The speed of your website can make or break the amount of online traffic you receive. For successful medical online marketing, website speed needs to be as quick as possible. If your site fails to load in just a few seconds, you can lose potential patients. For example, according to BBC, Nordstrom lost 11% of online sales after the website slowed by half a second. In an era when online competition is fierce, speed matters.
Photo delays
Like any other business, website design for doctors should incorporate plenty of photos to connect with patients on a personal level. Photos give you the opportunity to show who you are and what your practice looks like.
However, photos can also slow down your website. Increased image sizes and the sheer volume of pictures can lead to loading drag. With each extra millisecond your site takes to load, you are probably losing a fraction of your audience. These are the top reasons photos slow down a site and the tactics you can use to optimize them without losing speed.
Improper format
There are plenty of formatting options for photos, but only three work well online:
- JPEG
- PNG
- SVG
Each of these types has a slightly different use that you can decide between depending on how the image will be implemented on your site. JPEGs are ideal for acute details and bright colors. PNGs do not have a large color palette, but they make excellent logos. Highly pixelated, SVGs offer a variety of uses and are great for smaller screen sizes. If you choose an image format outside of these three, it can weigh down the server and cause loading delays.
Overly large sizes
A picture that is too large requires a hefty amount of data to transfer to devices around the world. Physically reducing size lessens the weight of an image, allowing it to transfer and load quicker. Click on the image information to see the current size, then use a program like Photoshop to reduce it. The fewer pixels a picture is comprised of, the better it will fit on a web page.
Zero compression
Compressing an image reduces the amount of data that image holds. It eliminates redundancies and finer details that are not necessary for viewing. Any images on your site that have not been compressed may be greater in size and maintain unnecessary information (such as the image size, the date it was created, and color resolution). To eliminate that backlog without damaging any visible picture quality, use a program like Compressor.io or Kraken.io. for compression.
Discover new image SEO techniques
Your content management for healthcare matters for attracting new patients online. If you have questions on how to increase online traffic and speed up your site, Doctor Genius can help. We work to highlight positive traits and strengthen weaker aspects of a medical site to build a successful online presence. Contact us to learn more about our SEO services. For more advice on effective use of photos on your website see: https://doctorgenius.com/blog/original-high-quality-photography-boosts-consumer-confidence/
Doctor Genius, located at 16800 Aston Street, Suite 270, Irvine, CA 92606, provides a range of services for practice success. We seek to meet our clients’ needs by providing a variety of marketing, SEO, practice optimization tools, and coaching to transform the healthcare experience. Though we work to provide the most accurate information, the content found on this website is solely intended for entertainment purposes. Therefore, we cannot guarantee that the information provided is entirely correct. You may not use the information on this site to cure, prevent, or diagnose a perceived medical issue. If you have healthcare-related needs, please speak directly to a healthcare professional. Never self-perform medical treatments discussed on this website. All images displayed are also for entertainment purposes only, and personal experiences may differ. Please note that the business tactics mentioned on this site might not be applicable to your industry or practice.
