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10 Tips to Make the Most of Your Dental Practice Website

February 15th, 2008 · No Comments

If you don’t already have a practice website, you’ve probably thought about it. In this day and age, patients expect dentists to be online. Not only does a good website prove that you’re technically on the ball, but it also gives the impression that you want to service people well. I have actually been told by a dentist that he has lost potential pateints because he did not have a site to send them to when they called his office. So you need a website. That’s a given. But what can you do to make the most of your investment? How do you leverage your impressive piece of Internet real estate to your advantage?

 

1.   Make your website user friendly

Have you ever been to a website and not found what you’re looking for? Sure you have. Some sites are loaded with links and options that make no sense. The architecture of a site is important. People should be able to navigate your site quickly to find the information they’re searching for. Return visitors often just want to find your phone number, a map, or an article they now have time to read. Even if your site looks awesome, if people can’t find what they’re looking for, they will leave frustrated.     

 

2.   Announce new products, services, associations

You just bought a laser. You finally finished the esthetics continuum you’ve been working on. Your CEREC machine will be in next month. These are excellent news items to feature on the homepage of your website! Let folks know that you’re on top of technology, continuing ed, and that you are working hard to serve them well. Impress for success!

 

3.   Advertise your web address in all print, radio, and television ads

A good, search-engine-optimized website will draw in people looking for your services – if they are already online. However, you can double, triple, quadruple your website’s success by letting folks know that you have a site. If you advertise in print, radio, or television media, be sure to include a reference to your website. If you don’t, you’re throwing away a valuable opportunity.

 

4.   Put your web address on all office collateral

Again, get your site out there. Business cards, letterhead, forms, postop instructions, appointment cards, thank you notes, and all other collateral should include your web address. Let’s just look at one way this might help. You send your patients’ records to a specialist. The specialist needs a general dentist to refer his patients to. He sees your web address on the records, checks out your site, and loves what he sees. Cha-ching.

 

5.   On the phone and in person, tell patients that you have a website

As I said in the intro, recently a dentist told me that a potential patient called his office, asked if he had a website, the receptionist said, "No, but-" And that was it. The potential patient respectfully ended the call and continued his search for a dentist who seemed more up to date. This is not unusual, though. Your receptionist should refer call-in patients to your site for directions (like a GoogleMap), procedure information, postop instructions, new patient forms, and photos of your cases. Train your staff to promote your website!

 

6.   Blog – but only if you can do it regularly

Blog stands for web log, which means an online journal. If you or a team member can post news, local happenings, office specials, or any dental info every day or at lest twice a week (that’s the key), your site’s traffic should benefit. Search engine spiders read blog entries differently than website text, so while it can take up to six months for your site to move up the rankings, a blog could help increase your traffic sooner – if you post on topics that folks are searching for. A blog takes about five minutes to post, and anyone can do it.

 

7.   If you don’t have SEO, get it today!

I cannot stress how important search engine optimization is if you want folks to find your site on the Internet. The Internet is world wide. Your office is a tiny piece of the world. Your website will be only a tiny piece of the web. Without strategic optimization, it will get lost. A site optimized for location, doctor’s name, practice name, and services is vital. A professional web company can help you with search engine optimization. The best strategies will probably require changing some of the written content on your site and adding new pages. Results take up to six months to show up, and tracking reports provided by your SEO company will show you how your site is doing. Learn more about SEO here.

 

8.   Update your website regularly

Website maintenance should not take up much of your time (or your staff’s). However, if you have staff turnover, your About Us page should be updated. If you add new technology, services, or specials, they need to be on your site. If your site is hosted and supported by the same company, all you have to do is email your changes to the company. An out-of-date site does you little good.

 

9.   Feature a photo gallery on your website

People love pictures. It’s a visual world! Take advantage of the priceless opportunity you have to show off your before and after cases. A good photo gallery is like a commercial. Your web visitors can sit back and review your work in the comfort of their home or office!

 

10. Make your website an extension of your business office

Downloadable or interactive forms for new patients make life easier for everyone – your staff and your patients. In addition, by featuring good contact information, like hours, phone and fax numbers, a map, and your emergency care information, your website can answer many questions that people would normally have to call your office for. This will save you time and money. Links to third party financing companies and specialists can also be very helpful.  

 

Need Help? Call an Expert.

If you’re unhappy with your current website or need to partner with a professional dental website development team to design and implement a sensational, interactive Internet presence for your office, contact TNT Dental. The technical gurus there will be happy to look at your site or your needs and create a website that is a true reflection of your dental practice, a great marketing tool, and an extension of your administrative office.

Tags: Dental Websites · Uncategorized