Inside: Your independent pharmacy website is your virtual pharmacy. Learn the most essential elements your website needs to make a great impression on patients.
Your website will be many patients’ first impression of your pharmacy.
One study found that nearly two-thirds of consumers initially get to know a store through online channels.
People’s experience of your website may entirely determine how they perceive your pharmacy.
Additionally, a website is essential to establish your pharmacy’s credibility.
Seventy-five percent of consumers admit to making judgments on a company’s credibility based on its website.
Think of your website as your pharmacy business. Only virtual.
If things are a mess in your real pharmacy—the layout is difficult to navigate, products are hard to find, the décor is ugly, the fixtures look old and outdated—you’ll turn patients away.
Same goes for your website.
If you don’t have the information patients need or if you have no online presence at all, you’ll turn them away for good.
Make sure your independent pharmacy website has these nine essentials to make the best impression on patients.
1. Compelling homepage
Your homepage is your hook. Within 10 to 20 seconds of going to a homepage, consumers will choose to keep looking or to click away.
Which means you need to quickly convince them to stay.
Make sure your homepage has imagery and descriptions that clearly showcase who your pharmacy is as a business.
2. Attractive design
A study in Britain revealed that the most influential part of a webpage is its design.
In the study, 94 percent of participants spoke about the design in their reviews, with only 6 percent ever mentioning the content.
Not only did attractive design keep people browsing a site, but poor design made them distrust the site.
Another study, by Google, showed that visual complexity makes websites seem uglier to users.
When it comes to websites, people prefer simplicity.
Make sure your homepage is simple, sleek and beautiful.
Several online services make creating a webpage easy, such as Wix and Squarespace.
3. Short value proposition
Consumers will likely only read a quarter of the text on the page before deciding to stay or leave.
Which means you need to convey what you offer in as few words as possible.
That makes your headline and tagline crucial.
Include a tagline for your pharmacy that captures your essence. What makes you different? What’s the greatest benefit you offer your patients?
4. Simple navigation
For people to go from the homepage to the rest of your site, they need an easy pathway.
Make your independent pharmacy website easy to navigate from the homepage so they don’t get lost or frustrated.
Use clearly marked pages at the top of the site and organize them in a logical and intuitive way.
Here are some pages to consider adding:
- Refills
- Services
- Shop
- Promotions
- Contact us
- FAQs
- Blog
Some websites use tiered tabs to separate the most important tabs from the least important. That limits clutter and increases clarity.
Also, include a search bar so users can go directly to what they need rather than trying to click their way to the right place.
5. Call-to-action
A convincing call-to-action compels users to move through your website.
And it gets them to interact.
The more they interact, the more engaged they become. Each interaction pushes them toward a further level of buy-in.
Call-to-action examples for a pharmacy website include:
- Contact us
- Call us
- Learn more
- Transfer your prescription
For some help on what makes a call-to-action compelling, check out this article.
6. Descriptions of your services
Patients can get their prescriptions at any pharmacy. But they can’t get your pharmacy’s services at any pharmacy.
That’s why it’s paramount for your website to showcase all the services you offer.
Dedicate a page to your services, starting with your most unique and most beneficial services. On your homepage, highlight a service that’s in demand at the time, like the flu vaccine during flu season.
Every part of your website is an opportunity to market your pharmacy. In every description, you should sell, not just describe.
For example, say you offer travel vaccinations. Instead of only listing “travel vaccinations” on your webpage, you could say something like, “In one trip to our pharmacy, get every vaccination you need for a safe and peaceful getaway.”
7. About us page
At the basic level, an About Us page tells people who you are and what you do.
It’s often the first place people will go from your homepage.
But your About Us page shouldn’t just spit out information. It should market your pharmacy.
Most people research a company online before they visit or buy from it. Which means your About Us page could be the nudge people need to visit your pharmacy.
Include a description of what makes your pharmacy different from the others and what benefits you offer your patients.
And, infuse your description with the larger mission of your pharmacy. People connect with brands that care about causes greater than profit.
8. Online refills and appointments page
Patients should be able to quickly and easily refill their prescription or schedule an appointment on your website.
This is a convenience consumers increasingly expect.
Make sure your website integrates with your pharmacy software system. That way patients can have their own account and won’t have to retype their information every time.
And, make the Refill and Appointment pages easy-to-access from the homepage.
9. Offers and promotions
If you visit the website of any national chain pharmacy, you’ll see offers and promotions right away. (Followed by a call-to-action).
Offers and deals can do double-work on your independent pharmacy website. They entice and inform.
They entice prospective patients to click. And, they inform current patients about your deals.
Your patients want to know about any deals and discounts. If they don’t follow you on social media, they have no other way to know about your deals other than checking your website or walking into your store.
Reinforce your value to current customers by displaying your deals on your website.
And, if you offer e-commerce, reel in new patients by encouraging them to shop for limited-time deals on your website.
Need inspiration? Visit other websites and navigate through them to find inspiring examples you can use for yourself. Check out this independent pharmacy website that uses clean design, compelling descriptions, and clear navigation.
With these independent pharmacy website essentials, you’ll make a great impression on patients.
A Member-Owned Company Serving Independent Pharmacies
PBA Health is dedicated to helping independent pharmacies reach their full potential on the buy-side of their business. Founded and owned by pharmacists, PBA Health serves independent pharmacies with group purchasing services, wholesaler contract negotiations, proprietary purchasing tools, and more.
An HDA member, PBA Health operates its own NABP-accredited secondary wholesaler with more than 6,000 SKUs, including brands, generics, narcotics CII-CV, cold-storage products, and over-the-counter (OTC) products — offering the lowest prices in the secondary market.
