No matter how much you’ve invested in your new website, it will eventually look outdated. Maintenance of websites is like homeownership: the work never really stops. Here are some signs that a redesign of your hearing practice website is due.
Your website content is out of date or inaccurate
People tend to become so focused on making things look good that the humble written word is often overlooked. Yet content is key to a website’s success. It tells your website users you are trustworthy, know what you’re doing, and deliver on what you promise.
Inaccuracy is exposed in a variety of ways through content:
- Factual inaccuracies: This may concern untruths stated as fact deliberately or unintentionally. Maybe your hearing practice has moved, or you’ve recently changed your phone number.
- Spelling mistakes: A single spelling error may change the way that potential customers see your website.
- Typos: They may well be unintentional, but the appearance of typos indicates a lack of care and attention to your finished copy. Errors of this type may be jarring and distract the reader from what they are currently reading.
- Out of date content: Are you still pushing outdated analog hearing aids on your page? Maybe you’ve recently started offering Real Ear Measurements, but there is no indication of this on your website.
If you can find any of these types of mistakes after searching for a few moments, then it might be time to change the content of your website. This may include your service offerings, contact details, and staff bios.
You don’t have an SSL certificate
An SSL certificate encrypts the data from your website user’s computer to your website. Adding an SSL certificate provides a secure link for your future customers to share personal information with you. Think about how you feel when required to enter your phone number in a contact form – would it make you feel better to see a padlock on the address bar?
Here are some reasons why you need an SSL for your hearing practice website.
- Better security: Web security is a challenge that should not be undervalued at any cost, whether you are a month-old hearing practice or a well-established pillar of the community. For cybercriminals, small businesses are an easy target – 43 percent of cyber attacks are aimed at small businesses.
- Enhances trust: The padlock icon suggests that well-trusted encryption is in use. If users see that on your website, they will be confident that their data is secure and be more willing to contact you.
- Increases search ranking: Google offers preferential rankings for SSL-secured sites. They have even gone so far as to mark pages with no SSL with an ‘Your connection is not secure” alert message.
Your site isn’t mobile-friendly
A responsive design helps visitors quickly access your website through their smartphone, offering a great user experience. Google is now recommending that all websites become mobile-friendly, even making their search algorithm ‘mobile-first.’ This will ultimately impact your reputation, click-through rate, and the number of people who will contact you.
You may lose visitors and notice more users leaving your website if your website is not mobile-friendly. A large portion of your visitors come via a mobile device. No doubt this will affect the bottom line directly and cost you valuable leads.
Your website looks like it is from the 2000s
Compare your website to that of your rivals. Does it look as good, if not better?
In web design, trends evolve, as they do in fashion – what looked terrific in the past can now be jarring or cringe-inducing. When a visitor lands on your website, an outdated website makes it look like you are stuck in the past.
Let us help you redesign
Web design patterns and digital marketing are changing swiftly. If you want to remain current, you should expect your website to be updated every 3-5 years. If you’re looking for help with the process, contact us today!