Your veterinary website needs an emergency page

Being a tremendous veterinary hospital means going above and beyond for your clients and patients, and that includes thinking of all of the little details. As we continue our inspiration series to make sure your website can bring real value to your users, we recommend that you add an emergency page to your website.

This is important for many reasons that benefit your clients and your online presence!

What if you don’t offer after-hours emergency services?

In addition to “Vet Near Me,” phrases like “Urgent Vet Care” or “Emergency Vet Care” are a few of the highest searched keywords online, and it’s essential that you still have a presence on these search engine results pages. Whether you offer emergency services during business hours, have an emergency resource for business hours, or only outsource these services to a partner clinic, your clients should know. It should be present and easy to find on your website.

1. Your clients deserve this resource on your website.

It’s your job to ensure that your clients and patients are well taken care of and have all of the information they need to ensure their pet is happy and healthy. Your website tells them how to make an appointment, complete forms, your hours of operations, and the services you provide, but does it tell them what to do in case of an emergency?

You are their trusted resource for all health-related questions about their pet, but what happens after you’re closed for the day? If you close at 6:00pm and a client has an emergency at 8:30pm, do they know what to do? Is there a resource you would prefer they use? What happens if something goes wrong on a Sunday and you’re closed—what should they do? Providing them with this information can be another factor in strengthening your bond with them as you continue to think of all of the little things that matter to them.

2. There is SEO value in having an emergency page on your veterinary website!

People are searching for emergency and urgent pet care every day in your area. The value is higher if you offer these services, and we can build out content around these services for your custom veterinary website—but it’s not the only option in this scenario. Even creating a page that links to nearby emergency hospitals that you recommend is a great way to add value to your website, add value to current and potential customers, and add fresh content to your website.

As people are searching for “Emergency Vet Care” in your area, you will be providing them with one of two things:

• The emergency services that you specifically can offer to them
• Local, trusted resources that are correctly linked on your website

3. This is an ideal opportunity for client education.

For most, the definition of a “pet emergency” can be foggy. An emergency landing page offers you the ability to educate clients and provide resources at the same time.

A helpful idea is to create a section stating what a pet emergency is and what it is not to calm the situation for a distressed pet parent.

Consider something like:

“If your pet is experiencing any of the following symptoms during business hours, please call us directly at [phone number]. If this is happening after hours, please reach out to [hospital name] at [phone number], as they are open 24/7 and located 1.2 miles from our clinic.”

OR

“If your pet is not experiencing any of those symptoms, we are still here to help! If during business hours, please call us to discuss your pet’s symptoms immediately. If this is happening after hours, please reach out to [hospital name] at [phone number], as they are open 24/7 and located 1.2 miles from our clinic.”

Your clients will be happy you took the time to provide this information.

Partner up with PetDesk!

If you’re interested in creating an emergency veterinary care page for your website, chat with the PetDesk team and we’ll get it built right away! Be sure to have this information ready so we can create the perfect emergency page for your veterinary website:

1.  The emergency services you do offer both during business hours and after hours
2. Your preferred communication method for clients during an emergency (call, text, or email)
3. Any recommended clinics or resources you’d like them to consult after hours or in a situation during which they cannot get ahold of you