Charlotte, North Carolina is a wonderful place to live, work, and even raise a family. The city is a vibrant booming metropolis, home to incredible opportunities, an amazing community, and some beautiful sights. Naturally, with a high population and many citizens who have needs for them, Charlotte is a wonderful place to practice Chiropractic services. Chiropractors have a lot of responsibilities and duties, it can be easy to forget the importance of effective digital marketing.
However, in today’s increasingly interconnected, digital, and online world, online marketing can be just as important as in-person marketing—even when it comes to appealing to those who are in your local area. Even if you’re looking to attract customers who are living within a block of your practice, there’s a high chance that many of them begin their search for nearby services online. That’s one of the many reasons why web design is so important for small businesses.
What’s more, digital marketing has changed as well. While at one time it may not have been important to optimize our websites for mobile visitors, it is now often crucial.
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The Shift to Mobile Devices
When it comes to digital marketing, it probably comes as no surprise to hear that things can change quickly. For example, consider mobile optimization. This is the process of optimizing web formats so that they’re easy to read, navigate, and understand, on a mobile device. While just a few years ago, mobile optimization might’ve been considered a secondary consideration behind desktop optimization—a primary consideration, this has changed significantly in recent years. Estimates vary, but tend to show mobile usage has skyrocketed in recent years.
There are a number of possible reasons for this, including that mobile devices have gotten much more advanced, and in many cases cheaper, the speed of mobile internet has increased significantly, and culturally, people have come to embrace mobile devices.
Why Mobile Devices Require Different Optimization
Mobile devices often have smaller screens than their desktop counterparts, and they also may have different user interfaces; for example, most mobile devices manufactured today utilize touchscreens, while many desktop and laptop computers still rely on computer mice or trackpads.
While these differences may seem simple, it can in fact be a complex process ensuring that websites are mobile-optimized. If you’ve ever used a website that was poorly optimized for mobile devices on a mobile device, you’re probably familiar with the frustration of poor mobile website design. If not, there are a number of ways websites can be poorly optimized for mobile, including:
- Blocks of text that don’t fit well on the screen: Mobile devices have typically much smaller screens than their larger counterparts. As such, the way text is organized can shift dramatically. If text isn’t properly formatted and broken up so that it’s easy to read on mobile devices, it can result in a frustrating experience for mobile users.
- Not including buttons specifically optimized for mobile devices: mobile devices are often capable of making phone calls and even video calls. While failing to include buttons that enable visitors to quickly call you may not be a huge headache for them necessarily, it can be a huge missed opportunity for you. Users often opt for convenience, and it can be important to provide visitors with an easy way to call and set up an appointment.
- Aesthetic considerations: Put simply, sometimes a design looks good on a big screen and bad on a small screen. Optimizing for mobile devices often involves considering design elements.
The Risk and Opportunity
Chiropractors who fail to optimize their website for mobile use may be taking the risk of missing out on potential clients. Why is that? Simply put, many users like to be able to find things they need, access services, and reach out to local businesses with their mobile devices. Users who regularly use mobile devices may opt to seek services that are easy for them to find and reach out to.
Some users may not even have a desktop or large digital device, in which case they may be even more averse to seeking services through a hard-to-read or hard-to-navigate website that is poorly optimized for the device they’re using.
Convenience
What’s more, many have noted that there is a trend among patients to increasingly opt to schedule appointments for medical services online.
For many users, it may simply be a matter of convenience. Being able to access scheduling and appointments via mobile device may simply mean that they’re able to seek services and schedule appointments in more situations—whether or not they’re at home or near a desktop or laptop computer. This can make it significantly easier to find services or schedule a meeting or appointment.
Beyond Initial Contact
Mobile-optimized websites and mobile solutions for chiropractor patients aren’t just a good way to attract more customers. They’re also a good way to improve the way customers interact with their chiropractors. They can be used to enhance care, foster ease of communication, and even send patient reminders.
The Bottom Line
For chiropractors in Charlotte North Carolina, optimizing one’s website to be accessible and easy to use through mobile devices can be highly important. Not only a matter of providing a high-quality experience that reflects well on your business, but mobile-optimized websites can also help you attract customers who prefer to find services or schedule consultations or appointments using their mobile devices, make your website generally more accessible, and even improve patient communications on an ongoing basis.
While a few years ago, mobile optimization might not have been a crucial consideration, it often is now. This may be due to the increasing adoption of mobile devices, as well as advances in digital technology that make it easier than ever to stay interconnected using mobile devices such as cell phones and tablets.
If you’re looking for help optimizing your website to be more mobile-friendly—or even if you’re seeking SEO, or search engine optimization services, graphic design services, or e-commerce website design services, be sure to reach out today. At BlueFin Digital, we’ve been helping businesses like yours for over 25 years. Be sure to reach out today for a free 30-minute consultation!
