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7 Reasons Why Your Dental Website Isn't Bringing You New Patients Posted by Tyson Downs on 9/4/14 5:00 AM Find me on: Every business relies on clients or the consumer public at large for sales, earnings, and overall success, and dentists are no exception. And these days, your dental website can do a lot to help you retain the loyal patronage of current patients, as well as provide the potential to reach out to new patients who might otherwise never find you. But if you've spent some money hiring a web designer to set up your site and you've experienced nary a nibble where new patients are concerned, you might be wondering if it was worth the expense. In truth, your online presence could be hurting your chances to attract new clientele if you've fallen prey to any one of several blunders that new website owners often make. Luckily, it's not very difficult to pinpoint problems with your dental website design. Consequently, you can address these issues that are off-putting to prospective patients and start to bring in the business you're looking for. Here are several reasons why your dental website might not be living up to your expectations.
1.
Lack of before and after photos One of the best ways to advertise the services you offer and the skill of the dentists and hygienists in your practice is to provide before and after photos of satisfied customers on your website. Everyone loves a good makeover - just look at the popularity of TV programs like The Biggest Loser and Extreme Makeover. By providing before and after photos, dental websites not only have the opportunity to showcase their success stories, but they also get to give prospective patients an idea of what they can expect when they partake of your services. And when people look at the beautiful smiles you've created for other patients, they'll visualize themselves with the pearly whites you can provide. In addition, posting images on your site helps to break up blocks of text and makes for a more visually appealing layout in general. It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words, and this is one instance where a photo can speak volumes.
2.
Lack of testimonials Posting before and after photos is a good start, but how are viewers to know if the images are your patients or if they're from somewhere else on the web? Testimonials from satisfied customers can help to dispel any doubt.
Even though you can use your website as a platform to reach out to potential patients and explain your services, policies, pricing, and more, anything you say has the disadvantage of coming from a biased source. When patients talk about the wonderful service, gentle and compassionate care, and stellar results your dental practice offers, outsiders are more likely to trust the information and view it as more than just a sales pitch. Don't underestimate the value of a good testimonial to convince new patients to give your services a trial run.
3.
The content on your website is too confusing or technical One major problem that patients often encounter on a dentist website is hard-to-read content. While it's a good idea to advertise that your practice offers the latest advances in dental equipment and services, you don't want visitors to your website to leave because they can't understand a word of the technical jargon used. You don't exactly have to dumb it down, but readers don't need to be bombarded with information that is only relevant to medical professionals either. Tell them about advances as they occur, but you should remember that your content needs to be written for the layman. Keep explanations short and simple, focus on the benefits and results patients will enjoy, and offer a link to contact you for further information, just in case anyone is looking for more in-depth explanations of your products and services.
4.
Contact information is too hard to find This falls under the category of online marketing for healthcare professionals 101. If visitors to your website can't find you, they're not going to become patients. So make sure to post relevant contact information (phone number, address, and email) on the same place on every page, where it can easily be found (generally at the top, beneath your logo). You can also include a "Contact" button on your toolbar.
5.
Failure to establish trust As a healthcare professional, you'll be expected to provide credentials so that patients know you are trained to see to their healthcare needs. And providing this information on your website is a good way to establish trust with prospective patients that are, as of yet, unaware of your qualifications. In fact, you might want to post this information for the entire staff employed by your dental practice. This should make new customers comfortable enough with your practice to set up an appointment.
6.
Lack of a blog for educational or informational purposes
If you're at all interested in getting better SEO for dentists results, there's no better way to provide updated content, include trending keywords, and promote organic link-sharing than by starting an on-site blog. If you're looking to increase page rank, traffic, and conversion, as well as your client list, a blog can help you boost your outreach potential by a significant margin. In addition to providing opportunities for dental SEO, a blog can also allow you to offer added value for current and prospective patients. You can use it to impart information that isn't normally available on your website, educate readers about current industry trends, and even put a human face on your practice. When staffers develop their own columns, they can engage readers, gain trust, and evoke an emotional response that inspires loyal patronage.
7.
Your website isn't mobile friendly When creating websites for dentists, some web developers might not be forward-thinking enough to plan for mobile usage. But with more savvy surfers favoring their handheld devices over computers and laptops, you really need to optimize for mobile. If you've ever visited a site via your smartphone or tablet that hasn't been optimized for mobile usage, then you know how frustrating it is to try to view pages that won't load or scroll properly. And you also know that frustrated viewers are more likely to leave instead of dealing with these issues. There are all kinds of things you can do to make your website more attractive, informative, and entertaining for visitors. But if you fail to address practical concerns like ease of navigation and a user-friendly interface, the value of your content is going to be a moot point.
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