Ditch DIY, templated website builders, and disjointed efforts from inexperienced developers.
Your pharmacy deserves better.
As a pharmacy professional, your time is incredibly valuable, and you likely lack the time and brain space to concern yourself with a poorly developed website.
More importantly, having a website that doesn’t abide by proper HIPAA and patient security regulations is a huge liability and a disservice to your patients.
This leads us to our central message: If you have the resources to delegate your valuable time to the experts, by all means, do so.
Here’s why:
When it comes to the development of your pharmacy’s website, “cheap” is rarely ever very cheap.
Investing a few hundred dollars into a website doesn’t sound like a bad deal now, but could very well cost you your:
- credibility
- 48 percent of people cited that a website’s design is the No. 1 factor in determining a business’s credibility. (Blue Corona)
- professional online appearance
- 38 percent of visitors will stop engaging with a website if the content or layout is unattractive. (Blue Corona)
- ability to edit your content
- potential to rank high in search results
- the security of your patients’ information
and so much more.
Those who dare to cut corners and choose not to optimize their budget appropriately will have a very difficult time attaining a website that can uphold the integrity and professionalism of their pharmacy.
Your website needs to be professional, functional, customizable, and above all, representative of your pharmacy’s brand!
Not to mention, this digital storefront could very well be the first impression you set with potential patients and practitioners, it NEEDS to be great.
Read on to discover why “cheap” isn’t all that cheap when trying to market your pharmacy online.
Quality
There is a stark contrast between the $500 website a budget developer threw together for you and a $5,000 pharmacy website built by a team of expert professionals in marketing in your field.
Investing in a low-budget website for your pharmacy can forfeit all chances you may have at upholding a quality online appearance that delivers positive user experiences and drives business.
In fact, 89 percent of consumers shop with competition after a poor user experience, and 88% of online consumers are less likely to return to a site after a bad experience. (Web FX)
No pharmacy wants the vulnerability of appearing amateurish and unreliable against their key competitors, which is what a lack of investment in quality web development can very easily promote.
You want your site to demonstrate the excellence and professionalism that your pharmacy exudes each day. Executing a website that tells your brand story at a glance takes strategic vision and expertise in best design practices.
For more information on the importance of quality web design, check out Why Great Web Design Matters.
Security & Regulations
The number one reason your pharmacy MUST decide wisely when choosing a website developer to partner with is your developer will need to hold an in-depth understanding of the latest updates and regulations in patient security.
The security of your patients’ information is of utmost importance to you, therefore, when researching your pharmacy’s next website developer, you will want to inquire about their knowledge on the following items:
- Laws and regulations concerning the privacy of patient information.
- Ability to apply HIPAA-compliant practices and forms to all aspects of your website and provide a BAA.
- Inclusive design standards such as an ADA-accessibility widget and accessibility statement.
- Privacy policy and cookie consent for user transparency.
- Ability to integrate your pharmacy software with your website.
Point blank, if a developer isn’t familiar with how to implement these essential pharmacy website components, they are not worth your time, money, or the possibility of a security breach.
Service and Support
Your choice in pharmacy website development runs deeper than simply how your site displays and functions, you are also paying for the level of customer service you will receive from project initiation, launch, and ongoing support thereafter.
Your web developer should function as your pharmacy marketing partner. A reliable contact who is just a phone call away, ready and willing to tackle any task or provide expert advice.
When you choose to cut costs with DIY website template builders or low-budget developers, you just might be forced to become your only line of support when you run into trouble. (Yikes!)
Don’t place yourself at risk of not being able to receive help when you need it most.
Editing Flexibility and Customization
A website is a living, breathing entity, and as your pharmacy grows and evolves over time, it should be able to adapt right along with you.
We believe everyone should have the ability to edit and update their website content as needed. It is YOUR site, after all.
Unfortunately, we have received one too many clients with websites that haven’t been updated in YEARS simply because they lacked access and/or support from their previous developer.
According to TheeDigital, keeping the content up to date on your site helps build trust between you and your customers.
Need to add or remove services? Have pricing changes you need to make? How about informing your website visitors of an upcoming event or adding a new team member to your About page?
Applying all of this yourself, or simply delegating this work to your development company’s support team, should be a breeze if you invest smartly.
SEO
Properly developed pharmacy websites from skilled software engineers are designed with a firm foundation in best SEO practices.
What is SEO and why is this important?
SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, refers to techniques that help your website rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs). This makes your website more visible to people who are looking for solutions that your brand, product, or service can provide via search engines like Google, Yahoo!, and Bing. (HubSpot)
When your site is SEO optimized, you open your pharmacy up to all kinds of opportunities for growth and brand awareness.
Google’s algorithm prioritizes SEO-optimized websites that contain loads of fresh content. The algorithm pushes the most recent information toward users to ensure they are consuming the most updated and reliable content.
For more on how advantageous fresh site content can be for your pharmacy, read How Freshness Works (And How To Get It To Work For You).
There is great power in a website that is built with your search engine rankings in mind, and neglecting the implementation of internal SEO practices can cost you prime web rankings.
Choosing a developer who is equipped to deliver on this front can be a vital step in improving your digital strategy and making your pharmacy more known to key audiences online and off.
Interested in learning more about the role website developers play in establishing strong foundations in SEO? Check out this brief article from WeAreDevelopers.
Ready to Invest?
From your website’s appearance, capabilities, backend structure, support team, and more, there are so many facets to consider when embarking on a new website journey.
Save yourself time, trouble, and money by investing well the first go around.
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