From a marketing standpoint, having a dental website that conveys your services to patients, is easy to browse, and features a mobile friendly design is more than just a suggestion. Combined, these three qualities work together to guide patients through your site, hopefully ending in a phone call to your office.
But do you know what patients are actually thinking when they look at your site?
Making sure your website easily addresses a visitor’s top three concerns can help you get ahead of your competition by landing more new patients.
So, what are they?
#1: Where is the Practice Located?
When a potential patient begins looking for a new dentist, their search often begins with typing something like ‘dentist in bay city’ into Google. After returning search results, the user will pick through several sites on the first page. Because your site came up in their query, they know you’re located in or around their city. But how close are you to them? When searching for a new dentist, geography often trumps rankings.
Upon landing on your website, a user immediately wants to know where your practice is located. Your name, address, and phone number should be highly visible on the homepage for this purpose. Featuring a map image with your location marked with popular cross-streets can also help patients visualize whether or not you’re in their area. If the visitor finds that your practice is simply too far away, featuring a map has still helped you weed out unqualified patients immediately.
Tip: Located in a large metro area where patients are unlikely to drive across town? Adding a neighborhood modifier like “Denver Dentist in Cherry Hills” to your title tag or meta description will help avoid bounces from unqualified searchers.
#2: How Can this Dentist Help Me?
If a visitor has decided that your practice is a convenient distance from their work or home, the next thing they’d like to know is what you can do for them.
When looking for the answer to this question, a few different pages will be visited. They’ll want to know about the types of services you offer, which should be prominently featured in your navigation menu. They also want to know more about you as a person. Having a “Meet the Doctor” page that’s easy to find, includes friendly photos of your office staff, and shows your personality can help the visitor decide to make an appointment. Remember, patients are far more interested in learning about you and seeing photos of a busy practice that’s helping people just like them than seeing pictures of new office technology.
Tip: Running out of room in your navigation menu for a “Meet the Doctor” page or another page you’d like to feature? Consider adding clickable rotating banners to your site’s homepage.
#3: What Will My Cost Be?
It’s a question that doesn’t just apply to the dental industry—before people commit to making a purchase, it’s human nature to inquire about the cost. This doesn’t mean that you need to carve out space on your website for the price of your services. In fact, prices usually vary depending on the unique case of each patient.
Instead, use positive and friendly language with a strong call to action throughout your website like this:
“Our practice strives to provide the best care possible for each patient, which means working with your insurance company to keep costs down. If you have questions, please don’t hesitate to contact our office.”
Tip: Don’t forget cash patients! For those with limited or no dental coverage, mention that your fees are fair, competitive, and similar to others in the area.
Your Dental Website is for Your Patients
Don’t forget—your practice website isn’t for you. It’s for your patients. Make sure you provide the necessary information in a user-friendly format to answer your website visitor’s most pressing questions.
Interested in learning more about the importance of your website content when it comes to generating new patients from the Internet? Check out our blog on the five most important website pages for every dentist.