How does your website stand up in today’s digital age? Will potential patients contact you for an appointment after they land on your site?
When a potential client clicks on your website, you only have 10 seconds to wow them.
Your website design is the most important digital tool for your online reputation. So, you better make it count.
Get it right and you’ll be converting new patients left and right. But get it wrong and risk losing potential business for your practice.
Here are 7 dental website design must-haves for your practice.
Investing in a clean, custom dental website is necessary to position your practice for long-term success – it’s no longer optional!
1. Use Your Homepage to Impress Your Audience
Your homepage is a digital first impression of your brand. It’s where potential patients go to find information and learn about your company.
You have one chance to impress your audience with a clean and comprehensive homepage. Use this as an opportunity to be out-of-the-box creative and visual. The homepage should draw attention, without being too busy or cluttered.
Go for one amazing image that showcases your practice and captures the essence of your brand. Think bright, happy, and healthy smiles in wide dimension. Dentist office websites should evoke a sense of comfort and care from your audience.
Remeber to think above the fold, like a newspaper. How long the viewer stays on your site depends on what they see without having to scroll down. A modern yet simple design theme is best.
You want to stay light on content and incorporate your logo and slogan on the homepage. Also be sure to include a call to action. As well as clear and easy to find contact information.
2. Make It Easy to Navigate
Easy navigation is what makes a good website. It keeps it easy for viewers to find the information they need. Without having to waste time searching throughout your site.
Have a clear and concise menu at the top or side of your website. list your most important pages here. Use a drop-down function to keep lower priority pages out of view.
A dental practice website design should include the following sections:
- About Us
- Meet The Team
- Services
- Reviews
- New Patients Section
- Contact Us
You may also want to consider adding a special page about your dentistry experience. This is a section to showcase what makes the dentist unique. Highlight education, awards, and community involvement here.
I can also be helpful to list insurance providers on your website. Shortcuts to important information and documents are also appreciated by new patients.
Include office hours, address, and an interactive map in the contact us section. This helps users find you through Google maps when using their mobile phones.
Include a linkable logo on your website template so it shows up in the same spot on every webpage. This way it’s easy for users to get back to your homepage.
The website footer should include your contact information and social icons. Make it easy for viewers to call, email, or find more information.
3. Consistency Is Key
Be consistent throughout your entire dental office website design. Have your branding evident, with a pleasing color palette.
Make sure your digital branding techniques translate well to all other marketing materials. Text, colors, logo, and content should remain consistent across all marketing channels. This will help patients to identify your brand and better relate to it.
Use optimized images for your website. Go for quality, not quantity. Too many images will also affect how fast your site loads. A site that takes a long time to load will receive a higher bounce rate.
Pay attention to the size and spacing between letters and images. Text and background colors should complement one another and be easy to read. 16 pt size text is a general rule of thumb.
Use a text that reads well on all web pages. Sans serif fonts translate best for online text.
You’ll also want to limit the number of fonts you use. Too many different fonts can look unorganized and distracting.
Use subheadings and bullet points to break up text on web pages. It is friendlier on the eyes and will help your reader find information quicker. Your audience will also find your dental practice website design more engaging and be less likely to look elsewhere.
4. Get Friendly with Google
If you want your website to rank high on search engines, you’re going to need to make friends with Google.
To do so, pay special attention to your content. It should be fresh, inventive, and relevant.
You’ll want to lace important keywords throughout your website. This includes headlines, titles, descriptions, and meta tags. Google is also a fan of long-tail keywords.
Content should be natural, and easy for readers to digest. Local keywords are also important. They will help Google recommend you in local dentist searches.
Need help figuring out which keywords to use? Consider an SEO expert to increase online traffic to your website.
Linking to other affiliate sites (online review platforms, etc.) can also boost your SEO. Always check your hyperlinks to make sure they work and pages have not gotten moved.
Google also pays attention to the speed of your site. Use an online tool, such as Pingdom, to test how fast your site responds. Also, be sure to claim your business on Google My Business.
5. Keep Content Fresh and Relevant
Having fresh content is key for keeping your website up-to-date. Not only does this help with SEO, but it shows patients you pay attention to the details.
Be sure to keep your website updated with office upgrades and changes in company policy. Make sure your dental website designer gives you access to the backend of your site. This will allow you to make quick changes when needed.
It’s also helpful to use Google Analytics to measure traffic. If certain pages are getting low or non-existent viewing time, redesign them.
Blog About It
One of the easiest ways to add fresh content is by blogging. It’s simple to add a blog to your website using WordPress.
Aim to update it at least three times per week. Cover topics ranging from company updates to best practices to dental trends. Pick trending topics that patients can relate to, such as teeth whitening methods.
Start a Newsletter
Create a company newsletter as part of an email marketing campaign. It will let you stay in touch with current customers and reach out to new leads. Have an easy newsletter sign up right on your homepage.
Use an automated service such as MailChimp to create and deploy campaigns. Track the effectiveness of campaigns to see what tactics get the most engagement.
Get People Talking About You
Online reviews and testimonials are important for your business.
84% of people trust online reviews as much as a personal recommendation. So, ask all those happy customers to share their experience with the online community.
Aim for quality reviews on Google, Yelp, and other third-party sites. Don’t forget to respond back to your reviewers. It shows you value their feedback and are open to recommendations.
You can link reviews and testimonials right to your website. New patients will want to see real-life feedback from your customers. It will also do wonders for your SEO.
6. Don’t Get Left in the Digital Age’s Dust
The digital age doesn’t take lightly to old, outdated websites. And neither do your patients.
Over 50% of people use their mobile phones to conduct online searches. Make sure your site is mobile-friendly and test every single webpage. This will also make Google happy and push your website ranking higher up.
Younger generations expect to be able to do everything from the comfort of their smartphones. Consider a booking widget on your website. This will allow patients to make appointments after hours.
Use video content where applicable. Did you recently redesign your dentist office? Use a digital tour of the new space as a marketing tactic.
You’ll also want to avoid these website design mistakes.
Share Smiles
Be present on social media and use it as a tool to share stories of your brand. Facebook and Instagram are the main channels your patients turn to when seeking more information.
Share relevant articles and images. Showcase your employees and become involved in the community. Post seasonal highlights and holiday favorites to boost engagement.
7. Be Digitally Convenient
Use your website to meet the needs and expectations of your patients. Give them the information they seek right at their fingertips. Nowadays, people prefer this over calling and speaking to someone in the office.
Consider a patient portal. It makes it easy for patients to pay bills online, review records, or leave a message for the dentist. Appointment scheduling tools are also appreciated.
Go paperless and have important forms available online. This way patients can fill them out right on the website or email them in. Hyperlink your email address to make it quicker for patients to get in touch.
Provide a contact form for potential patients so it’s easy for them to get in touch. Add an FAQ’s section to help save time by answering popular questions.
Dental Website Design Tools for Online Success
Following these dental website design practices can help turn leads into new patients. Use these tools to enhance your digital brand and maintain a happy client base.
Is your website in need of a revamp? Learn more about how a contemporary and user-friendly website can transform your practice.
