Now before you start to question yourself if you really need a website – yes, you do. Without a website in this modern era could potentially hurt your business. This is because most of your competitors are on par with the current trends. Hence, you will be one step behind them if you don’t have your own website. Don’t worry, you don’t need technical knowledge to create your own website! Whether it is for your personal use or a clinic, in this guide, we’ll show you the exact steps on how to effortlessly build a website.
Step 1: Decide On Your Domain Name
What will your website be named after? Is it your medical practice name or your personal name? If you already have a business name, then it would be much easier to come up with a domain name. A few ideas you could consider would be to include your location in your domain name, your speciality or your practice name.
Tips On Choosing A Domain Name
- Don’t make it too long. Keep it at the most 63 characters.
- Make sure it is easy and understandable to pronounce and remember.
- Try not to include numbers or hyphens.
Step 2: Look For A Hosting Company
There are quite a number of hosting companies around that you could choose from. Coming from a medical background, you might not know the difference between each of them and which one would be better.
Here are some recommended hosting companies:
- SiteGround
- NameCheap
- Exabytes
Once you have decided on a hosting company, you have to choose what platform to use for your website. There’s Wix, Squarespace, Weebly, WordPress, to name a few. It can be overwhelming when it comes to deciding the platform, but to make it easier for you, the best option would be to go for WordPress. Without a doubt, WordPress is the most common option among businesses, including hospitals.
Step 3: Choose A Template
This is why we mentioned you definitely don’t need to know much technical skills or knowledge in order to create your own website. With the help of website builders, all you have to do is drag and drop the functions and you can create a decent website. You don’t even need to spend money hiring a web developer since there are many free templates around, especially if you decide to go with WordPress. However, to make your website really stand out among the rest, you have to spend a little and download premium themes instead of those free ones.
Here are some websites where you could browse through and purchase a theme:
- Template Monster
- Envato
- Theme Forest
Step 4: Familiarise Yourself With WordPress
When you first face WordPress, you may find it difficult to grasp. What does this do? Where should I click to create a post or page? It’s pretty normal but doesn’t worry, with some practice, you’ll soon be able to master it in no time. WordPress is actually the best platform for beginners just starting out. Plus, there are so many video and article tutorials available online for you to learn about WordPress.
Step 5: Write Your Content And Any Important Information
First and foremost, your contact details should be included on your website. Your patients and potential patients would want an easy way to be able to find you, so lay out all the necessary contact information such as your address, phone number etc.
Aside from that, you should carefully list down all of your services, as well as brief information on what your medical practice is about. The most important part of your website would be your services since that is what people are looking for. If you don’t have time to write it, you can always consider hiring a freelance copywriter to do it for you. It shouldn’t cost you too much unless you take up copywriting services from an agency.
If you want to further enhance your online presence, you can consider starting a blog section as well. Having a blog section on your website could potentially increase SEO (search engine optimization) and showcase your skills through helpful articles. But if you hate writing, you can hire a content writer to do it for you. Otherwise, a short 500-words article should do the trick!
Step 6: Share Your Website Around!
Now that everything is set up, you can start spreading the word about your newly launched website! Marketing is important in order for people to find you, so be sure to learn about online marketing. If you simply don’t have the time, you can outsource it and hire someone else to do it for you.
