Avery Simmons
Do you understand how people find you online? If you think they found you through your Instagram page…you’re probably wrong.
There are a hundred ways someone could find you online, but some paths to your site are statistically more likely than others. We are ready to bet that your last patient did not find you via a dial-up Internet device.
In this blog, we use our experience building websites for 700+ practices in North America to create a sample patient journey that shows how your last patient probably found your website.
Online Patient Journey Example
Step 1: Seeks Recommendations.
Once Claudia realizes she needs to get help for her knee, she probably asks her friends for recommendations on what will work. At this point, Claudia likely isn’t even thinking about physical therapy!
But research from Nielson shows that 77% of consumers are more likely to buy a new product if their friends or family recommend it.
So if your practice already has a referral program supported by informative PT flyers or rack cards–good news! Claudia’s journey may stop right here when her best friend hands her a newsletter with your practice’s name and location on it!
But let’s say that Claudia doesn’t get any good recommendations. She then does what we all do when we have a problem: we Google it.
Step 2: Uses Her Mobile Phone.
Claudia pulls out her mobile phone to find a solution for her knee pain. In 2019, 60% of searches were via mobile (KnowYourMobile)–which means that if your PT website isn’t optimized for mobile search…Claudia isn’t finding it.
Step 3: Searches For Her Symptoms on Google.
With her knee propped up on the sofa, Claudia uses her phone to Google “knee pain help near me.”
- Claudia searches for her symptoms, not for the solution of “physical therapy.” 38% of health-related searches inquire about symptoms, like “why is my throat sore” (Think With Google)–not for a condition or a solution! That’s why having a conditions library helps you be found online.
- Claudia uses a local “near me” search. According to Think With Google, “where to buy” and “near me” mobile queries grew by over 200% from 2017 to 2019. That’s why location-based SEO is crucial for every practice website.
- Claudia will probably find her solution via a Google organic search. In a recent study we did on 100+ of our own PT customers, we found that organic traffic (free, not ad-based traffic) accounts for 58% of web traffic to our customers’ website!
Step 4: Looks At the First Page of Google…and Calls You?
According to Imforza, 75% of internet users don’t click past the first page of Google! Your clinic has to pop up on the first page!
Claudia may also skip viewing your website and call you directly through your Google My Business phone number! In 2019, Google reported that 60% of smartphone users have contacted a business directly using the search results (e.g. “click to call” option).
That’s why it’s crucial to always keep your Google My Business up-to-date.
Step 5: Looks at Reviews.
63.6% of people visit Google to check local business reviews. So, to boost your practice’s trust score, you need to generate new 5-star reviews constantly.
Claudia sees that you’ve got multiple 5-star reviews from the past few weeks–and she really wants to recover in time to a 10k in a few months–so she takes her next step! She…
Step 6: Finally Finds Your PT Website.
Now that Claudia is on your website, you need to empathize with her pain, show that your physical therapy clinic has a solution, and show her the next steps! If you do that, Claudia will book an appointment from your website and finally breathe easy, knowing that her knee pain will soon be relieved.
Your Takeaways from this Sample Patient Journey
To be found online by patients like Claudia, you need to…
- Ensure patients are referring their friends and family to your practice
- Optimize your PT website for mobile search
- Make sure your site shows up on the first page of Google when patients search for their symptoms
- Put in the hard SEO work so you show up on “near me” searches in your area
- Keep your Google My Business phone number and hours updated
- Collect and display positive online reviews
If your PT website is hard to find online, people like Claudia won’t be able to get their lives back. Would Claudia have found your practice online?
To learn more about improving your website, take our 10-Minute Website Makeover Workshop today.
Should Your PT Website Be Turning More People Into Patients?
10-Minute Website Makeover Workshop
When you make these 5 simple changes, your PT website will convert more visitors to patients.
