Tips For Improving Your Telehealth Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) Strategy
Boost your CRO performance with these six strategies and tips.
Your digital health company may offer the best services in the world, but if it lacks a solid telemedicine lead generation strategy, no one will know about it.
No matter the industry, leveraging conversion rate optimization (CRO) is essential for any business aiming to differentiate itself and accelerate growth..
However, when working in telehealth, there are some key CRO tactics you should be aware of. Below, we’ll share some tips on how to improve your CRO strategy in order to drive patient retention and outperform your competitors.
What is a CRO Strategy?
Before we dive into how you can improve your telehealth CRO strategy, let’s first establish what it is.
A conversion rate optimization strategy is a marketing technique designed to convert a higher percentage of your website visitors into paying customers. Think of it as a roadmap that details how to increase the number of people who take a specific action, such as signing up for a program or scheduling an appointment.
With the telehealth market expected to grow from $186.41 billion in 2025 to $791.04 billion by 2032, an effective CRO strategy will be crucial for standing out in an increasingly crowded landscape.
6 ways to improve your telehealth conversion rate optimization (CRO) strategy
A successful telehealth CRO strategy will simultaneously reduce customer acquisition costs and increase profit margins, but what does it take to build one?
We’ll share some telehealth website best practices that can help your company be on the right side of the evolving virtual care marketplace.
1. Know your target audience
The core of a great telemedicine lead generation plan is having a deep understanding of who you’re trying to reach. When you know your ideal customers' pain points, goals, and the lingo they use, you can craft marketing messages that resonate with their specific needs. Personalization is key to attracting the right people, boosting conversion rates, and improving sales efficiency.
For example, most patients looking for on-demand telehealth services probably aren’t typing in the term “telehealth” on search engines. Instead, they’re likely searching for “online health appointment” or “virtual care visit.” It’s essential to meet them where they are, which is achieved by understanding their typical behaviors throughout the buying process.
2. Make data-driven decisions
Quantitative data
Data is everything. Determine what success looks like for your brand and come up with goals and key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure what’s working. Here are some key performance metrics to keep track of:
Bounce rates
Exit rates
Pages per visit
Average time on page
Click-through rate
Mobile vs. desktop visitors
Number of lead form submissions
Conversion funnel data (i.e., pinpoint where viewers drop off in the conversion path)
And more
Qualitative data
Qualitative data is helpful, too, and shouldn’t be overlooked. Look at your customer service logs to see what people rave or complain about. You can also add an exit-intent survey to ask why they didn’t sign up or book an appointment. This can help you identify gaps that regular data may not reveal.
3. Optimize your telehealth website
Your website is your greatest lead generating tool and can make or break your CRO strategy. . To ensure you’re set up for success, focus on the following:
Clear, Actionable CTAs: Prominent, direct calls-to-action like “Book Now” or “Start Your Visit” should be front and center.
Seamless Navigation: Make it easy for patients to find services, schedule appointments, and access care with minimal clicks. Use clear labels and streamlined pathways for urgent care, specialty consults, and follow-ups to simplify the experience for all users.
Mobile-First Design: With most users on mobile devices, a responsive site is essential for capturing conversions. For a virtual-first form of care like telehealth, it is especially important. According to the 2023 Doximity State of Telemedicine Report, 60% of respondents expressed a strong preference for using mobile devices for telemedicine visits.
Trust Builders: Real testimonials, ratings, and compliance badges help establish credibility and comfort, especially for first-time users. These could include LegitScript certification, patient testimonials, and payment gateway logos, for example.
Personalization: Patients want to “see themselves” in your CRO strategy. Testimonials from real patients who are as similar to your target audience as possible. Men aged 40-55 looking for ED should see testimonials from men aged 40-55 being treated for ED, for example.
4. Perform A/B testing
Also referred to as split testing, this method involves creating two or more versions of a webpage, sign-up form, or another digital asset to see which one has a higher conversion rate.
You can think of it as the scientific method of CRO, where you create and test hypotheses on what changes might yield better results. The process can reveal what makes website visitors engage, allowing you to enhance their overall experience.
TIP: Only change ONE element at a time in order to isolate the dependent variable.
5. Simplify your conversion funnels (less is more)
Whether it’s your telehealth marketing funnel or post-conversion funnel, it’s essential to make the entire experience as seamless as possible. Consider the following:
Ask for essential information first: if you want them to sign up for a lead magnet, focus mainly on getting their name and email address in the initial form. You can gather additional details later in the process, once trust has been established.
Minimize steps: Reduce the number of steps required to access a webinar or book an appointment. Multiple clicks will cause people to wander, especially if they're already distracted by other things.
Automate what you can: Tasks such as welcome emails, educational content, and appointment reminders can be automated.
Offer prefilled options: When possible, utilize technology to pre-fill form fields, quickening the process for website visitors.
TIP: Funnel personalization. Collect information about users’ goals early in their journey, and then reference those goals during checkout to reinforce. Remind them they’re doing it.
6. Retarget telehealth website visitors
First-time website visitors often aren’t ready to make a purchase, yet. However, that doesn’t mean they’re not interested in your virtual care service. In fact, on average, only 2.5 to 3% of visitors actually purchase on their first visit, and this percentage may be even lower for telehealth services. But why is that?
Well, consumers typically don’t approach securing healthcare services in the same way they would when buying a t-shirt. They want to thoroughly research and determine if they can trust you with their health, well-being, and privacy.
Re-marketing, which involves using tracking pixels on your website to create an audience list is one way to do that. Creating multiple touchpoints can help increase the likelihood of a user making a purchase, as it keeps your telehealth company top of mind.
Retargeting ads can be used to:
Address hesitations: “We deliver medications discreetly at your doorstep.”
Establish social proof with testimonials: “95% of our patients recommend our virtual dermatology services.”
Highlight its convenience and features: “Discreet care from anywhere and on your schedule”.
Increase leads with a solid telehealth conversion rate optimization (CRO) strategy
To thrive in the marketplace, you can’t focus solely on perfecting your virtual care offering; you also have to follow telehealth marketing best practices to attract and convert patients.
While you master your marketing, let OpenLoop handle all the rest! Our white-label telehealth infrastructure solutions can support you in any area you need from full-filling patient visits with our network of NCQA-accredited providers to RCM and billing. Thanks to our modular framework, we work with you to support you where you need it with room to scale when it's time.
Interested in learning more? Contact us today!
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