Your website has an enormous job to do: generate as many new client relationships as possible. Because online search is now the primary way that people find veterinarians (and other local businesses), making your website more effective is a tremendous opportunity to help your practice flourish. In this article, you will learn exactly what it is that the most successful veterinary websites do – and it is the complete opposite of almost everyone else!
The vast majority of veterinary websites are simply developed to allow the user a way of finding more information about the veterinary practice. It is almost as if it is assumed that if you put the information on the website, that’s enough. Why is this a problem? Because relationships require trust. And if you want your website to generate relationships, that is exactly what it must accomplish. However, it is inherently much more difficult to build trust on your website, because it is so far removed from a natural interaction with you. You need to think much bigger if you want to reach your potential.
We have a very simple hypothesis: the very best veterinary websites make people forget they’re even on a website. This is what happens when someone feels a level of deep engagement. Think about when you’re reading an amazing book or watching one of your favorite TV shows. You forget the medium, and become engrossed in the story.
The best way to learn how to do this is by looking at an example of a veterinary website that does this extraordinarily well. Pembroke Animal Hospital is AAHA’s Practice of the Year, and their website offers the kind of interactivity we’ve alluded to. Take a few minutes now and look through their website here: pemah.com. Pay close attention to the experience and notice what they do differently than most sites.
The first thing you probably noticed was the auto-playing video background. It’s unexpected, it’s emotional, and it’s engaging. It is exactly the kind of first impression that propels the user towards that feeling of Deep Engagement. You’ll notice that each page tells a little corner of their story in an interactive way. That is absolutely key. Your website needs to be interactive – it should make the user feel like they’re in charge of the magic.
If you really want to take advantage of the advice we’re sharing with you (trust us, it’s immensely valuable to put this lesson to use), then ask yourself the following questions:
- What’s different about the way Pembroke introduces their story to the reader?
- How many different design elements/effects are used throughout the website?
- Which pages are the most emotional?
- How does the Saying Goodbye page balance engagement with empathy?
- How can you integrate the strategies used here to tell your own unique story?
If you would like for us to take a look at your website and share a few thoughts on how your website could improve in similar ways, please contact me at robert@digitalempathyinc.com.
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