How to make a veterinary website: A complete guide

If you’re a veterinarian or run a vet business, developing an online presence is almost non-negotiable, given that many pet parents begin their search for veterinary care on the web. 

Typically, this starts with creating a website that addresses the needs and concerns of pet owners. A well-designed pet business website builds trust, establishes credibility and increases the likelihood of prospects choosing your business over competition.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through how to make a veterinary website that drives engagement and conversions.

Before we get into how to make a veterinary website that resonates with clients, let’s take a moment to understand why great design matters in veterinary website development. 

According to the Pew Research Center, an overwhelming majority (97%) of pet owners see pets as members of their family. In fact, 51% consider pets as much part of their family as humans. 

This deep emotional bond directly influences their expectations for veterinary medicine and care. They’re looking for more than just medical expertise—they want to find a place where their beloved pets will be treated with the same care and compassion they would expect from a family member.

A well-designed veterinary website plays a crucial role in meeting these expectations by conveying compassion and building trust and an emotional connection with your clients.

Your website’s design and functionality create an important first impression that can determine how customers perceive your practice. What’s more, 71% of users in a Hotjar survey said their first impression of a brand’s website directly impacts their loyalty. 

Elements that can contribute to a positive first impression include:

• User-friendly navigation

• Soothing color schemes

• Mobile-friendly or responsive design

• High-quality imagery 

• Engaging and informative content

Conversely, poor web design choices can cause skepticism and frustration, prompting potential clients to seek out other options. In the Hotjar survey, consumers highlighted difficult navigation (84%) and cluttered layouts (92%) as some of the main factors that would push them to switch to a competitor’s website.

Start by defining your primary goal for making a website. For example, is your objective to attract new clients or enhance engagement and retention with existing ones? Do you want to showcase your expertise, offer online services like appointment booking or provide valuable pet care information to customers and prospects? Or is it all of the above?

Thanks to website builders and content management systems, designing a website is easier and more accessible than ever. 

With website builders like Wix, you don’t need to be an experienced developer or have advanced technical skills to create a beautiful, functional website for your veterinary clinic. 

The next step is to choose a domain name. This will be your website’s unique address on the internet. 

A good domain name should be memorable, easy to type and spell and relevant to the services you offer. If you’re stuck for ideas, try using Wix’s domain name generator for inspiration. And if you already have a name in mind, use Wix’s domain name search tool to find out if it’s available and secure it for your veterinary practice. 

Next, choose a template. Templates provide a pre-designed framework that you can customize to match your brand and style.

For example, Wix offers a collection of pre-designed website templates for a diverse range of industries, including pet services. Using a vet clinic-specific template can save you time and effort, though you’ll have a little less control over the design. 

If you want complete creative control, Wix also offers blank templates for both one-page and multi-page websites. While this option requires a bit more effort and technical skills, it empowers you to create a unique website from scratch, choosing everything from the color scheme to the layout.

Next up is to fill in and customize your website by adding:

• Content: The best veterinary websites include a mix of content types—such as informative and educative blogs, service descriptions and client success stories—to promote engagement and conversions. Maintain a friendly, approachable tone for the best results.

• Navigation system: Make it easy for visitors to find the information they need by using simple navigation. Start by organizing your website with a clear and logical menu. Implement a sticky navigation bar that remains visible as users scroll to ensure key links are always within reach. 

• CTAs: Include clear and compelling calls to action (CTAs), like “Schedule an Appointment” or “Book Your Visit Now” prominently throughout your website. Make each call to action visually distinct.

Images and videos are powerful tools for creating an emotional connection with your audience. For example, videos showing an animal receiving care and then happily playing at home and photos of owners smiling with their healthy pets can help potential customers feel more confident in your veterinary healthcare services. 

The final step in preparing your website for launch is to create a dedicated “Testimonials” webpage or section on your homepage. Use real quotes and, where possible, include photos of the reviewers with their pets to add a personal touch.

Testimonials and reviews serve as powerful social proof. They help potential clients feel more confident in choosing your practice by demonstrating that others have had positive experiences with you.

• Homepage: Your homepage serves as the first impression for potential clients. Use it to introduce your practice and highlight key offerings to capture visitors’ attention. Including a few positive client reviews here can provide immediate social proof, reinforcing trust from the start.

• About us: This is where you tell your brand’s story. Share your practice’s background, vision, mission and values. It’s also a great place to highlight unique selling points, like community involvement.

• Meet the team: Provide photos and short bios of your staff, focusing on their expertise and love for animals. This personal touch builds trust and strengthens the connection with your clients.

• Services: This is where you should provide detailed descriptions of the veterinary services you offer (e.g., vaccinations, surgery, animal hospital and dental care). If you specialize in particular treatments, mention them here.

• Blog: Regular blog posts and articles on topics like pet care and nutrition can establish your practice as a trusted authority while also driving traffic to your website.

• Booking: Make it easy for customers to make an appointment using a button to call your practice, a contact form or even an online scheduler.

Including the following website features can make you stand out from the competition and potentially lead to more bookings:

• Telemedicine integration: Allow your clients to schedule and conduct virtual consultations. This adds convenience and can expand your service reach.

• Online appointment scheduling: Similarly, implement an easy-to-use scheduling system that lets client’s book and manage physical appointments online.

• Pet care resources: Create a library of pet care articles, downloadable guides, checklists and FAQs to educate clients on pet health and position your clinic as a trusted authority.

• Client portal: Create a secure portal area on your website where clients can access their pets’ medical records, care plans, vaccination history and billing information.

• Pet owners’ perspective section: Interviewing real pet owners about their vet website preferences and featuring their insights adds a human element and helps show that yours is a client-focused business.

Boosting your veterinary website with search engine optimization (SEO) can increase your online visibility and attract more clients. Some SEO best practices to consider include: 

• Researching and incorporating relevant keywords into page titles, headers and content.

• Using descriptive alt text for images to improve accessibility and search engine indexing.

• Optimizing for local search by including your practice’s location in keywords, creating a Google Business Profile and ensuring NAP (name, address, phone number) information is consistent across online directories.

• Updating your website regularly.

Finally, note that over 60% of all online traffic comes through mobile devices, so use a responsive design to offer a great user experience on smartphones, tablets and computers. 

These common pitfalls can hinder your website’s ability to attract, engage or connect with visitors:  

• Overloading them with information: Avoid overwhelming your visitors with too much text (or even too many images). Break content into digestible sections, using bullets or pagination, for example.

• Lack of clear branding: Inconsistent branding can confuse visitors and dilute your practice’s identity. Maintain uniformity in colors, fonts, logos and messaging to build recognition and trust.