white paper is it time for a redesign? - geonetric...time to redesign your website and how to get...

W H I T E P A P E R

IS IT TIME FOR A REDESIGN?

Digital with care.

Table of ContentsIntroduction ............................................................................................................................................................ 1

Signs That It’s Time .......................................................................................................................................... 2

Common Redesign Triggers ......................................................................................................................2

Redesign? Restructure? Re-Platform? .....................................................................................................2

Understanding Your Website’s Life Cycle ......................................................................................... 3

Surveying the CMS Landscape ................................................................................................................ 4

The Different Types of CMS Platforms ...................................................................................................4

Why Use a CMS to Manage Content? .....................................................................................................6

Pace Layering..............................................................................................................................................6

Structured Content .....................................................................................................................................6

Layers of Control .........................................................................................................................................7

Software That’s “Opinionated” ..................................................................................................................8

The Impact on Your Project .......................................................................................................................8

Beyond Content: What Healthcare Organizations Need to Consider ........................... 9

Website Features and Functionality ........................................................................................................9

Personalization and Optimization ......................................................................................................... 10

Choosing the Right Partner ......................................................................................................................10

Keys to Success...........................................................................................................................................11

Additional Resources ....................................................................................................................................12

IntroductionChances are a lot has changed since the last time you redesigned your organization’s website or switched your content management system (CMS). Recently, the push to go responsive triggered a number of prominent redesigns in our industry and most healthcare brands have followed suit. But even if you’ve gone responsive, there are many reasons a redesign might still be in your future.

What pushes most organizations into a redesign? That answer varies greatly. It could be for internal reasons, like a brand change or an acquisition. Or, you’ve simply realized that your current site isn’t delivering value any more.

Regardless of what is driving change, a website redesign offers your organization the opportunity to improve your online brand image, engage and connect with site visitors, and put them on a path to conversion. This guide will help you determine if it’s time to redesign your website and how to get started if a new CMS is in your future.

A website redesign offers your organization the opportunity to improve your online brand image, engage and connect with site visitors, and put them on a path to conversion.

Is it time for a redesign? | 1

Signs That It’s Time We recently surveyed 249 healthcare marketers from across the country as part of our 2018 Healthcare Digital Marketing Trends Survey. Although the redesign cycle had slowed in recent years, we see a wave of redesign planning underway now. Half of all respondents are either in the planning stages for a redesign or have a redesign in progress. Of the 20 percent of respondents that have a CMS change in planning stages or in progress, most of those platform changes are happening at the same time as a redesign (Chart 1).

Redesigns and changes in platforms are significant investments, both in terms of effort and expenditure. And since most organizations only redesign every three to four years, they are decisions that have lasting impact.

Common Redesign Triggers There are a number of reasons it could be time to redesign your website, from internal shifts in strategy, to external changes in consumer behavior. Common triggers fall into two main categories:

1. Changes in business context or strategy: These are changes in the way your organization does business. This includes changes in organizational structures, mergers and acquisitions, or a rebrand. It could also mean that your organization is facing new competition or reacting to changes in the industry, such as shifting payer models. These changes impact overarching strategy, which in turn impacts your overall website design or the way you are using your website to engage different audiences.

2. The realization the current site isn’t producing results: When change doesn’t come from the top down due to organizational shifts, it usually comes from the recognition that the website in its current state is not producing results or is not efficiently maintainable. Symptoms include: low on-page conversions, low user-engagement numbers, poor rankings on search engines, or the fact it’s become hard for your team to maintain.

Redesign? Restructure? Re-Platform?If you find yourself dealing with organizational changes that aren’t reflected on your site, or the knowledge that your current site has plateaued, you know it’s time to do something. But what? How do you know if you need to redesign your site, restructure it, or move to a new platform? Or, do you need to do all three?

Try to group your issues into the following categories:

• Technology • Content • Business/Market • People

It’s very easy to confuse these issues. Is the fact your team can’t efficiently maintain your site a people issue — or is it a technology problem? Once you have a firm understanding of what issues you are trying to solve, you will be able to determine whether you need a redesign, a restructure, or a new platform.

Chart 1


www.geonetric.com/trends


Understanding Your Website’s Life Cycle If you’re contemplating going into a redesign, it’s helpful to think about your website’s life cycle. Most people think about a website’s life cycle in a classic software development sense with four stages: planning, design, implementation, and maintenance (Chart 2).

The reality for most healthcare organizations looks much different. The same set of activities happen, but the amount of time spent in each area isn’t the same (Chart 3).

If most healthcare organizations are redesigning in three- to four-year cycles, they tend to take up to a year to plan and budget, then they are in design and implementation for around six months, and then go into maintenance mode for several years.

