With the year coming to a close, there is no better time than now to revamp your website. Your brand’s website is one of the keys to being a successful brand as having one can result in new leads, brand growth, and increased patient engagement. But what exactly makes a good website great? When it comes to web design it can be challenging to create a website that is unique and functional without being overly distracting or filled with unnecessary elements.
At NewGen, we take pride in our ability to create unique websites. As a marketing agency, we will work closely with your brand to ensure the website is exactly what you desire. It is vital to maintain your vision while also making something that is eye-catching to your audience. This guide will showcase design elements your website needs to employ in order for your patients to smoothly navigate and even enjoy your website.
10 Elements to Incorporate into Your Web Design
When you come across a website, you have a set of expectations for said website, such as how easy it is to navigate the website or the quality of the content on it. Being able to recognize these elements and implement them in your own website is crucial to having an efficient website. Having the basics of a healthcare website is crucial but consider the following elements to take your website to the next level to set it apart from the competitors.
1. Don’t Make Users Think
In terms of navigation, think of your website as a map. You are trying to get your audience from point A to point B and these two points can vary depending on the page your audience is on. For example, let’s say point A is your home page and point B is your patient survey. If your audience has difficulty going from one point to another, then they will have a harder time understanding your website and ultimately leave it and find the information somewhere else.
No matter what the two points are, the bottom line is that your audience needs to be able to easily navigate through your website. This can be done by having a clear structure, moderate visual clues, and easily recognizable links. As a good rule of thumb, you should have a “contact us” link or button on every page of your website.
2. Don’t Squander Users’ Patience
In a world where everything is moving so fast a user’s patience is limited. Patients will approach your healthcare website because you offer a service they are in need of so you should focus on keeping requirements to a minimum. Try to avoid random pop-ups and instead have a page dedicated to a patient filling out their information. Forcing a visitor to fill out their information before having a chance to explore your website can frustrate them. Provide users with the option to explore the site and discover the services.
3. Manage To Focus Users’ Attention
In terms of functionality, your web design must be eye-catching and engaging for your audience. Keeping their attention on your website
Keep in mind that images and bolded text are both excellent examples of keeping your audience engaged. As a result of these cues, a person’s eyes tend to stay focused on the information on a website while browsing. In addition, moderate use of visual elements can help your visitors move from point A to point B without thinking about how to do it which results in a better overall user experience.
4. Focus on Feature Exposure
A common criticism of modern web designs is their use of visual effects to guide users. However, from a design perspective, these elements are not necessarily bad. This kind of guide leads visitors through the content of the site in a very simple and user-friendly manner.
5. Make Sure Your Writing Is Effective
The language you use on your website needs to be straight to the point and easy to understand. Medical terms are an exception to this but be sure to explain them in detail so that your audience fully understands what you are trying to say. Consider the following tips for effective writing:
- Use concise phrases
- Have a scannable layout
- Employ plain and objective language
6. Keep Your Website Simple
A simple website is an important goal to strive for. When a patient comes across your healthcare website, their goal is to find information. Having an eye-catching design is great but if your site is complex, the patient is less likely to remain on your site despite how nice it looks.
7. White Space is Not Bad
When it comes to the white space in your web design there needs to be a balance. Having complex structures within your design can strain a user, making it harder to read, scan, analyze and work with your website. Having white space can reduce the cognitive load of first-time visitors as they are typically more likely to remain on your website if they can break down your content into digestible pieces of information.
8. Effective Communication Through Visuals
- Organization: Provide a consistent conceptual structure to the user. To organize effectively, consistency, screen layout, relationships, and navigability are important concepts. All elements should adhere to the same conventions and rules.
- Streamline: Use the fewest number of cues and visual elements as possible. There are four major factors to consider: simplicity, clarity, distinctiveness, and emphasis.
- Communicate: Adapt the presentation to the user’s capabilities. Managing legibility, readability, typography, symbolism, multiple views, and color or texture will help the user interface communicate effectively.
9. Make Use of Conventions
Your web design will not be considered boring for following conventional design. Conventional design choices actually help with the user’s overall ability to navigate your website. Having your website organized in a basic fashion will not have a negative effect on your website. The easier it is for a user to navigate your website, the better.
10. Constantly Test Out Your Website
When you finish up with a web design and have all the elements necessary, the next step is to test it before making it live. You can ask your team to navigate through the website and correct any issues they encounter. On top of doing that it is crucial to be constantly testing the features of your healthcare website.
As a healthcare brand, you should always be implementing new quality content to your website in order to rank well in search engines which means you must be constantly doing maintenance on your website.
How NewGen Marketing Can Help
At NewGen, we understand the importance of a quality healthcare website. Our team has expert knowledge of proper and creative web design that is sure to set your brand apart from the rest. We can help revamp your website while also maintaining your vision and brand image. In addition to managing your website, we can also provide content that is relevant and engaging.
As a premier healthcare marketing agency, NewGen connects brand and patient experience. We are committed to engaging with our customers in order to ensure the success of your brand. Marketing in healthcare is a huge challenge with many aspects that can be overlooked. All of these aspects are considered when we develop a marketing strategy for your brand that is effective and realistic.
If you have any questions about NewGen Marketing and what we do, feel free to contact us!