Is Your Physical Therapy Website Working For You

I built my first physical therapy website back in 2004. I used Microsoft Publisher’s web page feature to build it myself (I had plenty of time, since I had too few patients.) My only pictures were of marginal quality – I had no idea how to optimize them for the web. And the only writing on the page was my practice name and contact information. I had never heard of SEO, and had no idea how to generate interest in my site and would have been afraid even to try paid advertising.

The web and the profession have come a long way. I still find physical therapy websites for “legitimate” PT practices that look a lot like my first site, but most of them are at least look better than that. That said, when I talk with PT’s around the country, they’re getting about the same results as I did with my first website – Basically nothing.

Why?

Most physical therapy websites are created for the same reason that PT brochures are created – “You have to have one.”

Since the Internet is a relatively new and dynamic platform, most PT’s have had little experience having a website built, so they are at the mercy of website designers who make money by selling websites, not by creating websites that work.

Because most PT’s don’t have the marketing expertise to know what creates a high performing website, physical therapy websites tend to be commoditized in much the same way that physical therapy services are. So, we just buy a website that is pretty and seems fine and doesn’t cost too much.

But we lose an incredible opportunity. At best, most PT’s end up with an electronic brochure instead of the dynamic marketing tool they could have.

So what do you need to really make your website work?

First, you must understand what your physical therapy website’s job is. It’s job is to communicate with potential patients and to deepen your relationship with current and past patients. It makes your phone ring. (If it doesn’t make your phone ring, it’s not doing it’s job…)

But how does it do that?

Read my post on current Physical Therapy Website Design to find out.

Take Good Care.
Do Great Work.
Have a Wonderful Day!

Melissa

P.S. How’s your physical therapy website working for you. Does it create a steady stream of new patients for you?

Tags: Internet Presence, PT website, web design