2011-08-17

NHS: The Need to Optimise

The NHS doesn’t really seem to believe in web optimisation. As it so well known and has a unique identifier in its title, it will always rank highly on the search engines. Jobs, details of local GPs, news, articles, features and more all appear within the first 5 results when entered into Google. It would be giving the NHS web team far too much credit to say that they were solely responsible for the organisation’s position at the top of the results.

As the NHS is an authority website it automatically receives ten times more recognition from Google and other engines then sites that are younger but no less relevant to the topic of health care. In contrast when you type in ‘healthcare’, the NHS is nowhere to be found on the first page of results that Google produces. The proof is in the pudding for the SEO team of the NHS (if there is one). As an organisation whose primary goal is to provide healthcare for the masses, the fact that it does not rank at all when you actually type in ‘healthcare'is troubling to say the least.

Perhaps it is too critical to have a pop at the web team at the NHS. What with all the cuts that the government is imposing, it is probably not considered an essential element to the organisation’s success. Unfortunately for the NHS to fend off any privatisation intact, it needs to be more web savvy and place more focus into things like optimisation. It has already been proven that this is now the most effective way to reach the target audience. The NHS and similar organisations are no different. Despite the increased need for patient care, the NHS relies too heavily on its name to guide people.

One way that other health organisations and medical education establishments have been experimenting with is social media. Most sites now have a Facebook and Twitter feed on their sites to allow direct interaction with their target audiences. As a result people who look for registered nurse jobs or surgery courses are now more likely to find their search a lot easier. Due to the organisations'interaction via social media, they have been able to tailor and update their sites to suit the customer’s need. And no matter what way you look at things, the customer is always right.

Considering the size of the organisation it is surprising that the NHS doesn’t have a Facebook or Twitter feed. Again these are things that could really help the government connect with the public in a positive way. However it is obvious as to why these social media tools have not been incorporated into the NHS site. With so much discontent over the proposed changes to the organisation, the government is no doubt fearful of the backlash of comments that could erupt through a Twitter or Facebook feed. However as other prominent organisations have bitten the bullet and taken the bad with the good, it is high time the government woke up and realised that feedback, no matter how hard to accept, is essential for positive interaction with the public.

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