What’s In A Website?
Dental Website Designers in UK
A good website is at the heart of any successful marketing campaign, and is an excellent way of showing patients just who you are and what you do. You website may for example include patient testimonials, picture of your team, or even before and after photos from completed cases. Whatever you choose to include, visitors to your website will experience a fantastic ‘snap shot’ of your practice, and what they see, and what they read will persuade them either to call you, or search elsewhere.
Detail in the design
The design is an important part of any website, and in dentistry in particular, an eye-catching design helps to establish a strong first impression. The best websites will work as an extension of the practice setting, and will even use the same branding and colour scheme. Aside from the branding element, you should also be sure that your website isn’t too cluttered, or overwhelming on first glance, and that menus are clear and easy to follow. Remember, your practice website is reflection of your practice, and if your website doesn’t look professional, then rightly or wrongly, patients will assume the same is true of your dentistry.
What you say matters
Content is vitally important to a good website, and is one of the key determining factors behind how well your website ranks on Google. Content should be easy to read and professional, you should avoid jargon wherever possible, and you should never copy and paste text from another source. You should also ensure that your text is up to date, and ideally, you should add new content regularly. One of the best ways you can do this is by writing a practice blog. Blogs are an excellent way of engaging with patients, and making your practice seem ‘real’. Not only that, but Google loves blogs, and you will find your search ranking rises as a result.
Online compliance
While you will be familiar with the need for strict compliance protocols in-practice, you may not be aware of the need for a similar level of compliance when it comes to your practice website. In addition to the requirements outlined by the GDC and CQC, you should also ensure your website meets the ICO’s policy regarding the use of cookies. If you’ve never heard of the ICO regulations then it may well be worth your while to call in some expert support. After all, you may be an excellent dentist, but that is not to say you are an expert web developer, and factors such as ICO compliance should not be overlooked.
Staying ahead of the game
Effective online dental marketing is no easy task, but is one that is vitally important if you are to stay ahead of the local competition. To achieve this, it is important that you have a website that is both appealing to patients and is ultimately something that you and your team can be proud of. This website should excel in areas such as design, content, and compliance and should also be fully compatible across all mobile devices. With these factors in mind, your practice website will be well on the way to online success.
For more information call 020 7183 8388, or visit www.dental-focus.com
About the author:
Alfie Jones aka the Guru is Project Manager at Dental Focus ® ‘Websites for your profit’. Alfie has worked as a web designer, copywriter, college tutor and charity fundraiser in his time, and is called the Guru because he has a ‘guru-like’ knowledge of the web. As an expert in social media and website technology, Alfie is the first port of call for any dentist who is serious about their online marketing.