What a Medical Practice Website Needs

The facts quoted here come from primary sources: the Department of Justice's guidance on web accessibility and the ADA, Google's Guidelines for representing your business on Google, its Maps policy on prohibited and restricted content, Google Search Central's local business structured data page and the schema.org MedicalClinic and Physician types, all checked on 13 November 2026. The rest is our view from building websites for service businesses.

The short answer

Put the phone number, address, hours and a "Book an appointment" button at the top of every page. Then add a page for each main service, a providers page, a new-patient page with forms, a patient portal link, a list of insurance plans you accept, and clear contact details.

Who visits and what they need

• New patients want to know if you treat their problem, whether you take their insurance, whether you are accepting new patients, and how soon they can be seen.
• Existing patients want the portal, a refill or records request, directions, or today's hours. Put these in the main menu.
• Referring clinicians and their staff want a fax or referral number, what information to send, and which provider sees which conditions, on a short "For referring providers" page.

Our view: add one line on the home page saying what to do in an emergency (call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department) so nobody waits for an online reply.

Services and conditions pages

Give each main service or condition its own page: what it is, who it is for, what a first visit looks like and how to book. Use the words patients search for, with the clinical term once in brackets. Our view: describe what you do, not outcomes. Avoid "cure", "guaranteed" or before-and-after promises, since results differ from patient to patient. Have a clinician review each page and show a "last reviewed" date.

The providers page

Patients often choose a person. Give each physician, nurse practitioner or physician assistant a short profile: photo, credentials and board certifications exactly as held, languages spoken, areas of interest, and which locations and days they work. Our view: link each profile to booking with that provider, and update the page the same week a provider leaves.

New-patient information and forms

A new-patient page answers the questions your front desk hears most: what to bring (ID, insurance card, medication list), how early to arrive, parking, the cancellation policy and how payment works. Offer intake forms online so patients can fill them in before the visit. Our website forms guide covers keeping them short. If you are not accepting new patients for some providers, say so on their profiles.

Booking and the patient portal

Online booking works best for simple, predictable visit types; keep urgent problems on the phone. Our online booking guide covers choosing a tool and what to ask for.

Most practice software includes a patient portal for messages, results, refills and bills. Link it from the main menu and the footer with one line on what patients can do there, and a phone number for portal login help.

Insurance accepted

List the insurance plans you accept on one page, with the date you last checked the list, and say that patients should confirm coverage with their plan. Explain self-pay options in plain words. Our view: give one person the job of keeping this list current.

Privacy and accessibility

Medical practices handle health information, so the website needs care with forms, email and tracking tools. The website side of this is in our dental website guide's privacy section; HIPAA questions belong with your compliance adviser.

Some visitors will be unwell, older, or using a screen reader or a keyboard instead of a mouse. The Department of Justice lists "Hospitals and medical offices" among the businesses open to the public under Title III of the ADA, and says it "has consistently taken the position that the ADA’s requirements apply to all the goods, services, privileges, or activities offered by public accommodations, including those offered on the web." On a medical site the booking and intake forms matter most. Our website accessibility basics covers the standards and how to test.

Reviews and Google Business Profile

Google treats doctors as individual practitioners: "Doctors, dentists, lawyers, financial planners, and insurance or real estate agents are all individual practitioners." Where a doctor is one of several at a location, "The organization should create a Business Profile for this location, separate from that of the practitioner." Google also says "A practitioner shouldn't have multiple Business Profiles to cover all of their specializations." Our Google Business Profile guide covers setup.

Ask patients for a review after a visit, with a direct link. Google's Maps policy does not allow businesses to "selectively solicit positive reviews from customers" or to offer incentives "such as payment, discounts, free goods and/or services" in exchange for reviews, and it treats "current or former employment" as a conflict of interest, so staff should not review the practice. Our reviews guide covers replying, and reviews on websites covers showing them on your pages. Our view: never confirm in a public reply that the reviewer is a patient.

Local search and schema

• Use the same practice name, address and phone number on every page as on your Business Profile, and give each location its own page.
• Put your town and specialty in the home page title, such as "Family Medicine in [Town]".
• Add structured data. Schema.org defines MedicalClinic as "A facility, often associated with a hospital or medical school, that is devoted to the specific diagnosis and/or healthcare." and Physician as "An individual physician or a physician's office considered as a MedicalOrganization ." Both sit under LocalBusiness > MedicalBusiness, and offer properties such as medicalSpecialty and isAcceptingNewPatients. Google asks for "the most specific LocalBusiness sub-type possible". Our view: use Physician for a doctor's office and MedicalClinic for a multi-provider clinic, then check the result in the Rich Results Test. Our local business schema guide shows the rest, including opening hours.

Other healthcare practices follow a similar pattern: see the dental website, therapist website, chiropractor website, physical therapy website and veterinary website guides. When you want a medical practice site built along these lines, see our website development service.

Frequently asked questions

What pages should a medical practice website have?

A home page with phone, address, hours and booking; a page per main service; a providers page; a new-patient page with forms; an insurance page; a patient portal link; and a contact and locations page.

Should each doctor have their own page?

Yes, a short profile per provider helps patients choose and lets them book with that person. Show credentials exactly as held and keep the page current when schedules or staff change.