5 Ways To Bring Traffic To Your Website Without Spending A Dime

Your website can, and should be, one of the top ways you bring patients into your practice. That can be a pretty bold statement for someone who doesn’t use the internet very much or doesn’t get ANY new business from the internet.

Many practitioners tell us that most of their clients come from referrals. That is exactly how it should be – word of mouth referrals should be your number one way to attract new patients. Your website should be number two. No matter what industry you are in, the fact is that most consumers are searching for health related information online.

In fact, 86% of online adults are searching for health related information an average of six times a month. Is your practice reaching this online healthcare consumer? If you’re not sure, here’s where you start…

The first step is to have a professional website that meets some of the basics for attracting patients.

• Your contact information is readily accessible from all pages.
• Your website has a professional look and feel, with a logo/brand that patients will remember.
• You clearly educate visitors on who you are and what you do… the basics.

After fulfilling “the basic” needs, your goal is to create ongoing methods for attracting visitors to your site. One easy way to do that is to have your site changing all the time. Search engines like Google are attracted to sites that change frequently rather than sites that are put up and then stay static for several years. So if someone with poor vision goes to Google and types in “eye care Tennessee” your website will pop up. Here are five easy and inexpensive ways to make this happen:

1)  Write short articles about “pains” your patients experience and how your services help them. For example, if you are an acupuncturist you may write a short article (400-800 words) that talks about how acupuncture can cure migraines. Or how acupuncture can help with infertility issues is that is your specialty. Post each of these article on your website with a short “about the author” section at the bottom. This section should have a short description about your practice, a link to your website, and contact information. Also, consider putting your logo on the article somewhere. Post these articles on your website,  creating a new web page each time.

2)  Leverage the articles you’ve written by distributing them across the internet. Distribute them to strategic newsletters and websites that your target audience reads. You can also use subscriptions services that distribute to hundreds of online newsletters and portals such as www.submityourarticle.com.

3)  Write press releases and post them through some of the free services online. You may be able to take some of the information from articles you’ve written and turn them into a press release. Some of the free or inexpensive places to post press releases include www.prweb.com, www.press-base.com, and www.express-press-release.com. Also post the press releases you write to a “press” page on your website.

4)  Start a blog and have it be a part of your website. By doing this every time you post to your blog, you will show a change or an update to your site – which the search engines like to see. When you start a blog you may get the option to have a stand-alone blog or one that is a part of your website. Choose the one that is part of your website. We use www.wordpress.com, but there are several other options out there.

5)  Leaving comments on other people’s blog is also a great way to bring visitors to your site. Similar to finding newsletters your target market reads, finding blogs your target audience participates in can be just as lucrative – if not more so. Leave professional comments on these blogs and be sure to link back to your website. It’s amazing how many people are nosey and will check to see who you are. We recommend setting aside a certain amount so time for blogging each week, it’s easy to get carried away and blog too much. We recommend no more than one hour.

These are just a few of the ways to bring traffic to your website. In reality your website should be an always changing, consistent source of information and education for visitors. Your site should allows them to get to know you and what you stand for without taking a big “risk” and giving out their personal information. Are you getting the most out of your website?

Let Creative Instinct help you ensure you’re getting the most out of your website. Call us at 501-244-0573, or send an email to owner Gwen Canfield. To see healthcare websites we’ve designed for health care practices – visit our website at www.creativeinstinct.biz.  (Website pictured at top of article: AestheticsMD in Gallatin, TN (www.myaestheticsmd.com) designed Creative Instinct.)