For many therapists, there is a desire to offer information that may go beyond the scope of their website or perhaps to provide specific resources*.  These are typically accomplished in the form of a hyperlink.  For the uninitiated, clicking here IS a form of a hyperlink to its definition. 

​Hyperlinks are useful, effective ways to help your website visitors.  Depending on what you’re trying to accomplish different things can be achieved including:

• Quick insight in the form of a hover popup that explains a particular term
• Directing visitors to another part of your website
• A Call to Action that helps convert a visitor to becoming your client
• Bringing visitors to another website

As new customers approach us, those with existing websites often have hyperlinks.  There are a few common hyperlink issues we see including those that:

• ​Do nothing
• Bring them to the same page the visitor is already on
• Have links to an outside page within the same browser tab, which is a big no-no.

Why is that last one an issue?

Think about how hard you’ve worked to bring a visitor to your website.  If you offer a way to go to another website, wouldn’t you still want your site readily available to them? We encourage you to always have outside website links open up in a new browser tab.  Put differently, you never want your website not active.  This way they can easily get back on your site with a simple tab click. And if the outside site is needed again, they can easily jump back to that site by clicking its tab. Hitting back/forward buttons may cause confusion which site they’re or possibly even fail.

*Stay tuned for a discussion of the merits of using resources on your site.​

It’s wonderful to have a great looking website.  A modern attractive website immediately engages your visitors and helps them understand who you are and how you can help them.  Your website is a reflection of your personality and your professional intent.
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But the design of your website is just the start.  Many therapists forget that a website is first and foremost a marketing tool.
 
The number one function of your website is to attract appropriate clients and have them contact you.  And the single most important aspect of your website is your Call to Action or CTA.  Simply put, this is the place on your website where you invite your visitors to engage with you in a more direct way. 

There are three basic types of CTA’s that helping professionals use, and we’d like to give you some tips about the most effective ways to use them.  Here’s the first and perhaps, most obvious one.

Make your phone number easy to find and the Initial contact with you ‘client friendly’.

1. Your phone number should always be on your header, which means that it will appear on every page. We recommend that you put it in your footer as well. You never want to have your website visitors search for your phone number.
2. Your phone number should be clickable from a mobile device. Since up to 50% of the people visiting your site will be on a mobile device, you’ll want to make sure that your phone number can be dialed with a simple touch.  Make sure that you test your site yourself with your own phone.
3. Think about what happens when your prospective client actually makes the call.  In most cases, professionals have the number on their website going to a generic voice mail.  We suggest you consider speaking more directly to new clients by providing options on your phone system with messages like: “Press 1 if you are a new client and would like to schedule a phone consultation.  Press 2 if you need to change an existing appointment”, etc.  This type of option based voice messages can be done easily with Internet based phone systems like evoice.com or grasshopper.com.   You always want to put yourself in the place of a new client and identify any points in the process of contacting you that might be difficult for them. When constructing a phone message for a new client to hear, make sure you tell them what to do next and what they can expect.  For example, you may want to ask them to leave you information about the best time for a call-back or you may want a make a quick statement about your privacy policy.  Always advise them to call 911 if they are having any kind of emergency. 
4. Don’t just assume that your phone CTA is appropriate. You need to get some feedback.  Ask some friends or colleagues to “role play” going to your website and trying to contact you and listen carefully to what they have to say.

In our next installment, we’ll talk about another powerful Call to Action that has proven to be effective in generating more clients.  You won’t want to miss it.

But don’t put off getting your website in the best shape possible.  Find out how to grow your business!  Click here to contact us which will include an option to schedule a consult to review of your current site.