Unlike one of David Letterman’s Top 10 lists, this one is not funny at all. I see some pretty puny web sites every day. And, it is not uncommon for people to call me wanting a new web site, making apologies for how bad or old their web site is. No kidding. I hear about 3-4 apologies per month about inadequate web sites.
We all know the first step in solving a problem is acknowledging there is a problem. So, here are 10 common signs you need new web site if you are a cosmetic surgeon or cosmetic dentist.
1) Your first impression is dated.
The old saying about not getting a chance to make a first impression is 100% true. It is a pretty good bet that, if a prospect is looking at your web site, they also are looking at your competitors’ sites. If they look more professional, more Internet-savvy or just overall more visually pleasing, then your site is hurting you.
2) You have no Flash animation.
You do not have to have a Flash web site to make a great impression online. You can have a great look in HTML. But something on the home page should have some animation to it. Flash can be added to an HTML web site to add that expected step in quality.
3) Your web site looks like a bulletin board.
This is the unfortunate result of not beginning with the end in mind. It starts most innocuously when you ask a web designer to add this product label, or this section, or this link. In time, it is possible to make our web site look like a house with a do-it-yourself addition built on way after the fact.
4) Your web site is old.
The web has been around long enough for some web sites to become old. If your web site was designed before 2006, it probably looks like it... to everyone. Design trends change and if your site does not have a classic design, it may look old.
5) Your web site is a Yellow Pages web site.
Come on. Does this need an explanation?
6) Your web site does not offer multiple ways to gather information.
These days, the Internet supports all kinds of learning styles. Some people like to just sit back and watch. Some people want to listen. Some people want to read. Some people want to download. Your web site should communicate with people the way they want to receive the information. If it doesn’t, you are losing ground. This is why video of the doctor on the site is so important. And, it is why you don’t want a web site that is written with the complexity and density of a college research project.
7) You got a “deal” on a web site or a family member made your site for you.
This is scenario almost always results in a substandard design.
8) Your site is composed of long, scrolling pages.
This gets bad marks for style and content. Most of today’s Internet users prefer short, benefits-oriented copy or scripts. Giving them “the bullet” rather than a dissertation is now what is expected. And, long scrolling pages went out in the first Bush Administration in terms of style.
9) You haven’t updated your web site.
You have just let it sit and your practice has outgrown the site.
10) You realize that your web site is the front line for your marketing.
A new web site every year is certainly not necessary but updates to your web strategy should occur on an annual basis. Whether you realize it or not, this is the front line and the content on your site is the first place people are likely to see you.
If you see yourself or your web site in this Top 10 list, don’t hesitate to call or email me.
