Because internet technology progresses at such a rapid speed, dentists who want to maximize new patient numbers should revise, update, or rebuild their website every two years. Consider whether your site has any of the following issues:
- NO NEW PATIENT CALLS: You aren’t getting any new patient calls from your website. This could be a result of poor SEO, a confusing user experience, being outdated, or having an unattractive site.
- UNAPPEALING APPEARANCE: Your site begins to look junky because you’ve been adding and changing elements through the years, and the original design has been lost. Like patching a quilt, adding bits and pieces to your website results in a hodgepodge of information that is neither easy to navigate nor attractive.
- IRRELEVANCY: The employee photos and bios, as well as your services, technology, and education desperately need to be updated. Your site should reflect the appearance, atmosphere, and philosophy of your dental office, and that means keeping the site updated.
- OLD SEO: What worked for SEO two years ago is no longer relevant today. If you fail to revise your site’s SEO strategy regularly, your traffic and rank in search engine results will slip.
- WRONG KEYWORDS: If you show up on Google only for your name, but not for your services, the symptoms you treat, or the cities you serve, your site needs keyword optimization. If your site does not show up in Google results at all, you have a serious website problem.
- INCOMPATIBILITY: Your site is tiny on smart phones or cannot load properly on phones and tablets. Google gives “responsive” websites, those that grown and shrink according to screen size, more priority in online search. Potential patients also appreciate responsive sites, and according to my research, 25-40% of dental website visits are now conducted on mobile devices (smart phones or tablets).
- OUTDATED DESIGN: Your site does not look as interesting, is not as interactive, or is more confusing to use than most of the modern websites you’ve seen. Sometimes starting fresh is more lucrative and rewarding than working on a fixer-upper.
If your site does suffer from one or more of these concerns, you may need updates, a few major changes, or a completely new website.
Your Website’s Appearance and SEO Matter
In The Dental Tribune, Industry News, February 2004, we learn that 97 percent of new patients in your local market rely on the web to research medical and professional services. This statistic was originally reported by BIA/Kelsey a research firm. Potential patients are looking for you online. How your site ranks in Google and what it looks like greatly influence whether you will get new patient referrals from your website.
Does Your Site Need Attention?
Ask yourself these questions:
- Does your website show up when potential patients search for a dentist or dental services that you offer? If you aren’t sure, use an Incognito window in Google and conduct a search for the services you offer and cities you serve. (Las Vegas Root Canal, for example…)
- How long has it been since you saw a new patient who contacted you because of your website? You should be getting new calls every week.
- Do you have Google Analytics installed on your site? (If yes, answer the next two questions. If no, you need to install this free tracking tool. Skip the next two questions.)
- According to your Google Analytics report, are the number of new patient calls your office receives in line with the number of people visiting your site?
- According to your Google Analytics report, how long are visitors staying on your website, and how many pages are they reviewing?
- When you look at your peers’ new websites, does yours look outdated? If you aren’t sure, as some of your patients and trusted friends who will be honest with you.
Seek Advice Now
If you want to know how your website looks and performs, call me for a complimentary analysis. I’ll check the SEO, content, rankings, and, if possible, traffic data. I can also conduct a competitive analysis to determine what other dentists in your area are doing in regards to online marketing. Email [email protected] or call 940-395-5115.
About Shauna Duty: As a copywriter, copy director, and owner of dental marketing companies, Shauna has worked with hundreds of copywriters, developers, and SEO experts. Today, she hires only those with high standards for excellence and quality. Shauna owns and manages Identiwrite Creative, a content marketing agency that caters to dentists, dental specialists, dental consultants, and dental website and SEO agencies.
