Dental practice websites – like dentistry – are best when delivered with a personal touch!

You have a dental practice. You’re considering a new website or replacing one you already have. No doubt you’ve heard about services offered by a web developer who is a “specialist” in creating dental practice websites. So you should be in pretty good shape, right? Pulling in new patients should be easier than pulling teeth, right?

Or maybe you’ve found that your website looks good but you don’t see results anything like you had hoped. What’s wrong?

I have critiqued dozens of dental websites and I’ve seen lots of smoke and mirrors – elements that you might think would be effective. But, in fact, many work against you. I’ll point out some of these.

• Splash pages: A splash page is a page that displays a for a few moments before your home page loads. There’s usually some animation. Sometimes some music. Perhaps your logo spins around.
  • Pro: Sometimes they’re pretty cool to look at with all of their special effects. For the developer, they show off his/her artistic talent and may even help him sell you on having him create your site because of that “coolness” factor.
  • Con: They never provide any useful information for your visitor. They lose appeal after the second viewing. And they become irritating after the third viewing. They are disrespectful in that THEY ARE A DISTRACTION AND A COMPLETE WASTE OF TIME.
  • Do this: Get rid of them! There’s never a reason to use them.
• Bullet point list(s) of your services:
  • Pro: Bullet point lists help people see what you offer at a quick glance. Nothing wrong with that.
  • Con:  Bullet point lists can become like laundry lists if they are not presented with context, explanations, or organizing elements. Patients generally don’t come to you saying that they need veneers, laminates, or Invisalign.
  • Do this: Instead, they might come to you mentioning their concerns about the appearance of their teeth. Perhaps discoloration or crooked teeth. Consider organizing your bullet points under different headings focused on their concerns, such as: Looking my best, Relief from discomfort, Restoring functionality, or Preventing decay. A single sentence between the heading and the bullet points can to understanding.
• Canned explanations of services or conditions: These are provided by the dental website developer.
  • Pro: This can save you a lot of time. It’s good that these are often succinct and written in plain language.
  • Con: The text of the explanations is identical, word for word, to the hundreds of other dental websites that they cranked out. Content on your site that is identical to content on other sites (even if used with permission) can seriously lower your search rankings.
  • Do this: Search engines reward original, recent content. Write it in your own words. Give your particular take on it. – Your preferences, your suggested alternatives, the advantages and disadvantages. Link to other sources on the internet that support your position.
• Staff information: Dental practice websites usually include some biographical information on the dentist.
  • Pro: Most new patients will want to know something about the dentist.
  • Con: Listing a lot of degrees, honors is impressive but can be too “clinical” or impersonal.
  • Do this: A) Include photos of the dentist. A head shot will do but showing interaction with patients and other staff makes him or her more approachable. B) Include the usual resume type information but include a statement directly from him or her. Example: What does he like about his work and about making a difference. Patients relate to values and attitudes more than coursework and degrees. C) Introducing other staff who patients may interact with. Giving them names, faces, and roles, makes them more personable. It also supports their roles as key members of the team to give patients the best possible experience.

These are just a few tips that can save you a big headache – or toothache! We’re glad to share more of these with our customers. We recognize that that every dental practice is unique – just as every dental patient is unique. So your web solution should be designed to fit your needs. Don’t settle for a mass-produced website created by someone you’ll never even meet. Factory-produced websites can be as ineffective as assembly-line dentistry.