I can't believe I put

that on my website!

Did you think you would be smart and save money by not hiring a professional website designer?  Did you let your tech or your receptionist build your website?  Do you pay a monthly fee for a website that has never brought you a single new client?

Do you feel stupid?  You shouldn't!

Your clients come to your hospital because the want the advice and skills of a professional.  If you let your friends, your colleagues, your staff and your teenage daughter's boyfriend advise you about your website, it's no wonder your online business presence may be falling short of the professional image you want to project to the public. 

Here are some common mistakes made by non-professionals and webmaster wanna-be's that can doom your website to failure as an effective marketing tool.  See if your website is doing any of the following:

Links, Links and More Links

Links are fine as long as the site you're linking to provides a link back to your site.  However - remember every link you provide is an opportunity for the visitor to LEAVE your website.  You don't build business by providing dozens of ways for visitors to leave your website for another site - don't get carried away - and don't pay for someone else to use your website to feature their library of veterinary articles or pet products.

One of the most common website mistakes is not understanding the purpose of your website.  There's a reason your site ends in ".COM" - that stands for "COMMERCIAL".  You're not PBS, the "Discovery Channel" or "Biography".  You may be a brilliant veterinarian but no one wants to read your Curriculum Vitae - most people can't even pronounce "Curriculum Vitae".  A photo truly is worth a thousand CV's so get out that digital camera and take some photos of you and your staff, preferably interacting with your own pets.  Don't hang your stethoscope around your neck - we already know you're a doctor.  Be sure to feature each of your staff members with their own photo and don't use a group shot of everyone standing on the sidewalk in front of your building - you're supposed to be working, not waiting for a bus.  People want to know they can trust you and your staff with one of their most precious possessions - the life of their pet.  Your staff photos and hospital photos should reflect your compassion and dedication to the care of all animals.

Graphic Pictures

You may be used to seeing blood, guts and surgical procedures every day, but the visitors to your website are not.  Nothing will make a visitor leave your website faster than graphic pictures of surgery, dental procedures, anesthesia tubes and needles.  Remember that when a visitor sees such a graphic photo, they project their own pet into that photo and it can be very upsetting.  You probably don't invite your clients to observe you in surgery, so don't put your surgery photos on your site.  Only use photos that feature happy, healthy pets.  Never show a pet under restraint, or locked inside a kennel - no one wants to send their pet to jail.  "Before and After" photos are great for your pet grooming page, but never show a pet undergoing a procedure, and never show an injured pet on your website.  Keep you client's feelings in mind and keep your photos warm & fuzzy!

Your Website Should Be Fun To Visit Over & Over

Don't make the mistake of thinking your veterinary website is for the purpose of educating people about veterinary medicine.  If people wanted to learn that much about veterinary medicine, they wouldn't need you.  They could simply Google their pet's symptoms, find an online veterinary diagnostic site, then link over to Pet Meds to buy their prescription online and have it delivered by Fed Ex the next day.

Your clients pay you to diagnose and treat their pet - not to educate them with a dissertation on veterinary disease and the history of veterinary medicine.  Don't put a "laundry list" of veterinary services you provide on an empty page of your site.  Instead, go through your hospital systematically and photograph the things that make your veterinary hospital better than your competitors.  Most people don't know the difference between "EKG" and "LOL" so in addition to a picture, add some descriptive text to help visitors understand and determine if they feel you are the best veterinarian in their area. Mix in a healthy serving of funny pet pictures together with your facility and staff photos to help set the tone and ambiance of your hospital and your philosophy of pet care.  If your website is fun, not only will visitors return to it often, but they will E-mail or text their friends and family to visit your site as well.  That's the way you build your practice on the Internet!