As you think about how much time is spent in the different stages of the life cycle, it starts to shift your priorities a bit. It may seem obvious, but don’t forget that while your team is planning, designing, and implementing the next iteration of your digital presence, the current one also requires maintenance. Make sure you have a realistic picture of the time you’ll be able to invest and plan for the assistance you need — from setting strategy to authoring and placing new content.

Maintenance

Implementation

Planning

Design

Website Life Cycle

Chart 2

Maintenance

Implementation

Design

Planning

Website Life Cycle: Reality

Chart 3


Surveying the CMS LandscapeIf your organization is considering changing CMS platforms as part of your redesign, it’s important to understand what options you have.

In our 2018 Healthcare Digital Marketing Trends Survey, we asked respondents what platforms they use across their digital ecosystems. For the second year in a row, WordPress is cited as the most used CMS. Three open source platforms are among the top five, with two proprietary systems coming in second and fourth. There is a mix of both industry-agnostic systems as well as healthcare-specific platforms, such as VitalSite®, in use while 3 percent of respondents indicated they still hand code their sites (Chart 4).

The Different Types of CMS Platforms Open source. SaaS. Healthcare-specific. When you begin researching the different types of CMS platforms on the market today, you’ll quickly realize how many options are out there and how different they all can be. It’s important to understand the language used to talk about CMS platforms so you can ensure you are selecting one that meets your organization’s needs. Here are some common ways to group platforms, and what the different terminology means for you.

• License type: One way to differentiate between systems is by license type. An open source license makes the original source code freely available and allows it to be redistributed and modified. A company typically owns proprietary platforms and the license for this software can be more restrictive.

• Target business size: You can also compare CMS platforms by the size of the organizations they are built to accommodate. Platforms are often marketed for enterprise, mid-market, or small/medium businesses.

Chart 4

CMS(s) in Use



• Delivery model: The delivery model typically implies if your organization can self-host the CMS, or if it is a hosted solution. It can also refer to software as a service (SaaS) and multi-tenant systems, where a single instance of a software application serves multiple customers.

• Industry focus: Industry focus evaluates if the CMS is geared specifically for healthcare or if it is a general purpose CMS that is used across a wide range of industries.

Each type of platform has it’s unique pros and cons, but it’s important to keep in mind that every healthcare website ends up being a mix of all of these different types of platforms (Chart 5). Whether you build on a proprietary system or go a completely custom route, your final website will most likely have everything from proprietary functionality, third-party components, and custom code built just for your organization.

Proprietary Open Source Custom

Content Management Framework

3rd Party/Off the Shelf CMS

Third-party Components Third-party Components Third-party Components

Third-party Components

Proprietary Components Proprietary Components Proprietary Components

Proprietary Components

Custom Code Custom Code Custom Code

Custom Code

Vendor-specific CMS

Components of a Website

Chart 5

It’s important to know what components are on your site and who is responsible for keeping everything up-to-date — your vendor or agency partner, or your internal development team. It’s also important to think about each of those components and what the life cycle for that component is. For example, your content, site design, and third-party components might be on completely different life cycles for redesign, implementation, and maintenance.


Why Use a CMS to Manage Content? The true benefit of using a CMS to manage content is the power it provides administrators, particularly around efficiency and speed. A CMS has a lot of functionality built into it that makes it easier to publish content to the web in a timely fashion. To understand what gives a CMS its power, it’s helpful to have an understanding of pace layering, structured content, layers of control, and how software can be opinionated.

Pace Layering Pace layering is a concept developed in 1999 by Stewart Brand that models how different layers of our world interact, and what aspects of those layers change frequently or remain stable (Chart 6).

He also applied this concept to architecture to help explain how the different layers co-exist. Take a house, for example. You have the foundation, the plumbing, the sheetrock, and the furnishings. All of those items change over time, but they do so at different paces. So you can go out and change a couch pretty easily, and with more effort you could change the paint color, and with more effort you could move a wall, etc.

Apply this concept to your website and consider how frequently the different parts change. For example, content is updated daily but your navigation will likely be more stagnant. A CMS helps to break those layers apart. Here are the common ways that a CMS separates different layers:

• Presentation: What does it look like when it is displayed to the viewer?

• Content: What does it say and what are the rules around how we manage the words?

• Relationships: How do users navigate from item to item?

• Behavior: How does someone interact with the presentation layers?

Each of these layers change at different paces, and by separating them, a CMS allows administrators access to aspects that change frequently while protecting layers that are typically set up once and left alone throughout the life of the site.

Structured ContentMany organizations that are evaluating CMS platforms today ask about how the system deals with structured content. Structured content is a way of organizing and tagging content in a consistent way, and it has grown in popularity largely because it allows marketers to easily reuse and repurpose content in multiple formats.

