Conversion Rate Optimization: Conversion-focused healthcare website redesign increases conversion rate by 203%

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I recently received a pitch from Isacc Justesen that said, “Side note, I took the MECLABS conversion rate optimization course many years ago and still to this day use the conversion rate heuristic as part of my CRO process. It was probably almost 10 years ago that I took the course.”

Since MECLABS is the parent organization of MarketingSherpa, that pitch piqued my interest. If you scroll down, you’ll see a specific marketing example with results from Isaac. But first I should mention a few free resources you can use for your own CRO efforts:

• MECLABS AI has the MECLABS methodology built into it, and it’s totally free to use (for now)
• While the original $700 course Isaac mentions is no longer available, here is our new free digital marketing course – Become a Marketer-Philosopher: Create and optimize high-converting webpages
• The MECLABS Conversion Sequence Heuristic presents a structured framework comprising five critical elements, designed to direct your optimization efforts effectively

Now, let’s take a look at that specific marketing example with results.

BEFORE – Broad storytelling approach

Parkway Physiotherapy is a physical therapy clinic.

The hero image on Parkway’s initial homepage was a carousel showing a treatment photo with the headlines ‘You’re the Hero of Your Story,’ ‘Pushing The Boundaries,’ and ‘Personalised Compassionate Patient Care.’

“While the last headline is not bad, the other headlines don’t actually explain what Parkway does,” said Isaac Justesen, Founder and CEO, PatientPartners (Parkway’s agency). Additionally, Parkway isn't just a physiotherapy clinic, it actually offers a whole range of treatment options including clinical counselling, massage therapy, and much more.

Creative Sample #1: Previous physical therapy clinic homepage

The main body copy on the homepage further explained the headlines to give more details about the clinic. And there was a call to action in the main navigation as well as on the footer of the page.

“We knew that we needed to elevate not only the design of the website but also improve the conversion rate. We started by understanding what the initial design was trying to communicate and blended that with best practices,” he said.

AFTER – Redesigning for clarity and engagement

The team knew they needed to refresh the design while also focusing more on conversion rate optimization. “Making the page more ‘patient-centric’ was done by putting ourselves in the patients’ shoes to try to understand their common problems and questions. Not only were the changes aimed at making the design clear, attractive, and easy to navigate – but also by anticipating their questions or concerns and addressing them. Plus, by making it easy to find specific service pages, people can easily find the most relevant content,” Isaac said.

The team removed the carousel and changed the headline to ‘Experience Whole-Patient Care.’ “[The new headline] communicates Parkway’s holistic approach to health care that transcends the traditional biomedical model, emphasizing the comprehensive treatment of patients by addressing not only their physical symptoms but also their experiential needs, thus prioritizing overall well-being, quality of life, and a balance between curing and caring,” Isaac said.

The team tried to improve the clarity of Parkway’s value proposition and removed friction by highlighting patient reviews and community awards in the first two sections. A call to action was also added to the hero section.

Creative Sample #2: New physical therapy clinic homepage (top)

In addition to changing the content at the top of the homepage, they changed the design as well, organizing information in an F-shaped pattern. Previously headlines were right-aligned and then the body was middle-aligned. The new home page used an F-shaped layout to guide people to pick a location.

Creative Sample #3: ‘F-shaped design’ of new physical therapy homepage

The next sections focused on why patients should choose Parkway, what services they provide, and some five-star patient reviews. The sections help reinforce the decision to work with the clinic, while also helping potential patients navigate to more specific content if they are looking for a particular service.

Creative Sample #4: New physical therapy clinic homepage (middle)

The final sections of the home page highlighted some of the clinic’s team, telling visitors how to get started, and making it easy to find location-specific information.

“Healthcare is a trust-based business, so having images of smiling clinicians helps visitors connect with our team,” he said.

The team added the ‘How to Get Started’ section to help reduce anxiety by telling potential patients what they can expect from the process. It also includes another call to action.

Lastly, the ‘Our Locations’ section makes it easy for people to navigate to the specific clinic location that’s relevant to them.

Creative Sample #5: New physical therapy clinic homepage (bottom)

RESULTS – Conversion growth

“It’s a much more patient-centric home page. I think it does a better job of building trust and making it easy for people to become patients,” said JR Justesen (Isaac’s father), CEO, Parkway Physiotherapy.

Conversion actions on the website include booking an appointment online, clicking a ‘Call Now’ button, or submitting a contact form. Together, these changes grew the physiotherapy clinic’s website conversion rate from 4.87% to 14.77%, a 203% increase.

Related resources

MarketingSherpa Quick Guide to Conversion Rate Optimization – 9 tactics to ensure you are running valid tests

CRO Cheat Sheet: Customer thinking guide for conversion rate optimization

Marketing 101: What is CRO (Conversion Rate Optimization)?