In today’s digital world, just having a website for your dental practice isn’t enough. Your website needs to clearly outline all of your services, look professional, be eye-catching, and rank well on Google. This might seem like a lot to ask, but that’s what people searching for a new dentist expect.
If your website falls short of what prospective patients are looking for, they will book with a different practice; likely one of your competitors. To ensure that your clinic doesn’t miss out on the thousands of dollars new patients bring, we’ve outlined the 5 most important things your dental website needs to get new patients in your chair today.
Modern Design
It’s no longer acceptable to have an outdated website! People will make snap judgements about your dental clinic within seconds (about 2.6 seconds, to be exact). So your website needs to make a great (and fast) initial impression.
In fact, 75% of website credibility comes from design. Outdated or obviously templated designs are yawn-worthy. Patients have seen those websites 100’s of times, and they don’t reflect your unique practice. Plus, by not keeping your website up to date with a modern design, potential patients will question your level of professionalism and how qualified you are to take care of their teeth! Ensure that you keep their attention and provide all the information they need to choose you as their next dentist.
Your website is a living and breathing entity! As your dental practice grows, your website should grow with you. We recommend updating your website at least once every 2 years. Not sure if your website is working for you? Book a free website audit.
Individual Service Pages
Something we can’t stress enough is to build a unique page for each primary service your dental practice offers. Don’t put all services on a single page! This is for two reasons:
First, by creating pages focused on a single service, you can go into more detail and create better content that will entice patients to book an appointment with you. Your potential patients will appreciate you taking the time to create a page for each service, as it offers a much better experience than jamming everything into one page.
For example, a potential patient looking for Invisalign treatment might want some more service-specific information before committing (i.e. understanding its ability to reduce the chances of gum disease and its function of solving bite issues). If they are able to get this information from your website it will increase their trust in you and their likelihood of choosing your practice.
Second, these service pages will rank better in Google search results. If you create well-researched, keyword-optimized pages for each service you offer, Google will love you! And you will see your practice move higher up on the Google search page. As a result, more potential patients will click on your website.
Bonus tip: All of your service pages should answer these questions:
- What’s the service?
- Who benefits from the service?
- Why book this service with your clinic?
- What is the next step? – Call to action (CTA)
Engaging About Us Page
The about us page often gets forgotten, but it is one of the most important pages for a dental website! It is actually the second most visited webpage. Why? Because choosing a dentist is actually a very personal decision.
If a patient is deciding to switch dentists, they commit to visiting you at least twice per year. For some people who might have some anxiety surrounding going to the dentist, this can be a nerve-wracking process. Put these worries at ease with a friendly and informative “About Us” page.
Patients want to make a personal connection with their dentist.
Your about us page should include the following:
- Photos of the dentists and other staff
- Philosophy and approach to dentistry
- Fun facts about the dentist
- What makes the practice unique
Effective Location and Hours Page
When people are looking for a new dentist, one of their primary considerations is convenience. This generally comes down to where the clinic is located and its hours. Make it easy for new patients to find this information.
Make it simple for your patients, be very clear about your hours, especially if they vary from day-to-day. Highlight days that you are open late (or early) so people can plan around their work schedules and busy lives.
Make it very clear where you’re located. Having your address on your website is a must. Include an embedded Google map so that patients can easily navigate and see where you are located.
On your location page, make sure your phone number is prominently displayed on the web page’s right-hand corner. It should also be clickable on mobile devices. Plus, if you answer questions by email, let patients know! Many people actually prefer email to phone calls.
Responsive Design
Not only do you need to be meticulous about what’s on your website, but you also need to ensure it works on all devices. More than half of your patients will likely be viewing your website from a mobile device. And nothing says “we don’t need your business” like a webpage that isn’t functional on the device you’re using.
If your website isn’t optimized for mobile, it will be clumsy to navigate with a touch screen. New patients want to see a website that speaks directly to their needs. When someone is looking at your website on mobile, they want information fast. Failing to deliver what mobile patients are looking for means they won’t hesitate to abandon your site and book with the competition.
This is why your website needs to be responsive. Responsive webpages automatically adjust themselves to the device size and reorder content for the best user experience. But, you should still be optimized further. Content should be written just for mobile, meaning concise and easy to understand. Plus, images should be sized down to avoid painfully slow load times.
Bonus tip: Try opening your website on multiple devices. Test how it looks and if it’s easy to book an appointment.
To Sum It Up
To compete in today’s digital world, your website needs to stand out! Not only does it have to look great, but be easy to use. When evaluating your website these are the main things that will differentiate between getting more new bookings or not.
- Modern design
- Individual service pages
- Engaging “About Us” page
- Effective “Location & Hours” page
- Responsive design
If you need any help understanding how your website stacks up or not, book a free website audit with us! You won’t regret it!