This popularity is visible in the shift we’re seeing away from page-oriented models where content is presented in “blobs,” or large blocks of content, to a more structured organization where every data point in the content has a more formal layout and way to connect it back into the overall structure.

Fashion

Commerce

Infrastructure

Governance

Culture

Nature

Rate of changeChart 6


On one end of the spectrum there is more flexibility and more comfort. On the other end there is much more consistency, but it can be challenging for some content writers to take something they’ve always done — like write a blog post — and think about producing that content in different ways. Most healthcare organizations have found that in reality a hybrid of the two structures works best (Chart 7). This lets you reuse the content across different formats (website, social media, and call center) but also change the presentation quickly without changing content.

Layers of Control Panels. Pages. Templates. Every CMS has different words for these, but understanding how the different views are built and where you have the ability to control the views is very important when evaluating CMS platforms (Chart 8). Can you control a single piece of content? Or change all the content in a certain category? Or change a whole theme?

Structured Content Spectrum

Page Model / "Blobs"

Flexibility

Comfortable Challenging

Consistency

Hybrid Structured Content

Chart 7

Single Item

Group of Items

Individual View

Shared View Component

Content Model

Panels, PagesBlocks

Nodes, Sections

Theme Layouts, Master Pages

Categories

Less Power/Risk

More Power/Risk

Theme Templates

Types

Chart 8


It’s also important to evaluate your own team’s comfort level and skill set when determining how much access you want to the different layers. Does your team have front-end coding experience? Find the right balance for your organization — giving users more control also introduces greater risk.

Software That’s “Opinionated”Regardless of which CMS you choose, it’s important to acknowledge that every platform is “opinionated” — or, in other words, every software platform has a built-in bias to the system. The developers of the software have favored one series of tasks over others. You want to be sure to choose a CMS that is opinionated to do the tasks you want it to do. Here are some scenarios to consider:

• Content types: Some software has a built-in bias for organizing content in a certain way. For example, WordPress was originally a blog engine, and it’s opinionated toward content that is published over a period of time. The platform is good at handling a stream of date-based content, and only developed a way to manage pages that are not date-driven in the last few years.

• Roles and workflows: Some systems, particularly enterprise CMS systems, are opinionated toward detailed custom workflows to meet the needs of complex organizational hierarchies. Other systems have more minimal workflow structures that work better for smaller teams.

• Content relationships: Each CMS platform handles content relationships in different ways. This means the way the system creates navigation, taxonomy, and even URL structures can be more or less complex depending on the system you are evaluating.

• Author experience: Another way platforms are biased is if they are built to be logical for content authors or logical for developers. One of the biggest challenges of a healthcare website is keeping it up-to-date, and content authors often struggle to work efficiently in a platform that doesn’t offer them an intuitive user experience.

The Impact on Your Project Pace layering, structured content, layers of control, and opinionated software gets into the technical side of CMS selection. But it’s still important to have an understanding of these concepts and what they mean because they can have a real impact on your upcoming redesign.

Take search engine optimization (SEO) for example. SEO is an important consideration before you purchase your CMS. As Google rewards sites that offer more meaningful detail, how a CMS handles structured content and metadata — specifically Schema.org — matters. Additionally, how fast your site loads can also impact rankings. So pay attention to how your potential CMS solutions optimize site performance.


Beyond Content: What Healthcare Organizations Need to Consider Many of the considerations going into a redesign and CMS selection have to do with content — the words and information on the site and how it’s presented. But there are other important features to look at as well, including transactional functionality and personalization/optimization.

Website Features and FunctionalityWhen looking at adoption trends across a range of features in our 2017 survey, it became clear most organizations had already gone responsive. Physician ratings and reviews, appointment scheduling, and customer relationship management (CRM) integration continue to be the types of features that are in demand (Chart 9).

At its core, a CMS platform is built to manage and present content. But for healthcare marketers, you also need your CMS to handle an impressive list of interactive functionality, including:

• Content types: physician directories and locations

• Functionality: appointment scheduling and wait time indicators

• eCommerce: bill payments, donations, and class registrations

• Industry-specific integrations: CRM and analytics

• Content governance: identifying out-of-date content and routing it for review

• Security and privacy: HIPAA, PHI, and privacy in general

• Audit trails: being able to track what users in the system have done

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Planning to Add Most ImportantHave Today

Chart 9


In addition, your potential CMS needs to integrate with a wide range of systems, including:

• Physician directory/credentialing

• Calendar of events/call center

• Appointment requests/scheduling

• Pre-registration/patient history

• Active directory/LDAP for security roles

• CRM platforms

• Custom APIs

Personalization and Optimization Another important consideration for your CMS is the way it can help you better understand your audience. As people visit your site and interact with the content in your CMS, there is a lot of information being shared that could make the experience even better for your site visitors.

