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What The Shift To Mobile Means For Plastic Surgeons’ Online Success

For many people, an app-capable smartphone is indispensable to daily life. Everyone assumes you have one, from your bank and credit card companies to the DMV. In fact, 96% of Americans own some kind of cell phone, and 81% of them have smartphones.
Naturally, this means people are spending more time online, which is welcome news for plastic surgeons marketing their services. But the way people are interacting online has changed, too. Mobile accounts for about half of U.S. online traffic, up from less than 20% in 2015.

The takeaway: If your plastic surgeon website is five years old or more, it’s probably outdated.

Even if your website looks terrific on desktop, only about half your visitors will see it that way. A desktop-only website is packed with design assumptions that can make it harder for mobile users to enjoy it fully.

And if a website is difficult to use or navigate, most people simply won’t spend the time.

Yes, 2020 has seen an uptick in desktop traffic as more people stay indoors. But the long trend for the life of your business is this: You need a stellar mobile website. That said, it’s not an either-or proposition. When you improve your website’s ability to help more users, you create a better all-around experience.

Plastic Surgeons Should Develop Their Websites With Mobile In Mind
Plastic surgeons may feel caught between a rock and a hard place when it comes to mobile. A good plastic surgeon website should be packed with visuals, including “before and after” photos of satisfied patients. But the same content that draws clicks can slow things down on mobile.

The best way to manage this balancing act is to work with experts on marketing for plastic surgeons.

Still, there are things to keep in mind even if someone else does the nuts and bolts of your digital strategy. The more you know, the easier it is to be sure your online presence showcases what’s unique about you.

Here’s what all plastic surgeons should know about success in the age of mobile:

1. Remember: A Mobile Responsive Website Is A Must
No matter what decisions you make about your website, they should start with a responsive layout.

A responsive website is one that automatically adjusts to a user’s display and input method, no matter if they’re on a desktop, smartphone, tablet, or even a connected home appliance. This means it’s easier to navigate and find the information users need – no struggling to click on tiny buttons, for example.

Almost any modern website can and should be updated to be responsive. The mobile version of your website is preferred by Google for its website indexing, so how it performs reflects on your entire brand.

2. Keep Pages Short And Focused
The shorter a page is, the easier it is to scroll through. Most users scan pages quickly, so break them up into blocks with clear themes. Short, catchy headings help users slam the brakes when they reach the part that interests them most, and bulleted lists unpack details in a mobile-friendly way.

3. Consider “Accordion Menus” For Longer Pages
An accordion menu is a stack of topics the user can click to reveal relevant content. Every entry in an accordion menu should end with a “close” or “back to top” button so users are instantly returned to the topic list. This keeps them from going back and forth on pages, a true recipe for distraction.

4. Separate Your Patient Gallery Into Smaller Sections
You might offer a dozen procedures catering to women and men of all ages, but website visitors have tunnel vision: They’re only interested in what might apply to them.

Instead of a huge gallery with dozens of thumbnails, set up procedure-specific pages. This cuts the number of clicks mobile users need to get to the good stuff – and means less time spent waiting for images to load.

5. Use Technology To Help Pages Load Faster
Everything about plastic surgery is intensely visual, so your website probably has plenty of photographs.

Faster page loading times not only make the online experience more convenient for your patients, Google can reward you with better search rankings. Luckily, there are several ways you can accelerate load times.

Image compression tools enable photos to load faster, often without a noticeable drop in quality. Lazy loading is a more sophisticated approach where only the page elements on the user’s screen (and sometimes, those just out of sight that will be needed soon) are loaded.

6. Integrate Easy Contact Methods Into Your Website
A click-to-call function is a wise addition to your mobile website, letting visitors reach out in seconds rather than fill out a contact form or switch over to their email client. Live chat can also be embedded directly into your website. Finally, social media is a winning option if you have someone to watch out for questions.

7. Share Videos, But Don’t Let Them Autoplay
Video storytelling is one of the most powerful ways to foster trust with future patients, even if you’ve never met. Pages with video are more likely to drive action, like contacting you or setting an appointment.

But nothing turns off mobile users more than videos that play by themselves, especially when the volume is up. More browsers are blocking them, but in the meantime, let users decide when to play videos. It’s a simple sign of respect, and your audience will appreciate it.

Appealing to mobile users means every second counts. A fully optimized mobile website doesn’t require a single extra click from visitors and never leaves them waiting for something to load. New York Ave can turn your mobile website into a lean, mean, lead generating machine targeted to today’s patients.

To get started, contact us today.

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