7 essential components for successful dental websites.
We’re living in the age of technology, where we prefer to have instant accessibility to all the information we want on websites. If you’re like the rest of us, you’re sure to check out businesses on Google and open a site to find what you need. In this regard, several design elements play a vital role.
If a site fails to inform its prospective clients properly, they will not waste time perusing that site and instead look for their answers on other websites. The same applies to dental practices as well. When customers open dental websites, they want a glimpse of their overall experience if they attend the dental offer. If your website design does not simplify navigation, the clients will leave your website without an appointment with a dentist.
How much does a dental website cost?
Costs for a dental website vary by a fair measure. Currently, several DIY websites are available for lease from high-volume companies. Dentists may have to pay anywhere from $50 to $500. Others may be charging an upfront cost of $3,200 to $7,200 for a basic dental website, with an additional monthly fee.
Then you can also find the premium website varieties, which you can optimize for conversions. These websites belong to web designers that are seasoned dental marketing experts and can charge dentists $8,000 to $17,500.
You generally have to pay approximately $200 for building a website, and its monthly maintenance costs around $50, if you outsource an agency or a contractor. However, if you contract a designer or high volume company, you can very well expect an upfront cost of $6000 with annual maintenance costing approximately $1,000 a year.
| Website Feature | Upfront Website Cost |
| Website Domain | $12 – $60 |
| Website Hosting | $35 – $600 |
| SSL Certificate | $0 – $200 |
| Website Template or Theme | $0 – $200 |
| Ecommerce Functionality | $20 – $24,000 |
| Website Content | $0 – $5,000 |
| Apps and Integrations | $0 – $100 |
| SEO and Marketing | $0 – $90 |
What makes a good dental website?
The best dental websites are those where the website design is at par, and the accessibility menu, patient reviews, email address, phone number, video information, and all essential details are readily available. It depicts the quality of services the professionals are offering.
With all the web design elements in place, you enjoy higher conversion rates and an enhanced boost to your site.
How can I create a dental website?
If you wish to create a dental website on your own, here is what you need to do:
- Buy a name
- Find a site you wish to host and build your website
- Pick a template to use for your website
You can find some great WordPress templates for your dental website here.
Here are the top 7 essential components your website needs to rank high in the search engines and win customers.
1. Include an accessibility menu on your website.
Including an accessibility menu is imperative if you want to rank among the best dental websites. It also makes the visitors feel confident of exploring your website because they don’t need a map to find their way through. The on-screen menu helps them control the navigation of the sites and enjoy a seamless information-gaining process.
When it comes to browsing through endless websites on Google, users prioritize easy navigation. Imagine if the user is a prospective patient in dire need of immediate dental assistance: they wouldn’t continue using a site if they cannot find the information they’re seeking regarding your treatment options, contact information, enlightening content relative to their issues, and other factors.
An accessibility menu makes it easy for users to navigate your pages and find what they’re looking for easily.
The accessibility menu on sites includes a flyout or dropdown menu with submenus hidden, which you can uncover by hovering your mouse over it or clicking the top-level item. Such features aim to help website viewers understand, perceive, and access your information more efficiently, whether on a mobile or laptop.
2. Mobile-friendly website design for your site.
If you look at the statistics, you’ll see how most people access websites from their phones these days. If your website does not have a mobile-friendly web design, you’ll be pushing users away automatically.
Your web design and content need to be compatible with mobile devices. In fact, Google lists several benefits of having a mobile-friendly dental website, including patients being able to share and link your content to help the algorithms align properties with the page.
When your dental website has a design that works with all screen sizes, you create a positive user experience.
3. Include a live chat feature on your site.
If you browse through some of the best dental websites on the net currently, you will find a live chat feature in all of them. Live chat is a vital tool that helps your practice and your team strike when the iron is hot. We all know what a crucial role customer service plays in maintaining a good user experience for a particular brand, and dental services are no different.
A live chat feature on your website will boost your conversion rate and capitalize on the patients curiosity about your practice. With a focused call to action, your prospective patients will also get encouragement to fix an appointment or stay on your dental website longer because they enjoy the experience you provide. You can even look at live chat as a means of creating familiarity with your dental brand.
Patients tend to be more impatient than others, and fast responses from your website will create more appointment bookings. What good is your dental practice after all if you are unable to secure any appointments at all?
4. Include patient reviews and testimonials on your home page.
In addition to engaging and informative content on your dental website, if you include patient reviews and testimonials, you gain the trust of the prospective patients. You must remember no one finds it easy to blindly trust dentists, considering the nature of their work.
But with a reviews and testimonials page and make it highly visible in the navigation bar of your website, you’d ease the fears of the would-be patients quite significantly. It will assure them that if other patients found your practices or services satisfactory, then they would too. If a website lacks this vital page, it can cause mistrust and doubts for the patients.
5. Educational content.
Both existing and new patients will come to your website seeking educational content. In addition to a splendid website design, you must also curate educational, detailed, and updated content for your website.
You must ensure your website caters to their curiosity by describing what you are offering them as a dentist, what technology and latest treatment methods your practice employs, and how their dental problems will cure under your care.
However, it is not merely enough to provide written content only on your website. Video information is quite a popular tool these days. Providing video blogs that talk about sedation methods, the process of dental implants, the expertise of your team, etc., will be quite helpful.
It is important to discuss the latest technology, whitening implants, veneers, and all the current dental problems on a dental website. It will cast a positive light on your practice, build your brand image and assure the patients of your excellence in the field.
6. About us section on your website.
Make sure your site has an About Us section if to garner trust for your brand. An About us section helps distinguish your practice and your team apart from the others in the industry. Such a section on sites helps make a positive impression while getting a chance to highlight the expertise of each member of your dental team.
Apart from giving a brief snippet of your practice, it should highlight the competitive team you have onboard and how each excels in different dental services.
It would be a great idea to add short biographies of the professionals on your team, as well as your clinic’s picture with the hygienists too. It will surely make your practice look thorough and highly professional to the users.
7. Call to action for the best dental websites.
When you have worked hard to become a competitive dentist and build a team of equally competent professionals for your practice, you deserve success. The ultimate goal of a dental site must be to convert visitors into patients, and you can do that easily with a clear CTA on your site.
For every page on your site, you must try to include a prominent “Call us” or “Book an Appointment” to win more clients. Coupled with the reviews, using a variety of call to actions will promote your business.
Many clients prefer conducting business over the phone, while others prefer emails. With more contact mediums, you make your business more accessible for your clients.
Final Thoughts
Every dental site must aim to encourage more and more visitors to become permanent clients of the business. For every dental site to be effective, engaging, and appealing, it must include vital design elements.
From an accessibility menu, client reviews, and testimonials to educational written and video content, each component helps patients see how your practice will address their pressing dental issues and provide effective solutions.
