Dental Website Do’s and Don’ts

Dental Website Do’s and Don’ts
Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Online marketing moves fast, and to stay competitive you must move with it. Building a strong web presence is the most important way to use your marketing dollars. Potential patients want to see what your practice has to offer and develop a relationship before walking through your doors.

The goal of your website should be to turn visitors into new clients. In this article, we will discuss simple changes that can make a big impact on website leads.

Website Do’s

Intuitive Navigation (Rollover Navigation)

Users want information quickly and easily. They do not want to search around for it. On average, people spend less than 3 minutes on a dental website. This means you have only a few minutes to get them to call or email you. If you don’t have what the user wants presented in a clear and concise way, you lose the lead. Having a rollover navigation helps guide the user quickly to the information they want, and potentially into picking up the phone.

Original Content and Images

Search Engines (SE) such as Google love original content. The SE’s are looking for the best resource when they rank sites on the first page of a search’s results. Having original content helps your site rank higher and also helps build a more unique experience for potential patients. Original images are important to make your site stand out to patients and stand ahead of competitors. Be unique with your content and your images.

Content Management System, CMS

A content management system (CMS) makes it easy for multiple users to update and maintain your website, without working in tricky HTML code. Having an updated CMS also helps with your online organic placement by keeping the site fresh and up-to-date.

Calls-To-Action (CTAs)

Create CTAs that motivate users to act and pick up the phone. Using action words such as “Call Now” “Click Here” etc. will help direct potential patients to contact you and stay on your website.

Before and After Gallery

Your gallery should include procedure descriptions. It should have both full face and teeth before and after photos, and you should keep the photos updated and fresh. This area is one of the most visited areas on dental sites. Put some time into building it and maintaining it. This is your opportunity to show patients what your practice can do to enhance their smile.

Video

Video helps build a relationship with patients before they step into your office. You should incorporate videos that include staff and patient testimonials. Keep videos short and to the point. Approximately 90 seconds is a good length. Place video on highly trafficked pages, such as your home page, about us page, and popular procedure areas.

Website Don’ts

Flash Animation

Flash animation is a BIG website don’t. SE’s cannot read flash websites, which makes ranking your site nearly impossible. Mobile devices also can’t play Flash, meaning anything that is in Flash will not be visible to mobile users. Flash may look more dynamic in some cases, but avoid it if you are trying to show up well online.

Duplicate Content

SE’s rank your website by determining if it is the best resource. If you pull information from someone else, you make it challenging for SE’s to rank which website is the best and the SE is forced to choose one, usually the original version. Duplicate content also violates Google’s Content Guidelines, so keep your content fresh and unique. 

Link Exchanges or that Point to Other Sites

Keep users and SE spiders on your website! It is fine to have a few links pointing to other domains, if it helps the user experience (ex: LVI, AACD etc.) but know that these links out will not help you. They will help the site you are linking to, and potentially send users and SE spiders off of your site and into another. Do not do link exchanges, it appears spammy and can hurt your overall online campaign. Links coming into your site (from quality and relevant sites) and links internally pointing to different pages on your own website are OK. This helps with the user experience, and the SE’s ranking.

Auto-Play Audio or Video

People do not like videos and/or sound with auto-play. Having any audio auto-play is a quick way to annoy them, and get them to bounce right out of your website. Many people search for dental services while they are at work. Going to a site with an auto-play sound will get them clicking out quickly.

Your website can get you the most bang for your marketing buck. Invest in it! If you have a strong presence online, and follow the simple rules laid out above, it is a great start to staying competitive.

Keep your site fresh and stay away from out-of-date and spammy SEO techniques. Work with a company that specializes in dental website optimization, development and design, and give your site the attention it deserves. You will be amazed at how much your business can change when you follow good online marketing practices.

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