by Support | Jun 22, 2018 | Orthodontists/Dentists
A website is a reflection of the quality of service customers can expect from any given establishment.
Today, a website is everything to a business: serving as a business card, a storefront, and the credentials for company reputation. Dental businesses, though they offer an age-old service, aren’t excluded from this new platform.
If you’re looking to increase your chances of attracting customers and gaining new leads, then you’ll need to invest in quality web production.
What makes for a great dentist’s website?
We’ll cover that below in our quick rundown of the elements of a successful site, courtesy of your biggest competitors. If you look closely, when a particular web design tactic is successful it tends to appear across many company websites.
Common Traits of Great Dental Websites
Dental websites don’t have to have all the items, but these are some of the tell-tale signs of a credible dentist based on their website alone:
1. A Practical Design
Here is where the whole process succeeds or fails: can the customer navigate the design to reach the calls to action practically? Are pages and navigational bars built in a way that is user-friendly and free of unnecessary clutter?
If customers can’t find the contact pages when they’re looking for a number or a contact box to set an appointment, they won’t stay for long. Some professionals claim you have 10-20 seconds, others claim a minute.
But once that time is up, if you haven’t reached your audience to make a sale, it’s likely they’ll move onto a competitor. Make sure your website has a practical design that is conducive to the user experience.
2. An Attractive Design
You have to think of your website as a storefront existing in a giant online mall or marketplace. That’s essentially the purpose it serves as potential customers and clients browse endless listings on the web, looking for the right match.
Apart from being functional and easy to navigate, all those little details have to have a little flair or aesthetic. An attractive design won’t attract customers (they’re already there), but it will work wonders to keep them there.
3. An Authentic About Us Page
The About Us page is a chance for visitors to get to know the people and reputation behind the brand. This is where you can use credentials and historical context to inject the human side of your business.
Your content must be authentic and must represent the heart and soul of the company while showcasing successes over the years. A well-done About Us page is one of the greatest opportunities to build trust in your clientele early on.
When you’ve built a trusting relationship, it’s likely you’ve earned a customer for life!
4. Credible Professional Reviews
Do you partner with recognized companies? Have professional organizations reviewed or certified your offices? Customer reviews and professional reviews alike can work wonders for the credibility of your organization.
There should be a place on the homepage or in the header or footer showcasing your reviews. Professional reviews allow other credible sources to weigh in on the quality of service at your business.
5. Easy-to-Find Contact Information
No matter how fantastic the design and content, if the potential customer can’t find your contact information, they have no way of setting an appointment. How do you expect to gain new business, then?
The contact information should probably appear in your footer. Alternatively, a call-to-action that drives viewers to a contact box is also a great option.
Regardless, you’ll want a location page or an easily-discoverable phone number that reaches a representative.
6. Detailed Services Page
You should have a least one service page that covers the details of your office procedures. However, it might be a better opportunity to increase awareness if you have a dedicated page for each service.
That way, you can have a services section in the navigational bar that lists each separate page. Great dental websites break down their services in these pages to give potential customers more information to digest.
It’s another opportunity to gain trust and confidence from those who may be skeptical but potential customers.
7. SEO-Optimized Content
Without content optimized for search engines, Google crawlers and other search algorithms wouldn’t be able to catalog your website. Without being cataloged and recognized as a beneficial tool by Google, your website is invisible.
When customers search for dental services in your area, the results they’re displayed are returned in order of relevance and importance.
Optimizing content for search engines means implementing keywords and phrases commonly used by people searching for your services.
8. A Comprehensive FAQ Section
Customers are going to have questions, so why not develop a page that answers most of the common ones? This can be anything from locations of satellite offices to the kind of procedures offered.
By answering questions up front on the website, you save your visitors time and likely earn a little more of their respect.
9. Customer Quotes
Customer reviews feel personal and allow interested visitors to gain a little insight on what they can expect. Reviews may mention exact procedures that visitors are looking to undergo.
A positive customer review or testimonial can even ease a worried mind, prompting visitors to contact your business. Quotes offer a bit more of a human touch in addition to increasing the business’ credibility.
10. Coupons or Online Discounts for New Patients
The winning dental website is the one that truly sets itself apart from the competition. There’s hardly a better way to snag a visitor’s attention than by offering them a special online discount or one for new customers.
If their first visit comes with enough of a discount, then you’ve increased the company’s value in their eyes. The hardest part of any business is getting customers in the door, and a special discount is just the ticket.
Professional Web Design
Great dental websites all have great professional web design on their side. In order to surpass standards and succeed in business in 2018, your website needs to attract and retain customers online.
If you’re looking for more professional web design services, visit the Dryden Labs website and learn about our offerings. Just looking for more professional insight? Browse the Dryden Labs blog now for more business-enhancing articles!
by Support | Jan 22, 2018 | Orthodontists/Dentists
Does your dental website need a makeover? Read this article to learn about the ways you can improve your dental website design and increase user experience.
Building a website for your orthodontic or dental practice?
Looking for ways to improve your site?
