In general, medical practices are small businesses, and small businesses advertise. Therefore, having a web site is an important component to any successful advertising campaign.

Also, consumers (patients) are increasingly spending more time online, searching the Internet for answers to their questions. Many (between 50 and 90 million) surfers are researching health-related questions. They get their answers from many Internet web resources. Ultimately, some will seek to establish a patient-physician relationship for specific medical advice and treatment. Although traditional means of finding a physician are still popular (i.e. word-of-mouth, yellow pages), it is becoming more common for patients to choose or evaluate their physicians from their selection of choices on the Internet. This is especially true for prospective patients who have just recently relocated to a new area.

Having a medical practice website that is attractive, interesting, concise, well organized, and easy to navigate, can reap many benefits for a practice, including:

• Increased marketability to prospective patients.



• Communication of the practice's mission, message, location, and medical services to new patients



• Enhanced patient services with downloadable patient forms, and easy directions to the practice.



• Providing accurate, clinically appropriate informational resources for current and prospective patients



• Enhanced practice image by implying that if it is current enough to have a website, then it is more likely to use the latest medical technologies & methodologies.



• Enhanced professional image among colleagues, an important referral base. Additionally, adding the web address to marketing material, business cards, and other office letterhead can increase awareness.