Top 5 Features Optical Websites Must Have

Ready to take your optical website to the next level? We recommend you invest in the best website features to stand out among the competition. Whether you specialize in prescription glasses or specific eyecare services, you should know the latest digital marketing trends in the eyewear market.

Creating an effective and user-friendly website design is crucial for engaging customers and promoting your products and services. Before you start revamping your website or hiring someone to do it for you, you should familiarize yourself with the essential website features for optical practices.

To help, we’ve compiled the best five features optical websites should incorporate into their websites today.

1. User-Friendly Navigation to Find Contact Lenses and More

Current and prospective customers shouldn’t have to jump through hoops to learn more about a specific service or how to book an appointment with your clinic. Whether a person wants to learn more about prescription glasses, different types of eyewear, lens options, or contact lenses, your optical website should be easy to explore.

Here are some helpful tips you should incorporate into your site:

• Implement a well-organized menu structure with clear categories such as eyeglasses, sunglasses, contact lenses, and accessories. 
• Avoid using industry jargon that only a seasoned eyecare expert would comprehend, less is more in this case
• Use descriptive labels to help users quickly identify their needs
• Highlight the products and services your business has to offer

The language you use on the website should be easy to understand. When revamping your website to improve navigation, you should consider the best categories that suit your target audience’s requirements.

Which products or services are you best known for? Is it your prescription lenses or contact lenses? Imagine you’re a prospective customer who knows little to nothing about the eyecare industry. What buttons or content would you need to locate whatever you need from an optical website? You shouldn’t find it overwhelming to learn about the service that would improve your vision.

It would be ideal if someone from outside your team browsed through your website like a new client would. It would be best to ask for their feedback about your website’s navigation and search bar. Is it easy to learn more about a new product or service? What would make it easier for them to locate a particular eye care-related topic? Is your live chat feature helpful? In case you’re wondering, a live chat feature is a tool that connects website visitors with actual human support representatives.

It would help if you were flexible to other people’s suggestions because they might provide valuable insight to improve your website navigation. An unbiased perspective can help you realize more things than repeatedly reviewing the website yourself.

2. Mobile Responsiveness

Nowadays, more than half of online users search for products and services on their smartphones or mobile devices. So optimizing your website for mobile devices is a must-have for any business trying to convert more online visitors into paying customers. If you don’t consider this as you update your website, you might miss out on a considerable percentage of potential customers who may run into issues on your site.

How can you ensure that your website is compatible with different types of devices? You and your team should account for a responsive design (formatting for all screen sizes) and loading times on smart devices. Your website should deliver the same level of experience regardless of where a person is accessing it.

Your goal should be to ensure that the desktop version and mobile user interface are more or less the same. This includes the quality of the images and video animations you’ve worked hard on to make your website design the best quality it can be.

A stellar example of a site design that looks amazing on both desktop and mobile devices is iMatrix’s Acadia design. This design template is simple yet elegant and free from distractions. It has a minimalistic touch and a symmetrical line to add depth and uses lighter colors often associated with healthcare. If your practice wants a timeless approach for your website, this design is a classic that most people would appreciate.

Another stellar option you can consider to catch people’s eyes is the Harrisburg website template. This particular option incorporates dynamic video to grab your website visitor’s attention. This optician-oriented website design shows a video of a patient depicting a patient shopping for eyewear frames. The footage looks fantastic on desktop and mobile versions of the site, delivering the same website experience.

If your practice is located in a metropolitan area, the Brooklyn website template might work best for you. This design is structured in a way that appeals to industrialized locations. If your business caters mainly to millennials and technology entrepreneurs, this is a stellar website design you should explore. The Brooklyn design has the same cosmopolitan aesthetic on both desktop and mobile versions, giving visitors a seamless online experience.

Regardless of where you decide to get your website design from just remember to make sure it’s compatible with mobile devices.

