
You can build it right on your website using a content management system like WordPress. Consistently pushing out content that’s relevant and sought-after by your audience will continue to attract them.
Some of the most attractive health and wellness websites include those of popular doctors, like Dr. Mercola, Dr. Axe and UKHealthAlert.com. These sites are an ideal resource for users looking to educate themselves.
Again, your industry will determine the type of topics you’ll cover in your blog. Make sure the design of it resonates with the color scheme chosen for your website.
Don’t Underestimate the Power of Social Media
A blog is great for building your reputation as an expert in your community. But how will folks learn of you and your blog in the first place? This is where social media marketing comes in.
Having a social media profile is important for building awareness for your website. Health and wellness websites are popular on Facebook and Google+, so consider using these to grow your audience.
The other upside to having a social media account is it opens the door to communication. You can spend time listening to the conversations being had on social media, so you can better understand their needs.
It’s also advised that you join in these conversations and establish yourself as an authority in health and wellness. The more followers you obtain, the easier it’ll be to promote your blog content.
Just remember, you want to spend more time listening, engaging and helping versus promoting your products, services and website.
Combine the Power of Digital Marketing
Now, what better way to attract visitors to health and wellness websites than with digital marketing? This includes everything from pay-per-click ads to search engine optimization.
The key is all in your analytics. Keeping track of your website stats is crucial for understanding what you’re doing right or wrong. This is the best way to determine how well you’re competing against other health and wellness websites.
Use this to find out which content gets the most clicks, bounce rates and conversions. Then reform your strategy to include more of what works and less of what doesn’t.
Design with Clarity, Hierarchy and Simplicity in Mind
Health and wellness websites with a poor design see poor results – plain and simple. But what is a poor design? In most cases, the design creates confusion, mistrust and exhaustion. Doesn’t sound like anything a web user wants to deal with.
So as you’re designing your website, make sure you’re making a simple and neat design. Everything should be plain to see and easy to read. The font size, color and style should be easy on the eyes. And the background should offer a nice contrast with the text.
Next, the quality of the site should be evident to help build trust. Sites that are poorly built appear to be scams. So make sure everything is properly aligned and all links work properly. Get rid of any 404 errors because these are tacky and can hurt your Google ranking.
The hierarchy of your site should be simple and fast, so it’s not exhaustive for visitors. If you need help with your design, just take a look at other health and wellness websites.
This can provide good inspiration for your own site.
Guide Your Visitors Through the Site
You don’t want visitors to come to your site and feel lost. Help them get to the next step, depending on where they enter in your site. For instance, if they enter into a landing page for a specific product or service, include calls to action and relevant links.
The same goes for the home page. Ensure there are relevant subpage links, so users can browse through your site in an organized way. Then once they feel educated enough, they can make the decision of subscribing or purchasing from your site.
In marketing, it’s about knowing what it is your customers need. So don’t make prospects think. Drive them through the funnel to increase chances of a conversion.
Come Up with a Purpose for Your Site
So what is the reason you’re building your website? Is it to bring more traffic to your physical location? Or are you looking to offer consulting services virtually? The goals you have for your business will determine the setup, features and design of your website.
For example, if you’re trying to get more people to sign up to your newsletter, you can advertise a free e-book download.
Make Your CTAs Visible
Without calls to action, you can’t expect visitors to complete the purchase, subscription or whatever other action you want them to do.
So you need to be clear in your CTAs and they should be very visible. In most health and wellness websites, you’ll find large CTA buttons littered throughout the website or landing page.
You want to give users multiple chances to act now. Create a sense of urgency so visitors will want to act right away.
Learn More About Building a Successful Health Site
This quick guide should open your eyes to the various factors that determine the success of a website. It doesn’t matter what industry you’re in, SEO, digital marketing and web design are key.
You can visit WebConfs.com to learn more about search engine optimization. Stop by today to see how you can improve the visibility and traffic to better compete with other health and wellness websites!