In the world of websites—especially those run by healthcare associations and membership organisations—we often obsess over traffic, bounce rates, page views, and conversion goals. But there’s one critical metric that often gets overlooked, and yet it impacts all the others:
Time to Value.
Put simply, how long does it take for a visitor to get what they came for?
This post explores why Time to Value (TTV) matters, how to measure it, and what you can do to reduce it. Because when users find value quickly, they’re more likely to trust, engage, and return.
What is Time to Value?
Time to Value is the time between a visitor arriving on your website and achieving a meaningful outcome.
For example:
- A clinician finding the correct CPD module
- A member registering for an event
- A policymaker downloading your latest guideline
- A patient accessing a support resource
The faster this happens, the more effective your website is.
Slow Time to Value leads to:
- Frustrated users
- Increased drop-offs
- Lower engagement
- Reduced conversions
Fast Time to Value builds trust and loyalty—particularly for time-poor audiences like clinicians, researchers, and volunteers.
Why Time to Value matters more than ever
In healthcare and academic circles, your website competes not just with others in your field—but with every other digital experience your users have.
Your members are comparing your site to:
- The ease of logging into their bank app
- The clarity of their online supermarket
- The convenience of a GP booking system
If your site is slow, cluttered, or hard to navigate, they’ll simply disengage.
For member-based organisations, that’s a serious risk:
- Missed renewals
- Poor event attendance
- Low resource uptake
- Negative perceptions of value
How to measure Time to Value
There’s no single metric in Google Analytics called “Time to Value”—but you can estimate and track it using proxies.
1. Define your key value actions
Start by identifying the top 3–5 things your users come to the site to do.
For example:
- Register for a webinar
- Access member-only content
- Download a toolkit
- Join or renew membership
2. Map the journey
Look at how many steps (clicks, form fields, pages) it takes to complete each task.
Ask:
- Is the call-to-action easy to find?
- Are the steps intuitive?
- Are there unnecessary barriers or distractions?
3. Track behaviour with analytics
Use tools like Google Analytics, Hotjar, or Microsoft Clarity to:
- Track time on task
- Visualise drop-off points
- Identify pages with high exit rates or confusion
4. Conduct user testing
Sometimes the best way to understand Time to Value is to watch someone try.
Ask 3–5 real users (or internal team members) to perform a task, and observe:
- How long it takes
- Where they hesitate
- What they expect but don’t find
You’ll learn more in one hour of testing than in a week of guesswork.
7 ways to reduce Time to Value
Once you understand where the friction is, you can start smoothing it out.
1. Clarify your homepage
What’s the single most important action someone should take on your homepage? Make that action prominent and obvious.
- Use clear, scannable headings
- Offer segmented paths (e.g. Professional / Public / Member)
- Highlight key tools or resources with quick links
2. Improve internal search
If users can’t find what they need via navigation, search should be their safety net.
- Use a dedicated search plugin (e.g. Relevanssi for WordPress)
- Include filters for content types or topics
- Show search terms in the results
3. Reduce clicks to key actions
Every extra click is a chance for users to drop off.
- Can users register in 1–2 clicks from your event page?
- Can members access restricted content without logging in again?
- Can someone join your mailing list from any page?
Streamline wherever you can.
4. Eliminate unnecessary fields
Forms are often a major barrier to value.
- Remove fields you don’t absolutely need
- Use autofill and smart defaults where possible
- Break long forms into steps
A short, well-designed form often leads to higher completions.
5. Optimise for mobile
If your site isn’t mobile-friendly, your Time to Value will suffer.
- Make buttons and links finger-friendly
- Use mobile-friendly fonts and layouts
- Test value actions on different devices and browsers
More than 60% of web traffic is mobile—it has to work well.
6. Use language your users understand
If users can’t understand your navigation or headings, they can’t act.
- Avoid internal jargon (e.g. “Our Strategy Framework” vs. “What We Do”)
- Use verbs and benefits (“Find Training,” “Download Guide”)
- Align with how users describe things—not how your team does
7. Pre-empt common questions
If users have to dig for basic info—price, eligibility, deadline—they’ll give up.
- Add key facts above the fold
- Use accordions or tabs for FAQs
- Include contact options if they get stuck
Real-world example
A client of ours—an allied health organisation—was struggling with event registrations. Despite good traffic, few users were signing up.
We mapped the journey:
- Homepage → Events → Filter by date → Click into event → Scroll → Click “Book now” → Log in → Register
Time to Value? Nearly 3 minutes.
By:
- Adding a “Register Now” button to the homepage
- Letting users browse as guests
- Simplifying the form fields
…we reduced the average Time to Value to under 1 minute. Registrations rose by 45%.
Time to Value is also a mindset
Beyond individual changes, Time to Value is a lens you can apply to everything you do online:
- Are we making this easier or harder for users?
- Are we guiding or confusing?
- Are we respecting our users’ time?
The answer to those questions will define how successful your website is—not just in metrics, but in mission.
How More Time To can help
We specialise in helping healthcare and membership organisations streamline digital experiences.
Our Supercharge and Care Plans can:
- Audit your current user journeys
- Identify high-friction paths
- Recommend and implement improvements
- Train your team to design with Time to Value in mind
The result? Faster engagement, happier members, and a website that actually works for people.
Let’s make every second count.
