Building your practice website: 3 important questions to ask yourself

By Glenn Lombardi

Most practices are now aware of the need and benefits that result from an online presence. Whether you are considering a new website, want to improve your existing brochure-type site, or are ready for a redesign, careful planning will help ensure that your site can effectively communicate your services and attract new patients to your office.

Start by asking yourself the following basic questions.

1. Does your website have a professional, attractive design?
The look and feel of your website will definitely play an important role in how first-time visitors perceive your practice. After all, your site directly reflects your practice online. Make sure the first impression is impactful. Choose a website company that specializes in dental designs and offers robust customization options in order to create a tailored site for your practice that clearly portrays your unique goals and services.

2. Does your practice website provide meaningful content?
“Content is king,” and that couldn’t be more true when it comes to engaging your patients with meaningful information. When new patients visit your site, make sure the words on your pages provide a helpful explanation of who you are, what you offer, and why they should choose your practice for their dental needs. A professional dental website company should also enable you to incorporate trustworthy patient education content into your site, increasing awareness for your treatments and services.

3. Can patients view your site from their mobile phone?
The number of people using smartphones is skyrocketing, and users have access to virtually every type of information they want, whenever and wherever they need it. That means your website needs to be optimized to display more clearly on mobile devices so that patients can access information about your practice on the go, wherever they may be. Mobile-specific functions such as click-to-call, mapping functions, email, and appointment requests are just a few of the features available to patients through a mobile Web page.

As more and more people view the Internet as central to their lives, a website should be at the core of your practice marketing plan. Make sure you are at the very least incorporating these fundamental components, including an attention-getting design, helpful content, and mobile-compatible Web pages in order to engage and attract the growing number of patients online.

Author bio
Glenn Lombardi is president of Officite, LLC, the No. 1 provider of websites and Internet presence management strategies for the dental community. Officite has built more than 6,000 websites that have generated hundreds of thousands of appointment requests since 2002. To learn more, visit www.officite.com or call (800) 908-2483.