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Hey again — it's Steve with Healthcare Marketing Vitals!

Let's talk about one of the most frustrating parts of running a healthcare practice:

Doing all the right things to get patients to your site—SEO, PPC, referral marketing—but then not seeing them book.

According to a 2023 study by Unbounce, healthcare landing pages have an average conversion rate of 5.1% - meaning about 95% of visitors leave without taking action.

That's a staggering amount of missed opportunity.

That's Marketing Roadblock #2: Ineffective Patient Acquisition, and it's what we're tackling this week.

In This Week’s Email:

• [1 min] Thoughts for the Week: The patient journey gap

• [3 min] Why They Don’t Book: Breaking down patient acquisition barriers

• [30 sec] By the Numbers: Patient booking behavior insights

• [30 sec] In the Know: Google makes getting reviews easier, 6 strategies to scale healthcare businesses, and the growing healthcare analytics industry

THOUGHTS FOR THE WEEK

The Patient Journey Gap

I’m a big dummy.

My friends know that.

My family knows that.

And the group of people outside Techo Mezcaleria & Agave Bar who watched me parallel park a few weeks ago definitely know that.

As I backed up and hit the curb for the third time I cursed how there weren’t many parking spots nearby.

The tiny parking lot right next door was cramped, narrow, and full.

I could even see two cars lurking in the parking lot aisle to fight over whatever spot opened up next.

I knew I was lucky just to find this spot right out front—even though I had to parallel park.

But I also knew why everyone else had avoided it: it was a tight squeeze.

Sensing a simile yet?

My experience feels exactly like what your potential patients experience when they try to book an appointment on your website.

They've found you (the parking spot).

They want what you're offering (delicious mezcal).

They're ready to commit (park their car).

But then they encounter obstacle after obstacle in the booking process (the tight spot, the curb, the lack of space to maneuver).

According to the Kyruus Patient Access Journey Report, 49% of patients are say online booking is extremely or very important to them.

They don't want to back up and try again.

They don't want to give up and look for another spot.

They just want a smooth, easy way to get where they're trying to go.

When your patients hit that metaphorical curb during the booking process:

• they have to call because your online booking doesn't work

• they can't find insurance information

• there aren’t any convenient appointment slots available

…many of them will simply turn away and look for another provider.

After all, for them it’s a simple as hitting the “Back” button and going to the next option.

SPOTLIGHT

Why They Don’t Book: Breaking Down Patient Acquisition Barriers

3 min. read

The average healthcare landing page converts just 5.1%* of visitors into leads or appointments according to Unbounce's 2023 Conversion Benchmark Report.

In the dental industry it’s lower—only about 4.3% of site visitors convert.

This represents Marketing Roadblock #2: Ineffective Patient Acquisition.

Understanding why patients don't complete the booking process is the first step to solving this critical challenge.

📊 The Booking Decision Gap

There's a significant gap between a patient's intent to book and their completed action. 

According to Signpost, 67% of patients prefer to book appointments online and only 22% prefer to book by phone.

This tracks with another survey that said 70% of people prefer to book online.

Yet many healthcare providers still don't offer this capability, revealing a massive disconnect between patient preference and practice capability.

This gap exists because of several key barriers:

🧩 1. Perceived Complexity

When patients perceive the booking process as complicated, they often abandon it altogether.

4 of the top 5 recommendations from patients for improving the online booking experience centered on making it simpler.

Solution: Streamline Your Booking Process

• Limit your booking form to essential fields only

• Include a progress indicator for multi-step forms

• Offer clear instructions at each step

• Test your booking process monthly with someone unfamiliar with your website

Implementation Example: Even if you don’t have an integrated system, a hypothetical streamlined booking form for a mental health practice might include: name, contact info & preference (phone/email), preferred appointment times (options), insurance information, and a brief "What brings you in?" field.

That's it.

🤔 2. Uncertainty About Coverage and Costs

Financial concerns are consistently rated as a top barrier to healthcare access. A government survey found that 28% of Americans went without medical care in the previous year due to cost.

The most frequently skipped: Dental care.

Prescriptions and mental health care or counseling were also often skipped for financial reasons.

In fact, cost transparency is the number one factor (pg. 8) in healthcare appointment booking for Gen Z.

Solution: Provide Financial Clarity

• List accepted insurance providers prominently

• Offer transparent pricing for self-pay patients

• Explain any financial policies before the booking stage

• Consider offering a "Financial FAQs" section and prominently displaying it (or linking to it) on your website and near your booking page

Implementation Example: A dental practice might state: "We accept [list of insurance providers]. Self-pay appointments start at $X. We also offer payment plans and sliding scale options for those who qualify. Questions about coverage? Call us before booking and we'll verify your benefits for you."

