The Top 7 Mistakes Clinics Make On Their Website

We've looked at a lot of clinic websites over the years. Along the way, we've spotted the same mistakes clinics make on their website again and again.

Your website is often the first place a new client meets you. A clean, up-to-date site makes a strong first impression before anyone walks through your door.

Don't worry if you find a few of these clinic website mistakes on your own site, most are pretty easy to fix! Here are the top 7 to look out for, and what to do instead.
‍

TL;DR: Common clinic website mistakes include clutter, hard-to-read text, and no online booking. Keep your homepage focused on hours, location, services, and staff. Use clean fonts with dark text on light backgrounds. Give every page a clear title and description, and keep your Google Business Profile complete. Compress photos so pages load quickly. Let clients book online.

‍

1. Does Your Clinic Website Share The Important Stuff?

A homepage that tries to say everything ends up saying very little. Remember, first impressions matter, so when a visitor comes for quick answers (probably to book a service), you want them to have a great first experience.

Keep these essentials easy to find and top of mind:

• Office hours
• Location and parking details
• Phone number and email address
• A short description of each service
• A brief note about each staff member
• And most of all, the easy ability to book online easily

A clear "Book Now" button near the top of every page (and in the menu) is numero uno. But also be mindful that not all online booking is easy. ClinicSense clients can book without creating a username and password, and you choose whether new clients, existing clients, or both can book each service.

Pro tip: save detailed treatment information for your blog. That way, clients can skim the headlines and click only what interests them. If you haven't started a blog yet, check out 3 tips for starting a blog for your clinic.

‍

2. Is Your Website Accessible By Everyone?

When people visit your website, they want to be able to get a feel for who you are, what you do, and read all the details easily. That's why fonts and sizing matter. Visitors judge your clinic by its fonts, even if they don't realize it. Fancy cursive scripts and playful fonts like Comic Sans can make a professional practice look less polished.

Stick with clean, simple fonts such as Arial, Helvetica, or Verdana. Then check these basics:

• Make body text big enough to read on a phone without zooming
• Use one or two fonts across your whole site
• Leave space between lines so text doesn't feel cramped
• Consider SEO, learn about "header" text and ensure you are utilizing H1 and H2's correctly

Here's a quick test. Open your site on your phone and read a full paragraph. If you squint or zoom in, your text is too small. Also, be mindful of color usage; there should be high contrast between font color and the background so people with visual challenges can still read your content. Save light text on dark backgrounds for short banners or buttons, and keep body text dark on a light background.

‍

3. Does Your Site Still Have An "Enter" Page?

An "Enter" page is a welcome screen that visitors must click past to reach your real homepage. Simply put, it adds a step with no payoff.

It also slows people down. Visitors wait for an extra page to load, then click again before they learn anything about you.

Google's documentation says intrusive interstitials can make it hard for search engines to understand your content. An Enter page stands between visitors and your real homepage and gives search engines little to go on. Skip it and send visitors straight to a homepage that shows your services, location, and how to book.

Every extra click between a visitor and your booking page pushes some people to call instead. That means more time on the phone for you or your front desk. Simple practice management tools can take many of those booking calls off your plate.

‍

4. Is Your Website Easy For Google To Find and Understand?

SEO (search engine optimization) means helping Google understand your pages so the right clients can find you. Don't worry, the basics are simple. Check each page for:

• A unique, descriptive title
• A unique meta description, the short summary that may show under your link in search results
• One clear main heading at the top
• Alt text that describes each photo, like "therapist treating a client's shoulder"

Google recommends avoiding repeated or boilerplate titles. Google says titles are often what people use to decide which result to click.

Next, look at your site on your phone. Google uses mobile-first indexing. Simply put, Google uses the mobile version of your site to index and rank it, so your mobile content should match your desktop content.

Then claim your Google Business Profile and fill in every detail. Google says a complete, accurate profile makes you more likely to show up in local results.

It's also good practice to keep your clinic name, address, and phone number accurate. Use the same details on your website, your profile, and your signage.

‍

5. Is Your Website Slow to Load?

Slow pages frustrate visitors, especially on phones. A client checking your site between errands may give up before your page appears.

Google measures this with Core Web Vitals. These are three checks based on real visits to your site. Google's "good" targets are:

• Your main content loads within 2.5 seconds
• Your page responds to taps within 200 milliseconds
• Your layout doesn't jump around (a CLS score of 0.1 or less)

If you run Google Ads, your landing page is the page people reach after clicking your ad. Landing page experience is part of how Google judges ad quality. Google says higher-quality ads often lead to lower costs per click, though results vary.

Let's speed things up. Compress and resize your photos before you upload them. Google says optimizing images can improve how fast pages load.

Then test your pages with PageSpeed Insights. It shows how real visitors experienced your page over the last 28 days, plus tips on what to fix. Low-traffic pages may not have real-visitor data yet.

‍

6. Are Your Photos Blurry Or Low Quality?

Blurry, dark, or stretched photos make your clinic look careless. Clients want to see a clean space and the people who will treat them.

Follow these photo basics:

• Use sharp, well-lit photos of your treatment rooms and staff
• Choose real photos of your space over generic stock images
• Compress images before you upload them so pages load quickly
• Check how each photo looks on a phone screen

No budget for a photo shoot? Ask a friend who's good with a camera to take a few shots. You can use the same photos on your website, social media, and brochures.

‍

7. Can Clients Book Appointments Online?

Your clients book hotels, flights, and haircuts online. They expect to book their massage the same way, often after hours when no one is answering your phone. In fact, Experian Health's 2024 State of Patient Access found that 89% of patients want to book appointments online or through a mobile device.

Make it easy by offering online appointment scheduling. Here's how it helps everyone:

• Clients book at a time that suits them
• You and your staff skip the phone tag
• Your open time slots are easier to fill

The best setups let clients book from your website or social media. Confirmations then go out automatically, so your team doesn't have to send them.

Once clients book, automated appointment reminders help them show up on time.

If you're still unsure about your website, email us a link. We'll take a look and send you personal feedback. You've got this.

Need help with phone tag and missed appointments? ClinicSense can help you take bookings online and send automatic reminders so clients show up. Try it free.

‍