In a survey conducted in 2018, 75 percent of respondents acknowledged making assumptions on a business’s reputation based on its website. Individuals are more likely to do business with a firm they trust, and the first place they go to search for qualifications, ratings, and awards is a website.
But beware — if you have a poor website, it’s not going to benefit you at all. You have 10 seconds to make an impression on visitors to the website and tell them what they will get out of your website and practice.
That’s why investing in a high quality and professional website is extremely necessary to grow your dental practice and stand out from the crowd. Here are some of the common mistakes dental practices make with their website.
No Contact Info
Many prospective customers would prefer to contact you by telephone first, so it’s going to be frustrating for a potential customer if they cannot find your address or phone number quickly. This is the most widespread error we see on most websites.
It is also, fortunately, the easiest to fix. When local consumers search for your product or service, they want to reach you easily. Not having your company name, address, and telephone number readily available on your website will affect your search rankings and guarantee you will lose potential customers.
Hidden Navigation Menu / Pages Not Easily Accessible
Making a visually pleasing website is an excellent idea, but it shouldn’t take away from its primary objective – to turn the visitor into a lead. We’ve come across visually fantastic websites that contain incredibly frustrating navigation.
Among the worst web design mistakes that can happen is a clumsy, confusing website layout and navigation. If visitors can’t easily find out about your dental practice’s services, they will lose interest or patience and leave for good.
To turn traffic into paying customers, ensure that your website is designed with your most commonly requested information easily located.
No Clear Call to Action
Another common mistake that some practice websites make is that they are not asking for what they want. You would probably invest a great deal of time and energy in promoting your business and directing people to your website. But what happens when they turn up? Don’t be afraid to invite your website visitors to perform the action you want them to, whether signing up for your email list or booking a routine checkup.
Not Mobile Friendly
The majority of the world’s internet traffic goes through mobile devices. Finding a website that is not mobile-friendly is uncommon nowadays, but it still happens. It severely decreases your target audience if users can not quickly access and view your website on their mobile device.
Not Secure (Doesn’t Have SSL Certificate)
Having an SSL certificate can benefit your website in several ways:
First, an SSL protects your potential customer’s information. Suppose a customer accesses your website on a public network, such as in a coffee shop or hotel, and accessed an HTTP website. Any details they enter on that website could be stolen and used for nefarious purposes. Encrypting the SSL of your website makes it safer for consumers to use your site to connect with you.
And finally, apart from the essential protection that SSLs and HTTPS offer, your company will benefit from Google’s preference for safe sites. Sure, if you decide not to protect your site with an SSL, Google hasn’t yet begun penalizing sites without an SSL. Still, it is also reasonable to believe that sites without SSL certificates will start to see higher bounce rates as internet users become more familiar with how secure vs. non-secure sites are labeled.
If you need help showcasing your dental practice online, please do not hesitate to contact us. We use our extensive expertise in digital marketing and designing landing pages and websites to help your practice grow. Contact us today for more information.