Clinic websites that increase bookings are built so that treatments offered, consultation hours and how to book are clear on the very first screen. In addition, you must follow the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare's medical advertising guidelines and avoid testimonials or exaggerated claims. Cover these two points and around eight pages will be enough.
Patients look for consultation hours and how to book first
When patients open a clinic website, the first thing they look for is the information that tells them whether they can be seen. Specifically, four things: the medical departments, consultation hours, closed days, how to book, and the location. The director's greeting and the clinic's philosophy are read after that.
For this reason, place the following four items on the first screen of the top page.
- Medical departments and examples of symptoms treated
- Today's consultation hours and closed days
- Booking buttons (online booking, telephone)
- Location and directions from the nearest station
Since many people view the site on a smartphone, make the telephone button one that places the call directly when tapped.
A page structure that leads to bookings
If you build your clinic website around the following eight pages, you can answer patients' questions in the order they ask them.
| Page | Patient's question | What to include |
|---|---|---|
| Top page | Can I be seen here? | Medical departments, consultation hours, booking, location |
| Treatment information | Can my symptoms be treated here? | Explanations by symptom and condition, and the flow of a consultation |
| Doctor and staff introductions | What kind of doctor is it? | Career history, specialty, qualifications, treatment policy |
| Facilities and interior | Is it easy to get to? | Waiting room, consultation room, barrier-free access, parking |
| For first-time visitors | What should I bring to a first visit? | What to bring, medical questionnaire, insurance card, estimated costs |
| Consultation hours and access | When and how do I get there? | Consultation hours table, map, transport options |
| News | Are there any temporary changes? | Closures, changes to consultation hours, infection control notices |
| FAQ | What should I do in this case? | Changing a booking, what to bring, payment methods |
Build the treatment information so it can be searched by symptom
Patients search by symptom, not by the name of a disease. If you create pages named after symptoms such as “headache,” “sore throat” or “hot flashes,” people can find you in search. On each page, write the possible causes, when to see a doctor, and the flow of a consultation.
In the doctor introduction, write the career history and treatment policy
In the doctor introduction, include the university attended, hospitals worked at, board certifications held, and academic societies belonged to. Write the treatment policy in words that show patients how they will be treated. A photo of the doctor talking in the consultation room helps ease the nerves of a first visit.
Use the page for first-time visitors to remove worries about visiting
First-time patients worry about what to bring, waiting times and costs. A single page summarizing the insurance card, medicine notebook, whether a referral letter is needed, whether the questionnaire can be filled in beforehand, and payment methods will reduce telephone enquiries.
Comply with the medical advertising guidelines
When creating a clinic website, you must comply with the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare's “Medical Advertising Guidelines.” In principle, a medical institution's website is not treated as advertising, but information on services such as non-insured treatment becomes subject to advertising regulations unless certain conditions are met.
The main expressions prohibited as advertising are as follows. Do not include them on your website either.
- False content, or exaggerated expressions that make the clinic seem markedly better than it is
- Expressions claiming superiority over other medical institutions
- Posting patient testimonials or reviews as advertising
- Posting before-and-after treatment photos without explanation
- Expressions that assert results, such as “guaranteed cure” or “always safe”
When publishing information on non-insured treatment, there are four conditions for being exempt from advertising regulations (from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare's Medical Advertising Guidelines).
- The information must be displayed in a way that patients seek out and obtain themselves
- Contact details relating to the displayed content must be included
- The content of the non-insured treatment and its cost must be stated
- The risks and side effects of the non-insured treatment must be stated
Create your non-insured treatment pages in a form that satisfies these four conditions. The guidelines are revised from time to time, so check the latest version on the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare's website before you begin production.
Introducing an online booking system
If you want to increase bookings, consider introducing an online booking system. The telephone only connects during consultation hours, but online booking accepts requests at night and on closed days.
Before choosing a booking system, decide the following three points.
