Why get online?
A physical pharmacy without an online presence could be putting your business at a disadvantage. Simply having basic online information has the potential to direct more foot traffic to your store and increase patient nominations for repeat prescriptions, and NHS reimbursements. In essence, an online presence can help pharmacies gain more customers and earn more revenue.
Where to Start?
Conduct an Online Audit:
Even if you think you do not have an online presence, you probably do. Most businesses appear in online directories or search engines. The first step is to ensure that this information is current and accurate. Start by searching your browser for ‘pharmacy near me’. Is your business listed? If so, you may need to claim your business and edit your Business Profile to ensure it is correct. Conducting a competitor analysis online can give you a benchmark of how you compare and help you to define your next steps.
Decide the Extent of Your Online Presence:
There are several stages of building a digital presence online that you could choose to work through. The key is not to try and do everything at once. It is much better to give small steps a try and see how they add value to your business, rather than trying to develop something more complicated from the start. There are various levels of online presence you can aim for, each requiring different investments. A minimal viable product (MVP) approach is advisable to begin with. Evaluate what will serve your primary objective, whether it is attracting new customers or offering new services.
Using Customer Insight:
Your existing customers can provide valuable insights into what services or products they would like to see. Local community groups can also be a great source of information to understand what people are looking for. Smaller businesses often have the flexibility to adapt to customer needs more swiftly than larger chains, so be on the lookout for new opportunities.
Getting Online
Choose a Domain Name:
This is crucial for your website. The name should be memorable and relevant to your business. Domain names are generally purchased for a set period of time, so be sure to keep a note of when it needs to be renewed.
Build the Website:
There are plenty of tools and templates now available to help with building your own website such as SquareSpace, Wix, and WordPress. Each varies on how much initial and ongoing support they provide, and the price plans available. The best way to decide which website builder is best for you is to chat to other business owners who have websites you like. It is not as daunting as you might think.
Remember: It is critical that your website is mobile-friendly as most customers will access it via their phones so make sure this is considered and you are testing on a variety of devices.
Develop Content:
Focus on what the customer is looking for and incorporate that into your website. Use keywords that could help your site rank better in search engines. Keep the information concise and to the point. Accreditation logos like the Pharmacy GPHC logo should also be included.
Go Live and Track Your Progress
Once your website is live, monitor its performance using free tools like Google Analytics. If you find the traffic is low, reconsider adding any advanced functionalities and review your content approach. Starting small and then expanding is usually the most effective way to build a web presence.
5 Takeaway Actions
- Claim Your Google Business Profile: Make sure all the information is current and correct.
- Customer Feedback Loop: Regularly interact with your customers to understand what online services they would use.
- Start with MVP: Launch a minimal viable product and iterate based on customer feedback and analytics.
- Mobile Optimisation: Ensure your website is mobile-friendly as most customers will access your site via mobile.
- Regular Monitoring: Use Google Analytics to continuously track and analyse website traffic and user behaviour.
