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July 9, 2010 5:37 PM

4 ways to keep your hospital's website clean

When we re-designed our hospital website three years ago, we focused on an easy-to-read, clean navigation system.

But, as we kept adding more and more pages each month, we heard this plea from users: "Help! I'm lost on your website!"

So, I decided it was time for a facelift. This time it would be slimmer, more helpful and even easier to navigate. Nothing huge--just a nip here; a tuck there.

Here are four things to keep in mind if you're re-designing your hospital's website:

1. Prioritize your healthcare organization's website. What information do you want visitors to be able to find right away (e.g. services, locations/contact information, online bill-pay, employment opportunities)? What information might be second-page (e.g. staff info, healthy recipes, the history of your Wound Care Center)?

2. Keep the homepage clean. This is your organization's virtual entrance, the cyber-foyer. The more cluttered it is with flashing lights and moving buttons, the less engaging it is to consumers.

3. Be flexible. Things will be added; plan for it. A good site plan is a flexible one.

4. Listen to your users. Consumers aren't shy about providing their experiences with your site. Sometimes it hurts, but use their feedback and grow.

Here are just a few of the hospital websites that I liked. Feel free to add more:

Aurora Health Care
Montefiore Medical Center
Boca Raton Community Hospital



photo of Josh McColough

Josh McColough is the manager of public affairs at Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville, Ill. He has been in health care marketing/PR for nearly eight years now. He's done everything from grow social media and web marketing programs to chase tardy hospital parade floats down residential streets while in flip-flops. McColough earned an MFA from the University of Iowa’s Nonfiction Writing Program and continues to write and teach English Composition at the College of Lake County part-time.

About the Pulse

How many ways can we describe The Pulse?
Oh, let us count the ways:

Professionally: Experiences and challenges of marketing a hospital from a healthcare marketing manager.

Honestly: Sometimes flawed and always harried advice from a healthcare marketing manager.

Post-Modern: This blog description is for The Pulse, which is by Josh McColough and relates mostly to healthcare marketing experiences at a community hospital.

Our favorite way: Tales of a healthcare nothing.

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