From an outdated site to a full appointment book: how a Portland vet clinic grew its new patients

The challenge

New pet owners search 'vet near me', and people whose dog just ate something search 'emergency vet' with shaking hands. Both want the same things fast: is this clinic close, is it open, does it take new patients, can I book. The clinic's site was built a decade ago, did not work on a phone, and listed hours that had been wrong for two years.

The clinic's reviews were excellent. The site made it look closed. Meanwhile a chain location a mile away, with mediocre reviews and a polished booking flow, was signing up the neighborhood's new puppies.

The solution

We built a fast, mobile-first site around the new-patient decision. Hours, location, and 'accepting new patients' sit in the first screen. Services are organized by pet and by need, from wellness exams to dental to urgent care, and each page ends in a registration request.

New clients can register online before they arrive, which cuts front-desk time and captures the evening searches. The Google Business Profile was corrected and matched to the site, and veterinary schema ties the two together.

What we did

1. 1

   Answer 'are you open and can I come' first

   Hours, address, urgent care availability, and new patient status in the hero, because that is the entire question for most searchers.

2. 2

   Register before you arrive

   An online new-patient form that takes three minutes on a phone and lands in the clinic's system, so the first visit starts with the pet, not paperwork.

3. 3

   Win the neighborhood map pack

   Service pages tied to the neighborhood, correct hours everywhere, and reviews surfaced on the site, so the clinic outranks the chain for the searches that matter.

The result

New patient registrations rose 44 percent in the first year. The clinic now holds the top local ranking for veterinarian searches in its neighborhood, and three in five new clients complete registration online before their first visit.