You want to remove every barrier you can.

🗓️ 3. Scheduling Flexibility

According to Kyruus' Patient Access Journey Report, 84% of patients consider convenient appointment times a top factor when selecting a provider, with half willing to switch providers with an online booking option.

Solution: Maximize Availability Options

• Offer early morning or evening appointments at least once weekly

• Consider one Saturday per month for working patients

• Implement real-time online scheduling

• Provide telehealth options for appropriate services

Implementation Example: A physical therapy practice might communicate: "We understand you're busy. That's why we offer appointments from 7am-7pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays, plus one Saturday morning per month. Can't make it in person? Telehealth visits are available for follow-ups and certain consultations."

🤝 4. Trust Deficit

Patients won't book if they don't trust you. Research from BrightLocal's 2025 Local Consumer Review Survey shows that 87% of consumers read online reviews for local businesses, with 91% of 18-34 year olds trusting online reviews as much as personal recommendations.

Interestingly, the overall trust in reviews has declined significantly over time - while 79% of consumers trusted reviews as much as personal recommendations in 2020, this number has dropped to just 42% in 2025.

Solution: Build Social Proof

• Display recent patient reviews prominently

• Include provider credentials and photos

• Share success stories (HIPAA-compliant, of course)

• Add trust badges (board certifications, professional memberships)

• Let patients know they can incorporate photos and videos with reviews (BrightLocal found these increase consumer trust)

Implementation Example: An optometry practice might feature a rotating carousel of 5-star reviews directly on their booking page, along with provider bios that include credentials and approachable photos to humanize the experience.

😭 5. Follow-Through Friction

Technical barriers cause abandonment.

As page load time increases from 1 to 3 seconds, the probability of a visitor bouncing increases by 32%.

Solution: Eliminate Technical Barriers

• Ensure mobile-friendly booking (over 68% of healthcare searches are on mobile)

• Keep page load times under 3 seconds

• Implement automatic appointment reminders

Implementation Example: A primary care practice might implement a floating "Book Now" button that remains visible as visitors scroll through their website, plus add clear appointment booking CTAs on every service page. They might also ensure their Google Business Profile has appointment links properly configured so patients can book directly from Google search results without needing to navigate the website at all.

☑ How to Audit Your Patient Acquisition Process

Take these steps this week to identify your specific barriers:

1. Journey Mapping: Follow your own booking process as if you were a new patient

2. Availability Check: How many appointments are available for online booking this week? Next week? Are the times spread out or are they all in similar time slots each day?

3. Form Conversion Tracking: Implement HIPAA-compliant analytics to see where patients abandon your forms

4. Time Audit: Measure how long your booking process takes from start to finish

Of course, you’ll also want to look at how accessible your pricing/insurance information is, your reviews, and how they’re displayed.

💰 ROI of Improved Booking Processes

Let's run the numbers for a hypothetical scenario:

• If your practice gets 1,000 website visitors per month

• With the average 5.1% conversion rate: 51 new patients monthly

• Improving to 6.5% conversion: 65 new patients monthly

• With an average patient value of $800: That's an additional $11,200 monthly revenue

• All without spending an extra dollar on marketing!

Remember: You've already done the hard work of getting visitors to your site. Don't lose them at the finish line.

BY THE NUMBERS

Patient Booking Behavior Insights

1. Digital Expectations Rising: 80% of patients expect healthcare providers to offer digital services like online scheduling..
   

2. Online & Mobile Booking Dominance: 89% of patients want to book healthcare appointments online or from a mobile device, making mobile optimization crucial.
   

3. Digital Pre-Appointment Processes Matter: 93% of patients are extremely or very interested in completing pre-appointment tasks online rather than by phone or in person.

IN THE KNOW

Key Articles this Week

1. New Google Business Profile QR Code Feature: Google Business Profile now allows you to create easy-to-scan QR codes that take patients directly to your review page. This simple tool can significantly increase your review collection rate and build trust with potential patients considering your practice. Read more

2. Six Effective Strategies To Scale Within Healthcare Forbes Business Council outlines proven strategies for healthcare businesses looking to scale, emphasizing that streamlining the patient onboarding process is critical for sustainable growth. Read more

3. Healthcare Analytics Market Projected to Reach $75.1 Billion by 2026 According to Markets and Markets research, the healthcare analytics market is expanding rapidly as practices increasingly rely on data to improve patient acquisition and retention. Read more

When you’re ready, here are 3 ways I can help

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That’s All for Now

Have a great week—and look forward to next week when I talk about why patients do book.

See You Next Week,

Steve