5 Common Problems to Fix on Your Veterinary Website

For busy veterinarians, website maintenance might be a task you constantly shove to the bottom of your never ending to-do list. And, unless you’re particularly technologically savvy, you likely struggle with figuring out how to even update your website. Between remembering basic things like your own account login information and keeping track of the critical steps for veterinary website maintenance, you likely have your hands full. With that in mind, we’ve outlined some of the most common problems to fix on your veterinary website so that you can prioritize and conquer.

Broken Links

There are plenty of reasons why having broken links -- aka tabs, pages or hyperlinks that don’t lead to another working page when someone clicks on it -- on your site hurt traffic. If a potential client finds this common problem on your veterinary website, it has the potential for an instant loss of trust. The main reasons you’ll encounter broken links are if you change the url schema for your web pages, or when linking to outside sources. Make sure any pet portal links, blog articles and other information is updated and drawing from the correct source to avoid this mistake.

Inaccurate Hours

Beyond location, business hours are one of the most important factors pet owners take into account when choosing a clinic. If you’ve recently changed your hours, make sure you fix any problems or mismatches on your veterinary website. Many default business templates for WordPress and other site builders will have your hours displayed in multiple places across your site, and you’ll need to make sure they all match. If you’ve stated your hours anywhere in the text of your website, those will need to be changed as well.

Removing Old Staff Members

If you’ve had employees leave your practice -- whether under positive or negative circumstances -- you’ll want to make sure that information gets updated on your website. This is a particularly important step to take if a former vet tech or assistant was let go for unsavory actions. As a general good habit, you might just want to keep any about pages fresh and accurate so that clients recognize those faces when they come into the clinic.

Downloadable Forms

Does your site have an option to download and fill out forms? This is a common trouble spot when trying to fix problems on veterinary websites. Getting the same form to work for both older and newer programs can be a pain, though some customers do enjoy the ability to save time when they’re trying out a new clinic with their pets.

Outdated Specials

Do you offer a February Dental Month special? How about a package for Happy Healthy Cat Month? If you’ve highlighted any time-sensitive savings or coupons on your veterinary website, make sure they’re consistently updated to reflect expirations and new offerings. It’s unfortunately not a great look to seem like your site is perpetually stuck in the month of March.

If you want to learn more about the most common problems to fix on your veterinary website or are looking for help with managing it, please feel free to reach out to us at Vet Marketing Pro.