Have you ever visited a dimly-lit office in a back alley located in a seedy part of the neighborhood? How do you feel about it? More, how do you feel if you have to undergo a dental procedure in that clinic? Will you feel safe? Will the old equipment sate your fears of consulting with a dentist? Every single thing about your practice is part of your dental marketing strategy. If your website is poorly designed, you will not make a great first impression to your potential patients.
Research showed that 48% of people judge a business’ or profession’s credibility based on its website’s design. After the page has loaded and the patients have seen the homepage, they will form an opinion about it and your profession in exactly .05 seconds. So no, contrary to other studies, you don’t have three seconds to impress web visitors. You have less. You have a mere .05 seconds to make them want to book an appointment with you.
These are the features that won’t make your site look like it has been created by a nine-year-old who has just started “designing” a new web program: online scheduling, online bill payment, online prescription renewal, profiles for each dentist, videos, messaging capabilities, and relevant content.
Online scheduling will allow patients to set an appointment with you directly through the website while online bill payment will let them pay for the services online. If there are prescriptions they have to renew, that should be allowed through the website, too.
Now, if you want more patients to recognize your practice, you need to create a profile for each dentist, letting patients know who they are and what their specializations are. You should also integrate a messaging tool right on the website so that the patients won’t need to call your clinic or find you on Facebook to ask a question or inquire about a service.
Finally, content is king even when it comes to dental marketing. You need to be recognized as an authority in the industry. But before patients see you as an expert, they need to hear about your expert opinions. Research your topics thoroughly and find angles to talk about that will interest your patients. Once they find valuable information on your website, they will continue to visit your site for years to come. It will also be easier for you to turn them into loyal customers.