3. Feature Testimonials and Reviews

Did you recently include a virtual try-on tool for clients to sample your smart glasses? Capitalize on this new feature and ask people what they think of your products and services. While virtual try-on technology is impressive, you have a better chance of building trust with potential customers when your current ones vouch for your quality services and products.

To boost your online sales and booking appointments, you should proudly display your customers’ positive feedback on your website. Your customer satisfaction rate would encourage more people to book an appointment at your healthcare facility. Positive feedback can serve as social proof, influencing others to choose your products or services. 

How can you populate your website with more reviews as you update your core features? Your team should proactively ask people to share their feedback on your products and services. Did your client have a stellar time during their recent visit? It would help if you encouraged them to share their experience so prospective customers would know what to expect from your clinic.

It would be ideal if you chose a particular platform to collate all your client’s feedback. From the testimonials you gather from this platform, it would be easy for you to identify which ones position your business in the best possible light. Incorporate the type of product or service that customers obtained from your clinic so people interested in the same offering would have an idea of what value you can add to their lives.

4. Social Media Integration

If you’ve invested a lot of money to incorporate that virtual try-on tool into your website, you should ensure it’s visible to as many people as possible. With 4.9 billion people worldwide on social media, it’s a must for any business to be active on at least one social media platform. And how can you capitalize on social media as you update your website features? You can connect your revamped website to your social media profiles.

Your updated website should make it easy for website visitors to share your content with their respective network. Social media sharing buttons make it convenient for them to post your blog articles or services so more people can learn about what you do best.

Aside from making it easy for people to share content from your website on social media, you should link your professional social media platforms to your website. This way, you can get more exposure to the content you’ve worked hard for on social media. Simultaneously, you can encourage your website visitors to follow you on social media.

As you work on a visually appealing social media game feed to proudly showcase on your website, you should ensure that you have a game plan in mind. Try to be cautious of common eye care social media mistakes. All aspects of your digital marketing strategies should work together to promote your eye health services effectively. It can be challenging to navigate through the social media world, yes, but if you play your cards right, you can deliver the best customer experience through your various marketing platforms.

Moreover, don’t hesitate to share the updates to your website on your respective social media platforms. These can be great informational posts to add to your social media calendar. After all,  people should be aware of the website updates that your team worked hard on, your practice will appear professional and on top of online issues. These are just some of the reasons to share your updates while also encouraging people to schedule their next eye exam.

5. Integrate Online Shopping

Aside from offering stellar eye care services, does your practice offer sunglasses and other types of glasses? You shouldn’t limit yourself to selling these products only in real life. Retail stores can increase your company’s revenue. If you’re not selling them already, you should consider offering exclusive prescription glasses, sunglasses, and contact lenses on your website. You can even invest in a virtual try-on tool, so website visitors can determine if these products look good on them in real life.

When it comes to offering optical products online, you should provide as much helpful information as possible. The more information you offer, the better customers can make informed choices. This means you should give information about each product, including frame materials, lens options, available colors, and sizing details on your website.

Because people who browse your website won’t get to sample the products in real life, you should post high-quality images of products from different angles. Moreover, you should include zoom functionality to allow users to get a closer look at the details.

Want to ensure that your online store is the best that it can be? Here are some helpful tips you should follow as you offer products against eye strain:

• Incorporate profile grids. Your website design shouldn’t appear too cluttered, because the eye sore might cause people to leave your website.
• Use professional photos. Avoid using pixelated photos of products to save money. Why? People might think the products you’re selling are fake or poor quality.
• Use SEO to your advantage. The strategic usage of keywords can improve your conversion rate and drive more people to your practice.
• Create a solid marketing plan. You shouldn’t just upload product photos on your website and leave them as is. Promote these products so more people would buy them.

Incorporating Optical Website Features and More

These optical website features can elevate your business in many ways. If you plan on revamping your website, you should consider these features to optimize your site. If you want to enhance the effectiveness of your optical website, you need a stellar digital marketing partner. 

We at iMatrix can incorporate these features and more. For more information on digital marketing packages that include a new professional website filled with the latest features, call 800.792.8384 or click here.