This is published in parallel to our podcast episode “Be Found or Be Gone.”
With over 80% of Americans first turning to the Internet with their health related questions, having an Internet presence is becoming more and more important to any medical practice.
What is Internet Presence?
A very basic definition of an Internet presence is that you can be “found” if someone were to Google you by name. What happens when you Google your own name? What results do you get?
The more webpages listed defines the depth of your Internet presence. A basic Internet presence might only contain various aggregator sites (aka review sites) that list you and/or your practice.
A better Internet presence will list articles you have written on your website or on another site.
A great Internet presence will include your website, your content (articles) and contributions on social media. For instance, if Googled, you’ll find my websites, articles I’ve written from my blog and other sources and links to my Youtube videos.
Simply put, your Internet presence is a direct by product of the contributions you have made to the Internet. The more you write, video, comment, blog….the deeper and better your Internet presence.
Patients Expect Us Online
There are many reasons why you should be online and have an Internet presence, but
the single most important reason you should have a digital presence is that our patients expect us to be found on the Internet.
Today, if your office is located across the street, but you either have no website or your website can’t be found, patients won’t bother calling….even if your phone number is plastered on the side of the building!
Patients are eager to find out as much information about their next potential doctor in terms of ability to provide information (i.e. willingness to do so on a website), willingness to demonstrate personal transparency, practice philosophy and business transparency.
Patients simply want to find out what we do and how we do it.
If a patient can not find anything about you on the Internet, you’ve made a huge statement that you simply are not interested in engaging patients in their preferred medium…digitally.
What Can You Do?
For generations, doctors commonly addressed various community groups or associations verbally explaining about what we do. In the modern world, simply convert those same lectures to a digital written format to tell your next patient what you do and how you do it.
Don’t keep it a secret.
Share what you do and what you know on your website…and be found!
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