Guide · Clinics
Clinic website checklist: 12 things patients look for.
Most patients find a clinic on their phone. They search, tap the first result that looks right, and give it a few seconds. In those seconds they are trying to answer three questions: is this the right doctor, are they open, and how do I reach them.
If your website answers those quickly, they call. If it doesn't, they press back and call the next clinic.
Here are the 12 things we check on every clinic website. Use it as a checklist for your own site, whether you are building a new one or fixing the one you have.
On the first screen
1. Who you are, in plain words
The doctor's name, the speciality and the clinic name should be the first thing anyone reads. Skip the slogan. “Dr. A. Sharma, Paediatrician, Sharma Child Clinic, Salt Lake” tells a parent more in one line than “Caring for tomorrow, today.”
2. Today's timings
The question patients ask most is whether you are open right now. Show today's OPD timings near the top, with the full weekly schedule one tap away. Mark closed days and lunch breaks, and update the page before holidays.
3. One clear way to reach you
One button that does the obvious thing: Call the clinic or Book an appointment. On a phone, the call button should actually dial. If you also take WhatsApp messages, add it as the second option, not the first five.
4. Where you are
The area name in the first screen (“Near City Centre, Salt Lake”). Lower down: the full address, a Google Maps link that opens directions, the nearest landmark and parking details. Many patients come with a family member who is driving.
Building trust
5. A real profile for each doctor
Patients want to know who they will see. A real photo, qualifications, years in practice, the conditions they commonly treat and languages spoken. Keep it factual: doctors in India are expected to follow National Medical Commission guidance on how they present themselves, so avoid claims like “best doctor in the city” or promised results.
6. Real photos of the clinic
The waiting area, the reception, the outside of the building so people recognise it when they arrive. Stock photos of smiling models do the opposite of what you want: they make a real clinic look less real.
7. Real reviews, linked from Google
Your Google reviews are the trust signal patients already use. Link to them, or show a few real ones with first names. Never write or copy reviews. Patients notice, and so does Google.
Making booking easy
8. Booking that matches how you actually work
If you use an appointment system, such as Practo or your own software, link to it directly. If you take bookings by phone, say so clearly and give the number. A simple request form works too, as long as someone replies the same day. A form nobody checks is worse than no form.
9. Answers to the questions your receptionist hears every day
Do I need an appointment or can I walk in? What should I bring? Do you accept my insurance? Is there a lift? Do you do home visits? Every answer on the website is one less call for your front desk, and these answers help you show up on Google for the exact questions patients type.
Under the hood
10. Fast on mobile data
Many patients will open your site on 4G, in a waiting room or a moving car. Large images and heavy sliders make pages slow, and slow pages lose patients before they load. Your site should open in about two to three seconds on a normal phone. Ask your web designer how they test this, or send it to us for a free check.
11. Set up for Google and Google Maps
Your website and your Google Business Profile should say the same things: the same clinic name, address, phone number and timings. Each page needs a clear title, for example “Paediatrician in Salt Lake, Kolkata · Sharma Child Clinic”, not just “Home”. Add the clinic to Google Maps if it isn't there yet. For local searches like “child specialist near me”, that profile often matters more than the website itself.
12. Careful with patient information
If your form asks for symptoms or medical history, ask only what you really need before the visit. Use a secure (https) site, explain in a short privacy note how you use the details, and don't share them with anyone else. Patients are trusting you with something personal before they have even met you.
A quick way to check your own site
Open your website on your phone, on mobile data, and time yourself. Can you find these within 10 seconds?
- The doctor's name and speciality
- Whether the clinic is open today
- A button that calls or books
- Where the clinic is
If any of them took longer, that is where patients are dropping off.
Want a second pair of eyes?
Send us your clinic's website. Within two working days you get a free short video of us going through it like a patient would, with the fixes that matter most. If your site is already doing its job, we'll tell you that too.