The key to accessing that information is analytics. Some analytics are tracked in the CMS itself, but there are endless opportunities to use tools like Google Analytics to push data from the system into a dedicated reporting platform.

Data and reporting is something you’ll want to plan for before you purchase a CMS. What data do you want the CMS to collect? How do you want to use it? One way this manifests is through geo-targeting, using location information from the site visitor’s browser to serve up specific content or navigation tailored to that user.

With the right CMS and enough time and resources on your team, you can deliver contextually relevant content to users well beyond geo-targeting, including:

• Campaign targeting

• Visitor demographics

• Behaviors and actions

• Predictive algorithms

Choosing the Right PartnerSo much of what goes into a redesign or a re-platform requires technical capabilities, and often healthcare organizations don’t have those skill sets in-house. That’s why it’s essential to find the right partner for your organization.

When looking for a partner, be sure to ask yourself these questions. The answers will help you know what you can handle in-house, and where you need the support of an outside agency.

1. Who needs to use the CMS? Hospitals tend to be very large, complex companies with thousands of employees. And some hospitals make purchasing decisions like large, complex organizations. In some instances that process works, especially if you are buying an electronic medical record (EMR) system that touches many departments and will be in place for a decade. Despite the large size, most hospital marketing and digital teams tend to be small, and that small team is the one responsible for maintaining the website. It’s important as you look for partners that you understand what your purchasing process looks like, and how teams really need the software to perform.

2. What are your barriers to success? Think about your site after launch, when you’re in that long maintenance phase. What skills do you need to keep your site delivering value? According to the 2018 Healthcare Digital Marketing Trends Survey, most organizations cited lack of skills or lack of reporting and analytics as barriers to success (Chart 10). Where are you as an organization, and how can your partner fill in the gaps you have on your team?



You’ll also notice in this chart that survey respondents were categorized as leading, average, or lagging based on the level of success they reported with their digital marketing efforts.

Keys to Success To find the right partner for your redesign and the right CMS for your organization, follow these simple tips:

• Understand your team and goals. Be the expert. Know what you want your team to be doing and how you see the web playing into your marketing plans, not only in the next few months, but also over the next few years.

• Be open to dialogue. The conversations you are having with potential partners should be the start of a long-term collaboration. The more the process remains open to learning and working together, the better picture you will get of how your team and the potential partner will work together down the road.

• Ask goal-oriented questions. Instead of creating a checkbox that asks if the system can or can’t do something, ask questions that focus on the goal you’re trying to achieve. Example: Ask, “How have you helped a health system grow physician referrals?” instead of, “Can the CMS accept appointment requests?”

• Plan for the long term. Remember that the web is never finished, and your relationship with your partner will be long term. Choose an agency that offers the skills you need to make the most of your maintenance phase and ensures that your site continues to evolve.

The agency you select to help build your organization’s new website will make or break the project. Put some effort into finding the right partner. Whether you go with a local agency or a nationally renowned agency, make sure they have experience managing complex healthcare website redesigns.

Chart 10


Additional ResourcesNow may be a good time to check out additional resources that can help your consideration for a website redesign by analyzing industry data, how to write an effective RFP, and considering content strategy.

Check out these additional resources:

E B O O K

2018 Healthcare Digital Marketing Trends SurveyYou’ve seen Geonetric’s Healthcare Digital Marketing Trends Survey referenced throughout this white paper. Co-sponsored by eHealthcare Strategy & Trends, the survey uncovers the top digital priorities and biggest challenges of more than 249 healthcare marketers just like you.


W H I T E P A P E R

How to Write a Winning RFP for Healthcare Website RedesignIf you have a website redesign, microsite redesign, or content management system (CMS) platform change in your future, chances are you’ll be sending out a request for proposal (RFP). But knowing how to structure an RFP and using it to find the best partner isn’t always easy. This white paper is designed to help your healthcare marketing team develop an effective RFP and select the best partner for your upcoming website redesign.

www.geonetric.com/rfp

W H I T E P A P E R

Considering Content Strategy: A Guide for Healthcare MarketersContent strategy creates the blueprint for an engaging website experience. If you’re having trouble understanding your organization’s top issues, consider starting by establishing a content strategy. Content strategy takes a comprehensive look at your current situation, stakeholders, audiences, platforms, and business goals and is the most effective way to plan for a successful, sustainable healthcare website.

www.geonetric.com/considering



www.geonetric.com/rfp

www.geonetric.com/considering

Digital with care.

About Geonetric Geonetric helps healthcare brands thrive through effective marketing and distinctive websites. As a marketing agency and software developer with deep creative and technical expertise, Geonetric provides hospitals, health systems, and medical groups with web development, web design, hosting, marketing strategies, and creative services optimized for the unique needs of the healthcare industry.

Contact UsIf you’re ready to start your search for a partner to redesign your website, let’s talk!

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