Growing a successful home care agency requires more than just quality care and a passionate team. Strategic business development—including a strong referral network, marketing plan, and digital presence—is key to long-term growth. And at the heart of it all? Your website.
These days, a website is your most powerful business development tool. It’s where potential clients form their first impressions, where referral partners go to verify your professionalism, and where your brand comes to life.
Here’s how to put your website to work as a core part of your business development strategy.
Don’t Just Have a Website—Make It Work for You
It’s not enough to simply have a website. It needs to be modern, mobile-friendly, and designed with both clients and referral sources in mind. The first thing a discharge planner or adult child does when searching for care is open a browser. If your site isn’t easy to find or easy to use, they’ll move on—fast.
Make sure your site is:
- Responsive on mobile devices and tablets
- Clearly branded with your agency’s message and differentiators
- Easy to navigate, with intuitive menus and clear calls to action
- Up to date with current services, staff credentials, service area, and blog content
A strong website should also act as a hub for every marketing channel—email, PPC, SEO, print, and community outreach. Ideally, every campaign or outreach effort should lead visitors back to your website.
Collect Referral Source Info Before They Even Reach Out
Your website is one of the easiest ways to start identifying and nurturing referral relationships. That’s why having a smartly designed “Contact Us” or “Refer a Client” page is crucial.
Basic contact forms are helpful, but you can go further. Add optional questions like:
- What specialty services are your patients most often seeking?
- Are there educational topics we can help you present or promote?
- Do you serve a particular patient population?
- What matters most when choosing a home care partner?
These insights allow your sales or business development team to follow up with relevant, personalized outreach that adds value—and builds trust.
Separate Contact Paths for Families and Referrers
Not everyone reaching out to your agency is a referral partner. Some are family caregivers looking for help, often feeling overwhelmed and unsure of what to ask. Make the experience smoother by separating contact paths:
- For referral sources: Include space for organization name, patient type, and follow-up preferences.
- For family caregivers: Ask questions that gently guide intake, like “Are there current mobility or dietary concerns?” or “What kind of support are you exploring?”
And for both audiences, always include one important question: “How did you hear about us?” That single answer can shape your marketing strategy more than you realize.
Just remember, keep it brief. Long forms can be overwhelming, especially on mobile devices.
Stay HIPAA-Compliant at Every Step
With all this data collection, it’s critical to make sure your site and processes are HIPAA compliant. This includes:
- Using secure, encrypted contact forms hosted through compliant platforms
- Disabling comment sections on blogs and service pages
- Clearly stating privacy policies on your website
- Making sure emails sent through form responses are encrypted and stored securely
You do not need to collect sensitive health information at the inquiry stage. A name, phone number, and a general question about care needs are often enough to begin the conversation without risking compliance issues.
Make Referring Easy
Referral partners are busy. If it’s hard to refer to your agency, they’ll choose one that makes the process seamless. Your website should clearly explain:
- How to make a referral
- What happens after the referral is submitted
- What your team does to follow up
- How your agency supports their patients or clients
Some agencies take it a step further by integrating a HIPAA-compliant referral portal right on the site. The easier it is to send a referral, the more likely they’ll do it again.
Want to turn your website into a business-building machine?
At corecubed, we design and optimize home care websites that do more than look good—they generate leads, support referrals, and grow your brand. Contact us at 800.370.6580 to learn how we can help your site do the heavy lifting for your business.