Whether you’re starting a new dental practice or want to upgrade the look of an existing dental website, the principles of great design apply. Effective dental website design is a major driver of new patient referrals because it’s your patient’s first point of contact before making an appointment. In this post, we outline best practice tips to create a dental site that sets you apart from the competition.
The Case For Professional Dental Websites
It’s no secret: the internet is the first place consumers go when they are searching for a new service – and dental services are no exception. You could have cutting-edge dental equipment, decades of clinical experience, and a remarkable chairside manner – but if your online presence doesn’t match the level of your service, you won’t enjoy a steady flow of new patients to your practice.
If you are investing in digital marketing and want to grow your practice, it’s essential that patients have an online experience that meets their expectations. In today’s on-demand culture, consumers are conditioned to expect digital innovation wherever they choose to click. And, if your dental website isn’t up to speed with the latest and greatest website standards, you won’t be able to expand your dental practice.
The Principles Of Outstanding Dentist Website Design
Make Sure Your Dental Website Is Mobile-Friendly
Patients use their mobile phones to browse for products and services, so it’s essential that your dental website is optimised for mobile use. This phenomenon is reflected in Google’s focus on mobile-first design principles – to the extent that it is a major factor when Google determines your search ranking.
If you do not make your dental website responsive, you could be missing out on up to 50% of potential web traffic.
Make It Easy To Navigate
Once potential patients have found your website, it’s important that they can find what they are looking for quickly and easily. Ease of navigation is one of the fundamental requirements of your dentist website design that can help you convert a lead into a new patient.
So how do you make your website easy to navigate?
- Consider a sticky menu that is always visible no matter how far down the page a user navigates
- Commit to an intuitive site map using page titles that patients recognise. This includes a home page, about page, and contact and services pages that outline what you offer
- Make it simple for a user to make an appointment. Include a contact form on each page and ensure your contact telephone number and email addresses are visible. Ensure your telephone number is click-to-call so that mobile users can contact you with one click. The easier it is to contact you, the more likely the patient is to reach out and make an enquiry.
Convince Patients To Make An Enquiry
There are lots of dental practices in your neighbourhood. If you’ve managed to land a user on your website, take full advantage of the opportunity with a compelling call to action. Don’t just assume that they will know what to do. Each page should include a call-to-action guiding the user to get in touch.
Keep Your Dentist Website Design Clean
Don’t be afraid of negative space- it’s vital for dental websites to be uncluttered and simple. A fresh, clean design is reflective of your dental practice.
Make Full Use Of Testimonials And Reviews
You have worked hard to establish your practice. Let users know about the experiences other patients have had by utilising your reviews and testimonials creatively. Some dental websites have a whole section dedicated to patient testimonials, while others might opt to split them up and position them next to a call-to-action.
Remember that a new patient doesn’t always know what to expect. He or she may have had a negative experience in the past – so allow other positive experiences to communicate your level of service for you.
Having reviews and testimonials adds credibility – because every dental practice is going to focus on its strengths. When a user sees content that comes from an objective source, it adds a level of trust that could just be the deciding factor between that patient choosing you over a competitor.
Think About It From A Patient’s Perspective
Some patients may have anxiety about general dental treatments, others may need a new (and intimidating) procedure like a root canal or dental implant. Consider and anticipate the kind of questions a patient may have and address them.
Create a Frequently Asked Questions page where you can share your clinical expertise and put your patient’s mind at ease. Think about offering new patient forms as a downloadable option, address questions about the cost of dental treatment, and let your patients know what to expect before they visit your dental practice. In this way, you can establish rapport with them and create a positive expectation before they arrive.
Include a blog where you can post articles about what matters to your patients. In doing this, you add to your website’s online visibility, and you can address patient concerns in a very specific manner. Adding new blog content to your website on a regular basis will help your website rank higher in search engines and contribute to your digital marketing efforts.
Introduce Your Team
Take some friendly photos of your staff and dental practice and include them on your dental website. Write some content about what makes your practice different so that you can attract patients who are looking for what you offer.
The standards for effective dentist website design are changing all the time. It’s essential to keep your online presence fresh and current to retain a competitive advantage. Please contact us for professional insights into how you can upgrade your online presence: 1300 163 058
References
6 ways to up your dental website game
https://www.dentistryiq.com/practice-management/marketing/article/14212519/6-ways-to-up-your-dental-website-game
Why Your Website Needs to Be Google Mobile-Friendly
https://www.businessnewsdaily.com/7808-google-search-ranking-mobile.html
How to create the ultimate dental practice website
https://www.dentalproductsreport.com/view/how-create-ultimate-dental-practice-website
