Does your dental practice’s website need a little (or a HEAP of) TLC? Want to attract more patients to your dental practice but worried your less-than-perfect website is pushing them away?
If you’re nodding your head, then it’s time to make improving your website a priority instead of letting dental website envy creep in as you see competitors killing it on the web design front.
According to Think With Google, 76% of potential patients research dental services by looking at dental providers’ websites. So if your website isn’t up to scratch, you’re missing out on a huge share of the market.
To help you claw back those shares and get your dental website in great shape, we’ve outlined the top 10 most common web design mistakes you need to avoid. Let’s get started!
So, what are the common mistakes in dental website design?
First impressions of websites are 94% related to design. So if you want to know what to look out for when assessing your own dental website for potential updates and improvements, check out our list of dental website design mistakes to avoid.
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Long, boring, or stolen copy
The key to great website copy is saying what your audience needs/wants to hear in as few words as possible.
Unfortunately, many dental websites we have seen didn’t get the memo and are instead riddled with sleep-inducing website copy that takes forever to read or isn’t even original!
Make sure your website copy is unique, to the point, engaging, and reflective of who you truly are as a dental practice, and you’ll attract the right patients to your practice.
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Doesn’t highlight USPs
What makes your dental practice different from others? Why should potential patients choose you?
I’m sure you’re thinking of all the wonderful ways your practice is unique in your mind right now. But does your website reflect that?
If your unique selling points aren’t crystal clear on your dental website, patients might forget about you when they’re narrowing down options for a new dentist. USPs make you stand out – so make sure to include them!
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No dental blog section
According to Ruler Analytics, organic search (the results pages you see underneath paid ads on search engines) is the second highest-converting channel for dental practices.
And one of the best ways to take advantage of this lucrative channel is to write blogs on the regular and post them on your dental practice website.
But from what we’ve seen, many dental practices don’t even have a blog! Don’t make the same mistake.
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No appointment scheduling option
If your competitor’s website allows patients to schedule appointments online easily and yours does not, who do you think prospective patients will choose?
In the age of convenience, trust that patients will always look for easier, quicker ways of taking care of their teeth, making a lack of online scheduling tools on your dental website a big no-no.
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Images are too “photo-stocky”
When asked what visual elements they value on a company website, 40% of consumers said images, 39% said color, and 21% said video, according to Top Design Firms.
With patients paying so much attention to the images on dental practice websites, one of the biggest mistakes you can make is using only stock images.
This practice can make patients suspicious of you and trust you less. It’s always better to go with REAL images of your team, practice, and procedures to draw in more patients.
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Poor use of CTAs
70% of small business websites don’t include a call to action. This is a common pitfall we see with dental web design that can seriously impact revenue.
Oh, what is a call to action? A CTA is one of those little buttons you see on dental website pages that invite the user to “call now” “book now” or “learn more”.
They’re vital for getting patients to take action. So you can imagine how poor a dental website might perform without them!
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Not mobile friendly
Ever look at a website on your mobile, and the whole design is just “off”? You can’t click on buttons, the full images aren’t showing correctly, and text is cut off in strange places?
That’s a website that wasn’t responsively designed for mobile devices. Since half of the world’s website traffic comes from mobile, you must ensure your website looks great on all devices.
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Content isn’t optimized
Going back to the importance of increasing organic traffic to your website using blogs, it’s also essential that you optimize your website content for specific keywords like “cosmetic dentist, LA” to attract more potential patients to your dental practice through online searches.
A solid keyword research session using your favorite tool will show you the most popular keywords potential patients are searching for. Choose 3-4 of these per page and include them in your headlines, meta information, and body copy to increase your website visibility.
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No pricing indication
Do you give patients an idea of how much your dental services cost or information on dental insurance, or do you keep your numbers to yourself?
Often, making patients jump through extra hoops, such as calling your dental practice to see your pricing range, can be a major deterrent.
Don’t make this mistake; instead, make sure you give patients an estimate or sliding scale to indicate cost on your dental website.
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No patient testimonials
93% of people surveyed said that online reviews had an impact on their buying decisions, according to Podium.
So if you don’t have patient testimonials on your dental website, trust us when we say you’re making a big mistake.
You need to instill trust in your potential patients that you offer quality services and patient care, and testimonials from past patients is precisely how to do that
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Ready to avoid these dental web design mistakes and attract attention for the right reasons?
Understand what NOT to do when designing your dental website with these avoidable mistakes, and we know you’ll see a big difference in your new patient bookings! Looking for the best dental marketing tool to make all your website work so much easier?
Introducing Mission Control: your all-in-one sales and marketing tool that takes the pain away from email marketing, social media marketing, appointment booking, and more!
From a single portal, Mission Control lets you manage and automate your entire patient journey from their first contact to their first appointment, so you and your team can get back to making patients smile. Learn more about Mission Control and book a free demo today!
