About 97% of people get online to find local businesses such as dental practices, according to local search engine optimization (SEO) company BrightLocal. This means dentists like you need a website that attracts prospective patients and convinces them that your practice is right for their needs.
Here are a few ways your website could be hurting your ability to attract new patients.
1. It has a clunky, outdated design
An effective website has streamlined pages that share essential information about your practice and its services without drowning visitors in huge chunks of text. Invest in a clean, modern website with an appealing color scheme, highly visible contact information, and a few professional photos.
2. It is not responsive
According to Google, more than half of searches in the US take place on mobile devices. As a result, the search engine favors responsive websites. The reason is simple: mobile visitors are frustrated by websites that don’t look right on their devices. If you’re not sure whether your website is responsive, pull it up on your smartphone. If it is responsive, it will appear to “fit” your screen—no photos or text will be cut off, and you won’t have to scroll and pinch awkwardly to read text or click the navigation.
3. It lacks your biography
Prospective patients want to know your qualifications before booking appointments. Your website should include a brief biography that discusses your education, training, certifications, and awards. It should be accompanied by at least one or two professional photos. Your website should also include information that makes your dental practice stand out. For example, if your waiting room is well-designed, functional, and full of amenities such as a mini fridge with complimentary beverages, include that information on your website
4. It does not have helpful service pages
If your website merely lists the services you offer, you’re missing out in more ways than one.
First, detailed information about services educates prospective patients and answers common questions. This helps people determine if a service is right for them and saves you from answering related questions when patients visit with you in the office. Second, individual service pages can greatly improve where your website appears on search engine results pages. By giving rich, detailed information about each service on its own page, you increase the chances that search engines will find it useful for local searches.
5. It does not feature patient reviews
A whopping 85% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations from friends or family, according to BrightLocal. If you’re not featuring positive patient reviews on your website, then you might be missing out on new business. You can repost reviews from websites like Healthgrades, or you can solicit reviews from patients. Also according to BrightLocal, 68% of consumers will leave a review when asked.
6. It does not offer online booking
According to PatientPop, about 42% of patients would rather make appointments on a website or mobile app than over the phone. Dental practices that do not offer online booking could be missing out on these prospective patients. Another important reason to offer online booking: 24/7 conversion. PatientPop research indicates that 63% of online bookings stem from new patients, and nearly one-third of appointments booked online are booked after hours when your front office staff are not available to answer the phone.
Improve your website, improve your practice
Take a look at your current dental practice website to see where improvements need to be made. Then, determine whether you or your staff have the time and skills necessary to make these changes. If you do not, there are plenty of external resources that can build your dental practice a high-performing website that will attract more visitors who schedule more appointments.
