Make A Strong First Impression With Your Private Practice Website
Researchers have found that you only have .05 seconds to get people’s attention with your website and for them to determine whether they will stay or leave. And if you only have one chance at a first impression – whether that means dressing well for a job interview trying to appeal to a new client – then starting out on the right foot isn’t just recommended; it’s essential.
In this blog post, we’re going to dive into how to optimize your website to make an excellent first impression on potential and returning clients. But, before we get too far ahead of ourselves, we first have to address who you are focused on making an impression on. You must identify your ideal client.
Why? Because the more defined you build your audience, the better results you will see.
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Finding your ideal client can help you curate the perfect site, which can help increase your brand recognition, referrals, and build your client list. So before we move on to what website elements make a strong impression, you must first understand who your ideal website viewer is and what is going to make the strongest impression on that specific population.
Now that you’ve identified who you want to make an impression on, let’s talk about the three critical elements needed to make a strong impression with your private practice website.
1. Design
First things first – the foundation of any good website is excellent web design. Good web design enhances your business’s credibility. A Stanford study shows that 75% of consumers admit to making judgments on a company’s credibility based on the company’s web design.
We have all heard the phrases similar to “Don’t judge a book by its cover” or “Looks can be deceiving,” and while those hold some truth (something’s value or worth shouldn’t always be based on its outward appearance), it’s not the case when it comes to web design. Things like small fonts, too much text, poor spacing, blurry or stretched out images, lack of continuity, unorganized navigation, and a lack of soul or purpose are just a few features that can remove your site’s credibility and result in great potential clients leaving your site immediately.
Thoughtful web design also goes hand in hand with good web design, although it stands for more than just creating a website that is pleasing to the eye. Thoughtful web design means your site is intuitive, easy to get around, and easy to understand.
Creating a thoughtful website design requires you to put yourself in your ideal client’s shoes and anticipate what they will need in order to properly navigate your site, interact with your content, and ultimately contact you for an appointment. You have the ability to direct visitors’ eyes, which is a powerful tool you should utilize to direct them toward important information and useful CTAs (call to actions). CTA buttons are an excellent way of directing your visitors throughout your website.
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2. Speed
Another critical factor in preventing people from bouncing is assuring that the speed, or rather how fast your web page loads, as fast as possible. A speedy website is crucial now more than ever because visitors aren’t interested in waiting, especially when they can quickly find similar information elsewhere.
If you are looking for ways to check your page speed, you can do a performance check yourself by using GT Metrix. Once you put in your URL, GT Metrix assigns a Page Speed Score. This will show you how many seconds it takes your site to load. Your target time should be under 3 seconds.
Having a quick webpage loading time also plays a role in how you rank on Google. The faster your loading speed, the more likely you are to outrank your competitors in online search results.
3. Consistency
Consistency is key, not only for good web design but also for every field of design. Delivering a consistent experience is pivotal for your website, both visually and functionally. Otherwise, the site might be perceived as visually confusing, breaking brand continuity, or worse, lacking credibility.
The first step in designing a consistent website is to figure out your main value proposition. Anyone who lands on your website should be able to identify what your value proposition is within a few seconds. Visitors are coming to your site looking for a solution to their problems, and they need to know if you can fit their needs immediately. Your value proposition is the eye-catching statement that tells your ideal client how you can help them and why you’re uniquely qualified to do so.
Then, the content on all of your internal web pages should properly match and support that main value proposition. Keeping your messaging consistent is extremely important to building your brand and making a lasting impression.
Finally, try to keep your central image consistent throughout your entire site as well. The main image on your website should immediately capture the attention of your ideal client, invoking the right emotions to help establish a powerful first impression of your brand. This image should have strong visual appeal and may be accompanied by a bit of text which backs up and reinforces your value proposition.
Final Thoughts
These are a few ideas on website design and how you can optimize different elements on your website to make a strong first impression. I hope you can put these methods and tactics to good use, because a good webpage will help sell your services, as well as get you more repeat business, and that is all in the power of a first impression!
As always, if you have any questions or need help optimizing your website to make a strong impression, let us know, and we are happy to help you create your dream therapist website.
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