Thursday, July 18, 2013
Do you need a dental website?
Do you need a high speed handpiece?
The folks who sell websites to dentists have focused on the marketing and advertising potential of web pages, and as such, many dentists think that is the sole purpose of a website. If you do not feel the need to market your practice then you do not feel a need to have a practice website.
However marketing to new patients is only one of three primary website purposes.
The Purpose of a Dental Practice Website
- Promotional to generate new patients
- Manage your online presence
- Support your existing patients
The great majority of new dental patient contacts start with an online search. However, there are two quite distinct searches, and for the most part the website sellers only talk about one of them. They concentrate on the random web surfer who types in a common keyword such as “dentist” and is looking for a provider without a referral. To capture the attention of that person you need a specific type of website designed to maximize SEO (Search Engine Optimization) combined with SEM (Search Engine Marketing).
The second type of search is a potential new patient who has been referred to your office. This person will type your name into a search engine. What that person finds when they type in your name will be determined by how you manage your online presence. If you do not have a website, the tools available to manage your presence are limited.
Even a well-established existing patient is likely to Google you just to find the practice phone number.
If the sole purpose of your website is to generate new patients, then each patient will visit it only once. Why ever go back if the content is just for new patients. Your website becomes little more than an electronic Yellow Pages ad. However, if the practice website has content to support existing patients then patients will visit often. When they do it boosts your web traffic which enhances both your SEO and your online presence
Tim Kelley, co-founder of TNT Dental a dental website provider, says “People expect to do business online. A dental website should be an online extension of the practice.”
Two basic website features to support existing patients are online forms and online bill pay. Research from Sesame Communications indicates that four out of five patients are comfortable paying their bill online. Half will pay within two days, often outside of normal business hours. This is a great boost to your cash flow and it also is a good reason for every patient with a balance to visit your site.
Online forms do not mean digital paper such as a PDF the patient downloads and prints. Online forms are filled in online, and the data is synched to the practice management system. This is great for a new patient, but the fact is that we should have health histories updated and signed on a regular basis for all of our patients. Patients can also use the online forms to enter changes in address, employment, insurance and all the rest.
Other patient support features that can work on a dental practice website can include scheduling capabilities such as checking on an upcoming appointment or requesting a new appointment; reviewing a treatment plan in order to schedule an appointment; checking on an outstanding balance or insurance payment; and reviewing post-op instructions after a procedure. There should be function available on your website to provide every patient you see with a good reason to visit the practice online.
Admittedly the vast majority of dental web pages have been designed merely as new patient portals, but a web page should be a lot more than an electronic ad. It should be an integral part of a well-managed, patient-based practice.
Just as you will need a handpiece in the future you will need a website. The future is coming and it will be amazing!