Your practice website is one of your best tools for gaining and keeping patients. For this reason, it’s important that you do everything you can to optimize your website and make sure it is helping you achieve the results you need.
If you’re ready to improve your website, look no further. Below are the top 6 ways you can improve your dental website design.
1. Make Sure to Demonstrate Your Expertise
The first step to improving your dental website design is to make sure your site fully demonstrates your knowledge and expertise. There are several ways you can do this.
First of all, look for ways to add more trust signals to your site to visitors know that you’re the real deal. These signals may include displaying professional certificates prominently on your homepage or adding detailed information about credentials, expertise, and education.
If you’re not doing it already, you should also be collecting and making use of customer testimonials on your website. It’s a great idea to create a separate testimonials page but you may also choose to display a few testimonials on your homepage.
You may also consider linking to external reviews of your practice. If you’ve collected some great patient reviews on Yelp, Google, or Facebook, you should link to them directly on your homepage.
2. Pay Attention to External Factors
While it may seem counterintuitive, one of the best things you can do to improve your site is to start looking elsewhere.
External links directing to your site, known as backlinks, are very important. Getting more backlinks can help boost your site in search rankings and help make sure potential patients can find your website.
You need to be looking for ways to build backlinks to your site. You can do this by offering to guest post for high authority dental blogs, for example.
It’s also important to register your Google My Business (GMB) page. Using Google My Business, you can update your business information and make sure that Google is displaying the correct info about your business in searches. Using Google My Business will also make it more likely that your website will appear at the top of search engine results.
Finally, it’s also a good idea to get your business profile set up on Yelp and other well-known local directory sites. Take control of your profiles and make sure your name, address, and phone number are consistent.
3. Make Your Blog Matter
Content is more important than ever for websites and businesses of all kinds. Posting a lot of content on your blog can do a lot for boosting your site’s presence in search engines and will drive traffic to your site. However, a blog with engaging content will also help visitors stay on your website for longer and lower your bounce rate.
When you have an engaging blog that is filled with valuable information, it will be more likely that potential patients will come to your website. A blog will allow potential patients to start seeing you as an authority in dental and orthodontic care. They will see that you have the extensive knowledge to back up your work.
Additionally, make sure to use relevant keywords on your blog as well. This will help boost SEO and make sure search engines are showing your posts to the right crowd.
Also, remember that blogging isn’t a “set it and forget it” part of your website. A blog should be updated regularly.
There isn’t a set amount of posts you should add to your blog, however. Whether you post a few days a week or a few times a month, the most important thing is that you remain consistent and always post quality content.
4. Let Your Service Pages Do the Work
If you don’t have high-quality service pages on your website, you’re making a big mistake. When it comes to improving your orthodontic or dental website design, it is important that you give potential patients a lot of knowledge about what exactly it is you can offer them.
You may consider adding a separate page on your site for each service you offer. Then, explain thoroughly what the procedure will entail, how it can help, and anything else you think a potential patient would like to know.
Great service pages will convince potential patients to set up an appointment and will help them realize the importance of great dental services.
Similarly to your blog, don’t forget to pay attention to SEO as well. Make sure you are using relevant keywords when writing these service pages and you will be more likely to attract the right visitors to your site through search engine results.
5. Optimize the User Experience
A good dental website will also be optimized for the user experience. Make sure the design of your site is visually appealing and visitors can easily find what they’re looking for. Navigation should be easy to access and hassle-free.
Also be aware that many users will be accessing your site from mobile or tablet devices. Because of this, you need to create a website that is mobile friendly. Your dental website needs to load fast and it needs to look great no matter what device a potential patient is using.
For this reason, make sure you use a responsive design for your website. A responsive design will allow your site to adapt to the device a patient is using. It will make your website look great whether visitors are on mobile, tablet, or desktop devices.
The truth is that a visitor will stay on an easy-to-use site much longer. As a result, they will be more likely to learn about your services and you’ll be more likely to get a new patient.
6. Create a Purpose-Driven Dental Website Design
In addition to being easy to use, you need to make sure that you remember your purpose when creating your website. What exactly is it that you want a potential patient to do?
If you want a visitor to contact you or set up an appointment, then make it clear. Make sure your design encourages a user to book an appointment and makes it very easy to do so.
Also, be sure to use plenty of calls to action (CTAs) to encourage a potential patient to make an appointment. When crafting your website’s design you need to make sure you keep the visitor in mind. Use CTAs to skillfully lead them to where you want them to go and what you want them to do.
Additionally, make sure you have a great-looking contact page or appointment booking page that a visitor can easily reach. You may also consider adding contact info to every page of your site in a header or footer section.
Final Thoughts
By using the tips above you’ll make sure your website is as effective as possible. You’ll ensure that it’s helping you land new patients.
Your website is a crucial business tool, so you should treat it like one. Devote the time to your website that it deserves, and you’ll make sure that it is helping your business succeed.
Need help with SEO and dental website design in San Antonio? Contact us today to learn more about what Dryden Labs can do for you.
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