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Many veterinary supply companies offer Practice Management Systems (PMS) to vets and clinics. Often, they are bundled with a “free” website to get you over the line. So what is a Practice Management System (PMS)? You’ve heard of them, a friendly competitor uses one, and on the surface, a PMS with a free website thrown in sounds like a good idea.
Essentially, a PMS acts as an operational hub for your clinic. It will collate appointments, manage invoicing, patient/client records and help with day-to-day workflows so your team can access one point of operational knowledge, a single source of truth, per se.
A well-engineered PMS has one valuable advantage. It reduces double-handling and keeps information consistent. The centralised scheduling and billing function has the potential to improve workflow, and the capability to share records can reduce mistakes. In short, a quality PMS helps you run the clinic more efficiently and predictably, and in a busy vet clinic, organisational tools are a great help.
Yes, and the biggest is dependence. You can be cradled to the owner, and vendor lock-in makes switching often costly or arduous. You may feel compelled to stay, even if the product no longer suits you.
Many PMS providers will offer the clinic a “free website” as part of the bundle, but remember, they are “free” for a reason.
Veterinary clinics, particularly independent and local ones, require a website that is much more than a digital brochure. It needs to be dynamic and responsive to the ever-evolving trends of how clients search online for services. It is the primary tool in helping clients find and contact you. It’s your shop front and first impression.
The primary issue with bundled “free” add-on websites is that they are designed for scale. This means you are very limited by what you can and can’t change, such as structure, content and conversion pathways. The other consideration is your brand. Bundled sites are a “one-size-fits-all” template. They rarely reflect your brand values, culture or your specialised strengths.
Online search, whether originating from Google (SEO) or an AI engine (AEO), is a critical driver of new enquiries and client acquisition for any business. It is no different for vet clinics; those that operate in local markets are reliant on local online search. These templated websites fall short in this space and have little traction with SEO or AEO.
SEO and AEO require sources (your website) to include the technical SEO and AEO minimums, and quality content, plus a high-value user experience. Without these, search engines won’t consider your website as a source of truth, and you’re unlikely to be found online. This is a significant consideration when thinking about your online reputation and presence, particularly for local search opportunities.
Standalone websites, such as those built professionally on a WordPress platform, provide the freedom to publish content and FAQs. This is essential to remaining relevant. The quality of your content, its local flavour, and the technical structure of your website will determine recognition and recommendation. It is a sound mix of the three R’s, Relevance, Recognition and Recommendation that are the keys to sustainable success.
This is where clinics get caught out. If your website is tied to another provider’s platform, leaving can mean rebuilding or losing content you’ve invested in. From a search perspective, Google treats site moves as something to plan carefully.
If you don’t control your domain, hosting, and redirect capability, you may not be able to migrate safely. With all the other issues this can cause, you can also lose credibility with search engines, as they need to relearn your new website.
It is a question we are often asked at Specialist Vet Marketing. A standalone website is an investment, and clinics should expect a return on that investment. The question is more around the PMS. A high-functioning PMS is an asset, and it should integrate with your website, but it shouldn’t own it.
The primary reason clients come to us is that the template website becomes restrictive as your clinic enters its growth phase. The other trigger is competition. When a competitor emerges, you can’t wait and see. You need to actively communicate with your community and be proactive in feeding the search engines, both SEO and AEO, to ensure your website is meeting the needs of the three Rs.
A free templated website will not respond at the speed and functionality required to keep pace. You run a significant risk of becoming irrelevant, and if that happens, recognition and recommendations disappear. While a PMS is essential for operations, a standalone website is essential for growth and your identity. The “free” stuff has its place; however, it is generally short-lived and can cause your business more harm than good. You spend time and money investing in your team, your service, training and expertise and the value is clear; the same applies to your digital presence and marketing.
Deb Croucher is a veterinarian and digital marketing expert dedicated to helping veterinary practices grow through strategic, ethical, and results-driven marketing. With 15 years of experience as a veterinary practice owner in the UK, Deb understands the challenges and opportunities within the veterinary industry. In 2008, she transitioned from clinical practice to digital marketing by founding Brilliant Digital, one of Australia's leading marketing agencies. Building on this success, she established Specialist Vet Marketing to provide tailored marketing solutions exclusively for the veterinary profession. Deb's expertise encompasses website development, search engine optimization (SEO), AI search (GEO), branding, and digital advertising. She has worked with both general and specialist veterinary practices across Australia, helping them enhance their online presence and attract more clients. Through Specialist Vet Marketing, Deb continues to support the veterinary community by delivering comprehensive marketing strategies that drive growth and improve client engagement.
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Last-minute Facebook posts and panic locum searches aren’t a staffing strategy, they’re a symptom of a system that needs to change. Let’s start with the facts - we’ve all done it. Posted a FB message that went something like: “URGENT – Looking for Locum tomorrow”...
