We’ve already discussed challenges of a Request an Appointment page and how to make your tool easier to use. Now it’s time to measure how well your Request an Appointment tool is working. This is when analytics and metrics become your best friend.

Analytics tools will help you to analyze your returns. There are a number of tools that you can use. At AVID Design, we love Google Analytics because of the dynamic breadth of information it offers in addition to its connection to Google AdWords. All have their perks, but it will be about finding the tool that is best suited for your needs.

You’ll want to compare numbers about 60 days to 90 days after updates have been made. Larger data buckets carry the most value and thirty days may not be enough to gather gold. Here are some helpful questions to ask when comparing both information sets:

• How many people visited the Request an Appointment page before and after the changes? Does it seem like more people are finding their way to this page?
• How many people actually fill out the form and submit it? What percentage of people who view the form complete it?
• What pages are users coming from when they arrive on the page? In other words, where should you focus your conversions?
• What is the average time spent on the page? Are people browsing and leaving?
• What page did people go to once they finished making their appointment? What is the last page users visited before leaving your site?

Analyzing this data can give you a fact-based, user oriented perspective on how effective your Request an Appointment tool is. You can use this insight to make informed decisions about Request an Appointment page performance, navigation, conversion placement, and the kind of conversions you should be using. For the best strategy, find an SEO expert or web vendor who will strategize the best approach.

If you are interested in reading more about effective Request an Appointment forms, check out my previous posts, Why You Should Revisit your Request an Appointment Form, and Seven Golden Rules of Request an Appointment Forms.

AVID Design offers full-scale written and visual communication services for hospitals and healthcare systems, including Web design, SEO and PPC content development and assessment, online video and rich media, analytics and measurement, content management systems and more.

Melissa Clarke | Account Manager | AVID Design

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Tags: hospital website tools, hospital websites, request an appointment, website tools

This entry was posted on Friday, August 24th, 2012 at 10:27 am and is filed under Website Tools. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.