When building a website, the No. 1 mistake dental practices make is failing to take the time to consider their audience and purpose. They will often focus time on colors and fonts instead of tailoring the site’s content and look to their patient base. For example, if a dentist is looking to grow the implant side of the business, a website that focuses on families and children may miss the mark. Your website must accurately reflect the practice, or you could be driving patients to your competitors. In this interview, Alyssa Noonan, Director of Operations at VivioSites, shares her secrets to dental practice website success.
Q: What advice would you offer someone planning a new website?
A: Your website should be more than an information hub for patients. You should view it as a true extension of your brand that is working for you day and night. Take a minute to really consider what you want your website to say about you. For example: How did you choose to become a dentist? Was it a lifelong dream? How do you want patients to view you? If you could write your own Google review about your practice, what would you want it to say? What makes you unique as a person and as a dentist? It’s important to have a clear vision of who you are and who you want to be as a dentist as well as the types of patients you hope to be treating before beginning work on a new website. Once you have these answers, the path becomes clear.
Q: What is the most important aspect of a website?
A: Content—for a few reasons. Most importantly, you want to provide content that informs your patients about the services offered in your practice and that can quickly answer a patient’s questions. Relevant, unique content that is updated on a consistent basis also helps websites get to the top of a Google search. The truth is, just because a website exists doesn’t mean a patient can find it easily. Many practices spend time and money building a beautiful website with little consideration about how it will be found online. Ten years ago, you could put a website online and it would jump to the top of a Google search. Today, competition for the first 3 spots of a Google search is intense. Since 94% of all clicks happen on the first page of a Google search and 75% of patients choose one of the first 3 listings, unique and high-quality content is what helps a website get there.
Q: Besides content, what else should a dental website focus on?
A: Once a practice has its vision, and the content to match, conversion is key. Relevant calls to action placed throughout the website design and copy are key to converting browsers into new patients. Patients will look at a number of sites before choosing a dentist. Our sites are designed to lead the patient from inquiry to action. While a patient is reading about a procedure or other content that interests them, they have a clear, direct path to make an appointment quickly online.
Q: What should clinicians look for in a digital marketing company?
A: Dental expertise. Website design companies pop up and go under daily. A clinician should look for a dental website development company that has longevity and expertise in the dental field. Almost anyone can build a beautiful website, but not many companies have experience catering a design and content to the dental patient.
