Website design for dentists is critical to your success with online marketing. That is because a website is one of the most important tools a dentist has for acquiring new patients. It’s often the first impression potential patients have of your dental practice, so it’s important to make sure your website design is great! In this blog post, we will discuss some of the key elements of an effective dental website design. We will also discuss how to drive new patient acquisitions through your website.
How do I create a great dental website?
Creating a great dental website design is no easy feat. There are constantly evolving best practices and it can be difficult to keep up with the latest trends. However, there are some key elements that all great dental website designs should have. Your website is one of your most powerful marketing tools in your arsenal.
Some of the key elements of a great dental website design include:
- A modern, responsive design: A website that looks dated or is not responsive to mobile devices is likely to turn potential patients away. Make sure your website design is modern and responsive to ensure the best possible user experience. Most patients are searching for a dentist on their mobile device.
- Clear and concise information: Potential patients should be able to easily find information about your dental practice, such as your location, hours of operation, and services offered. Make sure this information is easy to find and understand.
- A call to action: Your website should have a clear call to action, such as “Schedule an appointment” or “Request a consultation.” This will help convert potential patients into actual patients. A “Call Now” button is one of the most important things you will have on your website. It should be easy to find and use.
- Links to social media: Include links to your social media accounts so that patients can follow you and stay up-to-date on what is going on in your office.
- SSL: Your website should have an SSL certificate to ensure that your website information is secure. This will also help your website rank higher in search engines.
Which pages should I include with regard to website design for dentists
There are many pages that should be included on any dental website. They include a page for each of the following:
- Home: Your website’s home page is where you speak generally about your dental office and explain what your dental office can do and how it can help patients in your area.
- Bio: It is important for people to know who they will be seeing at the dentists office. Include a bio or “Meet the Dentist” page that includes information about you and your team.
- Services: Each service you provide for patients should have it’s own dedicated webpage. This way the patient can find out about what you offer and how it can help them improve their dental health and/or aesthetics. It is also extremely
- Contact: Include a “Contact Us” page with your office’s address, phone number, email, and any other relevant contact information. You should also include a map and directions to your office.
- New Patients: This page should be dedicated to new patients and include information about what they can expect when they visit your office for the first time. It may also contain any forms that they will need to fill out prior to their first appointment.
- Testimonials: Include testimonials from past patients on your website. This is a great way to build trust with potential new patients. Social proof such as this helps to influence people in their decision making.
- Insurance and payment: Many patients will want to know whether you accept their insurance and what forms of payment you accept. This can save both of you time if you make this clear on your website.
- Blog: A blog is an important part of any SEO strategy because content is king. By creating high-quality blog content, you can attract new patients to your website and improve your SEO. Include a blog on your dental website to provide value to potential and current patients.
Additional pages when considering website design for dentists
You may choose to add more pages than that. The above listed pages are important in most instances. Some supplemental pages you may want to add can also include:
- Online scheduling: If you offer online scheduling, you will need a dedicated page for this.
- FAQ: Include a frequently asked questions page to answer common questions that patients have. This can save you time by reducing the number of phone calls and emails you receive.
- Online payments: If you accept online payments, you will need a dedicated page for this.
- Before/After Gallery: Many patients want to see before and after photos of your work. This can be a great way to build trust and show off your skills particularly with cosmetic procedures.
Now that you know some of the key elements of an effective dental website design, as well as which pages should be included, you can start planning your own dental website.
Should I build my own dental website or hire someone else to build it?
You can save money by building your own website. You can also be very deliberate about how it looks and what is on it through this method. Many dentists choose to use something like Wix or Squarespace to build their website on their own. It can work for you, but it might not be the best option.
Another option is to have a website designed for you by someone who does website design for dentists. The plus side to this is that they will do most of the work and often be able to maintain and manage your website on your behalf. This is particularly useful if you are not very technically savvy or don’t have time for it.
However, the best reason to have someone else build your website for you is to use someone with an online dental marketing background. They can help you build it with that purpose in mind.
WordPress or Squarespace for my dental website?
At the end of the day, you can build a website that will rank on Google or work with your online dental marketing on either platform. However, when considering website design for dentists, custom WordPress sites tend to have more flexibility and better speed potential as a general rule. The downside is that you may need someone to build it and you will need an administrator to handle updates, advanced changes, and other things.
We build our websites for clients on WordPress and highly recommend that platform when building a custom website design for dentists.
How do I drive new patient acquisitions through my website?
In addition to having a great website design, you also need to make sure your website is optimized for new patient acquisitions. There are a few key ways to do this:
- Make sure your website is easily found: potential patients will not be able to find your dental practice if your website is not properly optimized for search engines. Make sure you are using the right keywords and that your website appears in local search results.
- Generate reviews and testimonials: Online reviews and testimonials are incredibly important for new patient acquisitions. Make it easy for patients to leave reviews on your website or on third-party sites like Google and Yelp. I also recommend spending a significant amount of effort working on and beefing up your Google Business Profile. Filling out as much information as possible and adding photos, posts, and reviews are some of the best ways to accomplish this.
- Use social media: Social media is a great way to drive traffic to your website and generate new patient acquisitions. Make sure you are active on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. You can also use paid advertising on social media to reach a wider audience.
- Content: A website without content cannot be optimized for SEO. At the end of the day, you want your website to give the user as much relevant information as possible. A good rule of thumb is to have 500 words or more on each page. I also recommend creating a separate page for each service you offer. This will help you rank better for a variety of keywords in your area.
- Video: YouTube in particular is a great way to drive traffic to your website and generate new patient acquisitions. You can create informative videos about dental procedures, office tours, staff introductions, etc. Just make sure to include a link back to your website in the description of each video. Place the videos on your website to increase dwell time.
Hopefully you found this article useful if you were looking for info on website design for dentists. If you are interested, here are some related articles you might want to check out: