How your patients look for healthcare providers has changed. Can they easily find you online when searching? Is their website experience with you smooth or cumbersome? Where else are they searching? Social media? If you aren’t asking yourself these questions now, your patients may have already found another healthcare provider.
Where Patients Search First
Yes, the healthcare industry is moving at an incredible speed. But guess what? The world of the internet and social media are moving even faster. The amount of information patients have at their fingertips is staggering. Even though we know it’s not best practice, many patients — likely most patients — attempt to self-diagnose before even making a phone call for an appointment.
They look for information in any way they can get it. The days of finding your next healthcare provider by asking a friend or relative are now long behind us. Patients search on YouTube, social media, Google and more.
A Physician’s Online Presence Must Be Mobile-Responsive
Considering that nearly two-thirds of all Americans now own a smartphone (source: Pew Research Center), searching can happen at any time, in any place. What do you use to order a pizza, check out reviews or look up a phone number? If you’re like me and most others today, you grab your cell phone and do an online search first. Having a website that is responsive and intuitive is now more important than ever.
Take these stats into consideration as you ponder if your online presence is where it needs to be:
- Over 40% of consumers say the information they find on social media affects the way they deal with health issues (source: Allied Health World).
- 19% of smartphone users have at least one health app on their phone (source: ).
- Hospital YouTube pages have grown 119% year-over-year (source: Google Think).
Are you worried that you will be losing clients and missing out on obtaining new ones?
As a physician, your main motivation is always patient first. This not only applies to when they visit your physical office, but when they visit your virtual office as well. Provide a smooth online experience with the helpful information they are searching for.
