Web Site Design

Here's the low-down on what you need to do to stay competitive:

A) Rethink Your Design - In some ways this may be the hardest of all. You can easily do most of the things I'll discuss below, but the chances are you're not a web designer. Don't be a penny-pincher here. Get some professional help. Find a web designer who works with small businesses, and who really knows how to move around those pixels into a pleasing, inviting site that makes your visitors want to hang around awhile. Poor design will hurt you more than help you.

B) Dump the Flash - Yes, Flash animations look cool, and for some sites they are completely appropriate...but hardly ever on an Independent Professional's site. Your visitors are asking "Where's the beef?" and they want to get to your content right away. Don't slow them down when they get to the home page. Limit Flash to short presentations about specific services once your visitors have gotten into your site.

C) Understand Marketing Syntax - The order or syntax of the content of your site is all-important. You want to accomplish the classic "Attention, Interest, Desire, Action" formula. Here's the six steps on how to do that on the home page of your site.

1. Always open with who you work work with. This is what they want to know first. "Arcadian Architecture and Engineering works primarily with hospitals and clinics in the Eastern United States." 

2. Then follow quickly with a problem, challenge, issue or predicament. "If you're like most health care institutions, you're facing increasing competitive pressures from other providers and alternative systems."

3. Next, point towards a solution. "State-of-the-art facilities design are helping many health care providers reduce their operating costs while dramatically increasing profitability."

4. Now, tell them what they need to do: "Making the transition to increase your profitability profitable business practices is a four-step process:

1) Assess the condition your current facilities 

2) Determine the services you provide, their profitability and community needs.

3) Measure how current facilities meet these market needs.

4) Develop a facilities program to change your facilities program to better meet the needs of your markets.

"Health Care providers who are implementing this approach are seeing profitability increases from 15% to 26%."

5. Show that you're credible and successful: "Arcadian Architects and Engineers has been working with health care providers since 1987 to increase profitability and performance. We've worked with over 50 of the largest hospitals. We have a solid record of success that proves our approach works. It can work for you as well."

6. Finally, provide a call-to-action: "Please browse this web site for detailed information on how hospital can become more profitable. And make sure you get our free report, 'Profitability Secrets health care providers."

D) Give Something Away - Notice that the close of the home page offered a free report? Realize that most visitors to your web site will come only once. You need to get them to take action NOW or lose them forever. Giving away a free article, report or workbook is the best way to do that.

E) Stay in Touch - Yes, when they request the free report, they are also enrolled in your "Profitable Health Care facilities eZine." (Make sure this is clear on your web site.) It's not enough to give something away. You need to stay in touch with valuable
information to develop credibility and trust over time.

F) Saturate Your Web Site With Value - Most web sites just don't tell enough to build a solid case. Include detailed information on who your clients are, how you work, your various services, case studies, articles and resources.

G) Consider An Information Product - For instance, by offering an advanced report for a few dollars, you'll turn a looker into a real prospect. They've spent something with you so they are likely to spend more in the future. Most Professionals don't want to build an online business, but selling a few information products online can generate better prospects for your services.


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