Imagine this: A patient in your local area is Googling, looking for a dentist for their family. They find many of the websites look very similar, with the same boring content and stock images. Then, they see a website with an easy-to-follow design, eye-catching photography, and trust-building unique content that answers all of their questions. The practice’s contact information is easy to find, and they book then and there from their mobile device. Which category does your website fall into - the first, or the second? You want the BEST dental website in your community so patients choose your practice over your competition. But that raises an important question: What goes into an effective website? We break it all down in this simple 8-step checklist below.

1. Have clear navigation

Your dental website design should be VERY easy for patients to navigate and immediately find the information they need.

• Your logo and branding elements should be prominently displayed so users know they landed on the right website.
• Feature vibrant calls to actions or buttons to encourage your user to take action (i.e. request an appointment, call the office, meet the doctor, etc.).
• Make it easy for people to contact your office. Feature your phone number prominently in the menu, add an inline form to your hero area so they can email you right away, put your patient forms right on the homepage, etc.
• Make sure your website is easy to navigate on ALL devices, including mobile, so it is easy to call your office right away, get directions, and find other contact information.

2. Create a dynamite hero area

Your website’s “hero” is the first image, statement, and impression your website is going to make. It’s also sometimes referred to as the content “above the fold” - in other words, it’s what patients see first, before scrolling. There are many ways you can make an incredible hero area:

• Put your favorite photo (of your team, laughing with a patient, etc.) in the hero area.
• Create an impactful, unique headline.
• Include a BRIEF bulleted list highlighting how you make patients’ visits super easy and worthwhile (early morning appointments, online payments, new patient specials, etc.).
• Add a form right in your hero, so potential customers can get in touch with you right away.

3. Make your UVP the star of the show

Your dental website should highlight your “why” - why you’re unique, why patients should choose you, why you do what you do. One way to do this is to address your patients’ barriers and explain how you overcome them.

• Do potential patients fear the dentist? Show how you help your patients overcome fear with an empathetic team, sedation options, technology that reduces pain, etc.
• Are your patients worried about the cost of treatment? Feature your financing options, membership plan, and anything your team does to assist.
• Are your customers super busy? Talk about how you make appointment times convenient.
• Extend an olive branch to call or email your office to get in touch with you in case users have any questions.

4. Introduce yourself

People want to know who you are, what you look like, what your team is like, and whether or not they’ll feel comfortable in your care.

• Introduce yourself - but don’t just share a long list of education and credentials. Instead, describe how you care for your patients, why you do what you do, how they benefit from your expertise, and why they should choose you over any other dental provider in the area.
• Include a photo (or photos!) of yourself - and remember, it doesn’t have to be a stiff headshot! Photos with your family, with your team, with your dog - or even a silly, goofy selfie - all put patients at ease.
• Include a quote of what you promise to your patients. What are your values? What are your goals?

5. Describe what you offer in patient-first language

Now is the time to bring up what services you offer at your practice.

• Mention your top services and describe how they benefit patients.
• Do you have any promotions for current and new patients? Promote them on the homepage and dangle that carrot to encourage people to call you.

6. Prove it with trust builders

You’re talking about how you help patients, but where’s the proof? Should patients just take your word for it? Your website offers the perfect opportunity to showcase proof from existing patients to tell potential patients how amazing you are.

• REAL photos and videos of your office, team, and patients go SO much further than stock photos - the investment in a professional photoshoot is well worth it.
• Include testimonials from your fans talking about how you answered their questions and solved their problems.
• Include case studies and before and afters of actual patients.
• Have a portfolio of your work? Give people a sneak peek of the work you’ve done and put in a call to action to see more of your beautiful dentistry.

7. Make it ridiculously easy to contact you

Now’s the time for a potential patient to take action! Make it so easy for them to reach you, they don’t need to leave their devices.

• Add a link to get directions to your office via Google My Business.
• Put your new patient forms on the website (BONUS: Make your patient forms fillable online!).
• Add a form to encourage patients to email your office.
• Display your phone number and link to it so people can easily call your office on any device.
• Can current patients pay online? Add that link for them!

8. Make it mobile-friendly

We’ve touched on the importance of user experience on ALL devices, but we’re going to state it again: With 63% of people searching online on a mobile device, it’s crucial your website is user-friendly on ALL devices.

• Your website should be responsive (automatically adjusting to any screen size).
• Include click-to-call so patients can call you from your website with one tap.
• On mobile, is it easy for patients to find the information they need right away?
• Are the navigation, design elements, and font sizes easy to browse on any device?
• Does your website load fast enough (3 seconds or less)?

Let's get your dental website from "meh" to MARVELOUS!

Review this 8-step checklist and compare it against your own website. Does your site deliver? Does the BEST dental website in your community belong to you? If so, AWESOME! But if not, don't stress. Roadside Dental Marketing has a long-standing reputation for building the best websites for dentists since 1999. Plus, we do more than build pretty sites; our responsive websites deliver more new patients, solid SEO rankings, and increased brand awareness and visibility in your target market. Browse our always-expanding portfolio of dental website designs for inspiration and then schedule a time to chat with our experts to see what we can do for your practice!