- The scope of bookings accepted: first visits only, or follow-up visits as well
- How booking slots are set: number of people per time slot, slots per department
- Whether it needs to link with electronic medical records or the reception system
Place the booking button on the top page, the treatment information page and the access page. Make it so that, from any page, a single tap takes the visitor to the booking screen.
Reviews and search measures
Before visiting, patients also read reviews on map apps. Make sure the information on your website matches the clinic information shown on the map (consultation hours, telephone number, address). If you update only the website when your hours change and leave the map information out of date, patients will turn up outside consultation hours.
To be found in search, columns on individual symptoms are effective. For example, write articles that answer patients' questions, such as “Which department should I visit for a persistent sore throat?”, under a doctor's supervision. With medical information, accuracy is the foundation of trust, so include the names of the writer and the supervising doctor in the article.
Common mistakes in clinic website design
The consultation hours table is an image
If you post the consultation hours table as an image, it cannot be read on a smartphone without zooming in, and search engines cannot read it either. Use a table built with text.
Notices of temporary closures are posted too late
If notices of closures or changes to consultation hours are posted late on the website, enquiry calls pile up. Set up a system in which anyone can update the news section immediately.
Posting expressions that breach the regulations
There will be times when you want to compare your clinic with others or post patient comments. Review your text from the standpoint of advertising regulations before launch.
Only the director's greeting is long
A website with a long greeting on the top page where the consultation hours cannot be found causes visitors to leave. Move the greeting to the doctor introduction page.
What to check when hiring a web design company
When commissioning a clinic website, check the following three points.
- Whether they understand the medical advertising guidelines and can write text accordingly
- Whether you can consult them about booking systems and linking with map app information
- Whether they have a system for handling news updates promptly after launch
Merci Ltd.'s made-to-order production starts from 250,000 yen in initial costs (around 5 pages) or from 500,000 yen (around 10 pages), with a monthly fee from 3,000 yen. After launch, you can request text and image edits by chat or LINE, so notices of temporary closures can be reflected quickly. Introducing a booking system is quoted according to the requirements.
Items to check before launch
Before launching a clinic website, check each of the following items one by one.
| Item to check | What to confirm |
|---|---|
| Consultation hours | Is the hours table written in text, and are the closed days and reception closing time clear? |
| Reservations | Do the telephone and online booking buttons appear on every page? |
| Doctor introduction | Do the names of qualifications and academic societies match their official wording? |
| Wording | Is there any comparison, assertion, testimonial or exaggerated wording left? |
| Non-insured treatment | Are the treatment details, costs, risks and side effects stated? |
| Map information | Do the consultation hours, telephone number and address match those in the map app? |
| Smartphone | Does tapping the telephone button place a call? Does the table overflow the screen? |
The wording should be reviewed not only by the person producing the site, but also by the director and the office manager. Medical advertising regulations are judged by the impression given to the reader, even when the writer had no ill intent.
Examples of what to write on pages, by medical department
What you write on symptom pages changes with the medical department. For internal medicine, write when to see a doctor for a fever or cough, and the progression of symptoms to note down before the visit. For pediatrics, write when to visit and what guardians should bring (maternal and child health handbook, medicine notebook). For dermatology and orthopedics, describing the flow of a consultation and the types of tests will ease patients' worries.
FAQ
Under the medical advertising guidelines, posting patient testimonials as advertising is not permitted. Please refrain from publishing comments on your website.
Someone other than a doctor may write the text, but a doctor must check that the content is accurate. Include the names of the writer and the supervising doctor in the article.
You can start with 7–8 pages: top, treatment information, doctor introduction, for first-time visitors, access, news and FAQ. Pages for individual symptoms can be added after launch.
It is not essential. Many clinics manage fine with telephone bookings. It pays off when you have issues such as many enquiries at night, or not enough hands to answer the phone.
Edits after launch can be requested by chat or LINE. We receive the request, confirm it, test the change and then apply it to the live site.
We decide the structure of your treatment pages together in a meeting
The results of a clinic website are determined by the order in which it answers patients' questions and by text that complies with the regulations. We will propose a structure suited to your medical departments and the character of your clinic after hearing about your current concerns.
