Running a successful practice means treating patients, hiring personnel, managing finances, and a thousand other small (but vital) tasks. Among these responsibilities, maintaining a website probably isn’t at the top of your list. In fact, it may feel like an unnecessary burden, or even a trivial marketing exercise.

While that may have been true ten years ago, the landscape has changed. More and more consumers now see your website as a table-stake, rather than an amenity. Dentists with old or poorly-maintained sites are running a real credibility risk among prospective patients. Even a strong social media presence is no substitute; according to a 2015 Verisign survey, 84% of consumers “believe a business with a website is more credible than one with only a social media page.”

Fortunately, it’s easier than ever to build a beautiful site that reflects your brand and connects you to patients. In fact, there’s an enormous and accessible industry available to help you do just that. But if you’re starting from scratch - or even just bringing your old site up to date - it will help to brush up on best practices. Here are 7 crucial “Dos and Don’ts” for your practice website.

Don’t Go it alone

Services like Wordpress and Squarespace make it simple to build a website. But unless you have plenty of experience, the DIY approach can leave you drowning in details, or missing important functionality.

For example, creating a ‘look and feel’ that truly reflects your brand (see the next section) can be challenging. And making your site look good in multiple screen sizes (so it’s mobile-optimized) is even more difficult. Similarly, ensuring your site is SEO-friendly may require up-to-date knowledge and serious technical chops. If you don’t already have these skills, it’s probably not worth your time and money to build them. That’s why it’s recommended to pay for expert help.

On the more expensive end, you can find services that build websites exclusively for dental practices. For a more lightweight approach, hire a small Wordpress firm, or even contract a freelancer. Just make sure whomever you work with has relevant experience and a roster of happy clients.

Do Build a consistent brand

Many patients will get their first impression of your practice via your website - so make sure it gives them a clear, accurate sense of who you are.

Start by reviewing your current marketing materials, letterhead, business cards, etc. Patients may not consciously notice the logo, font, or even the wall paint color in your office - but these elements matter. Whoever creates your website should ensure that it’s fully consistent with these prior design choices. A highly consistent visual identity can inspire trust in your practice, while a scattered or incoherent brand can do just the opposite.

More abstractly, consider what you really want to communicate to your patients. A generic, cookie-cutter dentist website won’t tell patients much about you, or help them prepare for an in-person visit. Don’t be afraid to play with the language and imagery, and get feedback from friends, family, or current patients. There’s plenty of room to make your website uniquely yours while staying professional.

Don’t Let your site get stale

When patients in your area search online for a dentist, you want your website to be the top result. Getting your site into that coveted spot is the art and science of Search Engine Optimization (SEO). There is a whole world of important SEO information out there - far too much to cover here. But if you learn one thing from this article, make it this: freshness matters.

Publishing fresh content - i.e. regularly updating your website with new material - is crucial for any SEO strategy. Google periodically “indexes” your site, scanning it for updates. When it sees new content, it rewards that activity with more frequent crawling (and more chances for you to climb the rankings). Publishing fresh material also gives you a chance to write about your work. This content is used by search engines to assess how important and authoritative you are in your field. To put it simply, the more you say about dentistry, the more relevant Google thinks you are to dental searches.

A blog section on your website is a great platform for fresh content. Even if you only update it once a month, search engines and patients alike will notice.

Do Offer a clear call to action

A ‘Call to Action’ (CTA) is the linchpin of most business communications and marketing exercises. It’s simply what you ask the audience to do. “Read more” is a popular call to action, as is “Call now.” The best CTAs are short, sweet, and direct. They leave your reader with no confusion about what to do next.

You might think of your website as a flat repository for information about your practice. But this is a wasted opportunity. Patients have shown that they’re interested in much richer and more engaging online transactions. For instance, 77% of patients want access to virtual care and telehealth; one in five would switch to a doctor who offered telehealth. And nearly 60% of patients have booked an appointment online or would like to do so.

If you offer an interactive or quick-gratification service like online booking, drive patients to it with a CTA that’s crystal clear and ‘above the fold’ (so patients can see it without scrolling). Even if you’d rather patients get in touch the old-fashioned way, consider making your CTA “Call now to book an appointment,” alongside your phone number. Whatever you want from your patients, this is the time and place to ask. Read more about CTA best practices here.

Don’t Skimp on photography

Web users are extremely visual. One study found that selecting better images boosted conversion rates by over 40%. And while “shopping” online for a dentist isn’t quite the same as shopping for a new pair of shoes on Zappos, it’s still true that images are a vital part of your website. For better or worse, patients feel they can get a sense of your practice by seeing pictures of it (and you!).

That’s why it’s worth investing in high-quality photography. Nothing turns off savvy consumers more than cheesy stock photos. And while it may look simple enough to take your own photos, there are many details (lighting, composition, staging, etc.) that an amateur or hobbyist will struggle with. So unless you’re extremely confident in your own abilities, consider hiring a professional photographer. Find someone whose work appeals to you by searching around online, or asking other local businesses for their recommendations.

If all goes well, you’ll use these images for years to come. The cost in time and money will pay for itself many times over.

Do Prioritize important info

Take a 15-second break to read this comic. Does it strike a chord? If you visit a random healthcare provider’s page, you’ll probably notice the same effect. Doctors and dentists offer a lot of information, but not always what the reader is looking for.

The solution is obvious: Think like your patients. On the homepage of your website, it should be dead simple to find (or navigate to) information about your practice’s pricing, insurances, location, hours of operation, and medical services offered. Are your education, background, experience, and philosophy important? Of course. But they may be more appropriate for an “About” page than front-and-center on your homepage.

If you’re not quite sure what patients are looking for, check with your front office staff. The more frequently they’re fielding a question via phone call, the more prominently that question should be answered on your website.

Do Connect your site to other services

On its own, your website can be a powerful and effective marketing initiative. But to amplify its impact, make sure it’s fully connected to complementary websites and services.

First, link it up with your social media presence. Most websites come with pre-installed social buttons - i.e. small icons that link out to your Facebook profile, Twitter feed, Instagram account, and so on. You should also list your website URL on those social profiles, to point visitors back to the site. This consolidates your web presence, and makes it easy for patients to hop around and find what they’re looking for. It also signals to Google that all of your web properties are managed by the same person, which may help your SEO presence.

On the backend, you should also claim your listing with Google My Business. This makes it easier for patients to find your site by linking it to an official Google Maps location, and gives you some details about your site visitors. Similarly, make sure your website is set up with Google Analytics. This will gather a lot of information about the behavior of your patients, e.g. which pages they visit and how long they spend on each. Analytics runs quietly in the background, without hampering your patients’ web experience, until you’re ready to play around with the data.

The Bottom Line

Your practice website is a critical tool to attract and engage new patients. Some aspects of this effort, like building the site and fleshing it out with high-quality photography, are best left to professionals. Others, like keeping it updated with new content, might be worthwhile and enjoyable to handle yourself. Either way, make sure that the site meets your patients’ needs and offers them a clear call to action. Your website is uniquely yours. With a little time and attention, it can become an inspiring reflection of your brand.

About NexHealth

NexHealth is a patient relationship management suite for healthcare providers. With seamless, digital technology, NexHealth helps providers - from large medical groups to independent practitioners - improve patient retention, simplify officework, and enhance their brand. To learn more, visit NexHealth.com.