Health Care Website Design & SEO

Medical Website Developer focussing on Health Care Websites.

As web use has increased, many companies have updated their websites. These changes have brought about improved functionality and usability and better design. Hospitals and other healthcare companies are no exception. With health being so important, their websites must be well-made and easy to use. While there have been innovations, every company’s website is different, and not all will work for you. Continue reading to learn more about the differences between the types of healthcare websites that are most common.

What makes a good Health Care Website?

It becomes pretty clear that not everyone has the same ideas. Some sites only classify websites affiliated with specific hospitals as healthcare websites. Others consider ones dedicated to personal health in general to be healthcare websites. Primarily, two things should appear on all healthcare websites:

1. Being able to find a doctor/healthcare professional from their site
2. Access medical records and pay bills, all without leaving the site.

Hospital & Medical Professional Centered Websites

Mayo Clinic

Mayo Clinic is a medical center with a few locations in different states in the US. The first time the website is accessed, you are presented with many options. The center of the front page has four options: appointment booking, selecting a doctor, contacting the clinic, and a guide for patients. This center panel has addressed the need to find a healthcare professional. While the panel doesn’t contain an option for medical records, the appointment booking is very accessible. Mayo Clinic also provides helpful information to either returning patients or potential patients looking for more information.

While the center panel may have been informative, the top bar of the website is where the ease of use comes in. The patient login location being in the upper right-hand corner is especially helpful. It remains there as you navigate throughout the site. This means that patients can log in at any time, regardless of what they happen to be doing on the website. General health information can be found in one tab in the menu dropdown. Research and education tabs are below it for faculty and students.

Indiana University Health

The Indiana University Health website is used for all the hospitals associated with the university. Their front page center panel differs from the Mayo Clinic’s in that it allows booking an appointment. When someone clicks the “Book Now” button, the user is taken to an off-site booking agent. They can look through a list of physicians and appointment times from here. When scrolling down, there are notices about upcoming events/research. This isn’t as useful as the previous example, as the user is not immediately presented with several options.

On the other hand, Indiana University Health’s navigational bar has more options than the Mayo Clinic website. Rather than condensing a list of possibilities into a menu dropdown, they are listed across the top of the page. On the left side is the option to find a professional, service, or location. Patients can use their bill pay or scheduling features on the right-hand side. Like Mayo Clinic’s website, the patient login is located at the top of the right corner, along with the search bar. This setup is beneficial for patients as they can easily access the regions of the website that they are most likely to use. There is no confusion about where to look for a physician or a hospital. Paying their bill is also straightforward too, resulting in a user-friendly website.

ZocDoc

While the previous two websites have had clinics or hospitals associated with them, the way ZocDoc works is quite different. Whereas most hospitals list their services and physicians in tabs, ZocDoc doesn’t. Their website functions as a way for people to find doctors or services near them. This removes the restriction to just one set of locations. Unlike most healthcare websites, the options presented as the user enters the page are minimal. Centered is the option to find a doctor with a search option. Patients can enter a doctor, medical procedure, or disease/condition they want to search by. You can also input the type of insurance you would be using. The navigational bar is also bare-bones, allowing you to sign in or list your practice on the site.

There are drawbacks to this website, however. Practices have to list themselves on this site for patients to access them. The availability of physicians also needs to be updated consistently. While viewing multiple results at once is great for patients, they may miss out if they only use this site. Results vary based on the area, thus limiting the usefulness in some regions.

General Health & Self Diagnosis Based Websites

Another type of healthcare website is a diagnosis or research. These are often used by people looking to learn more about a condition or disease they might have. They can also be used to gain information about overall health.

WebMD

WebMD is one of the most well-known healthcare websites around. Many people have typed symptoms into a search engine only to have WebMD appear as one of the top results. Their symptom checker allows users to select one of several symptoms. Additional steps narrow down the accompanying symptoms. This function is often used to understand what might be wrong health-wise. However, this is not for an official diagnosis, and the website says to consult a doctor.

WWebMD presents articles about health, fitness, and nutrition. Below the articles is a section dedicated to currently trending health-related topics. The setup of this website differs from those described above but is still effective. Rather than being dedicated to visiting a hospital, their website focuses more on education. The information presented is more appealing to the average person by taking a more casual approach. While the symptom checker is the most commonly used portion of the website, it isn’t the main page.

Healthline

Healthline is structured similarly to WebMD, with a focus on personal health. When first reaching the website, there are articles on parenting, fitness, diet, and exercise. Although less popular than other symptom checkers, Healthline does have its version. It works similarly and allows users to input information for suggested conditions or diseases. Also integrated into their website is the ability to research different requirements. Users can browse various diseases or disorders using their “topics” section. Each has its page with related topics listed near it. For people taking prescription medication, a pill identifier is a great tool.

Every healthcare website is different and has its advantages. Choosing which one to use should be a little easier by comparing a few common ones. At Visualwebz, we help out the confusion when selecting the correct structure for your online presence. The right website choice will undoubtedly break or allow your medical company to thrive. After all, we specialize in various Content Management Systems such as WordPress. In addition, all our websites are responsive and geared towards effective online marketing. Whether you’re looking for an elderly care nursing home web design or a healthcare clinic online marketing, we can help. In addition, our online marketing services will ensure that your presence is prominent on search engines. Call us today at (425)-336-0069.