6 Reasons to Invest in a New Dental Website in the Next 12 Months

Here are six reasons we believe you should invest in a new dental website in the next fiscal year. Let’s dive in.

1) Your website offers a less-than-optimal user experience to searchers on the go.

46% of all Google searches are localOpens in a new window to a marketing article” or include local intent. In other words, the searcher used a geographic term in his or her search or is physically IN the geographic vicinity of your business. What’s more is that calls from those searches are exploding, thanks to smartphones and click-to-call technology.

Why is this motivation to invest in a new website?

As a business, you can’t ignore this change in the way people are browsing websites. You need to ensure that your site looks phenomenal and offers an impeccable user experience (UX), especially on mobile devices (as well as desktops). Otherwise, you’re going to lose potential business.

We see 2020 as the perfect time to redesign your site and put mobile users first.

2) The content on your website isn’t delivering the right message anymore.

Content is frequently forgotten in a web design project, but it is one of the most important elements of your website.

Why? Words go a long way in creating trust and transforming your website visitors into customers and clients. Pair up impressive design with exceptional content, and you’re on to a winning combination.

What is the problem with the content on many business websites?

If your content is not regularly fine-tuned and updated, it makes your site appear notably stagnant and could even project an entirely different message than the one you intended. In addition, Google looks to your content to establish E.A.T.Opens in a new window to a marketing article” (Expertise. Authoritativeness. Trustworthiness).

For example, if your content includes a series of statements and facts, such as – “We were founded in 2009 and offer general dentistry services to local Tulsa residents,” – rather than including content to address the problems your patients are facing and how you can solve those problems, it falls short of fulfilling the searcher’s query.

Why is this cause to invest in a new website?

Content is still king online, so having a website that delivers super relevant content in a way that engages potential customers is worth its weight in gold. A website redesign is also the perfect time to re-evaluate your message and rework your content to make sure it’s resonating with your ideal customer.

3) Your current website’s technology is out of date.

We often hear the question “How often should I update my website?” The answer to that is not as straightforward as you might think. There are a number of factors to consider. One blatant reason would be if your current site is STILL not mobile-friendly. If your users have to pinch and pan or squint on a mobile device to see what you offer, your website is in desperate need of a makeover.

There are, of course, other reasons to redesign a website, such as new branding, beating a competitor, office renovation, etc.

Why should you opt for a new website over just redesigning your current one?

Two words: It’s less expensive – much, much less expensive, in fact, when you consider the amount of labor one would have to invest to change the entire structure of your current non-responsive or outdated website. Not to mention the fact that even with the framework being made responsive, your site would still be stuck in the past from a design and content perspective.

4) Visitors cannot easily find what they need, or it’s difficult to execute an action on your website.

Can visitors easily find valuable information on your website? Information that’s relevant and compelling enough for them to take action?

You could potentially have a couple of different types of users visiting your website, each type looking for something a little different. Does your current website cater to all of their unique needs?

Why is this a reason to invest in a new website?

If your visitors cannot locate what they need or want, or if they cannot complete the action you want them to (such as booking an appointment online), then it’s ineffective and a complete waste.

5) You aren’t using video to your advantage on your website or YouTube.

87% of businesses use video as a marketing toolOpens in a new window to a marketing article”, if your practice is not one of them, then you are missing out. Each year mobile video consumption rises by 100%.

It is also interesting to note that viewers retain a whopping 95% of a message when they watch it in a video, compared to a measly 10% when reading it in text.

Creating high-value, useful, and entertaining videos and publishing them on YouTube and other social media channels is an excellent way to generate even more web traffic.

Why is this a reason to invest in a new website?

Video usage only has one direction to go in 2020, and that’s up, so adopting the use of video is a no-brainer if you want to get serious about inbound marketing. Incorporating video on your website is also increasingly popular now. Why? Videos are incredibly engaging if used correctly.

To view examples that really showcase the power of video, visit:

• Shawn Keller DDSOpens in a new window to a dental website”
• Life Smiles by Randy Mitchmore, DDSOpens in a new window to a dental website”
• Arch DentalOpens in a new window to a dental website”

6) You don’t have a clear digital strategy (but you totally should by now).

Having a digital strategy in 2020 is imperative.

If you don’t have one now, you need to work on putting one in place pronto, and investing in a new website can mean that it can be the centerpiece of that strategy.

A digital strategy is a process of specifying your business’ vision, goals, opportunities, and related activities to maximize the business gains of digital initiatives. It’s putting in place a digital plan to succeed online.

Let’s say you’re an orthodontist. Your digital strategy might be built up of:

• Regular social media posts on your business Twitter and Facebook pages, sharing new products, testimonials, and technology to promote engagement and exchange among followers.
• The production of videos on your YouTube channel and website, educating users about how to pick the right orthodontic treatment for the perfect smile.
• Publishing high-value articles for the blog on your site to boost sharing, distribution, and as a result, generate even more traffic for your website.
• Weekly e-newsletters to your customers informing them of special offers and promotions and recirculating content you’ve posted on your website.

As you can see, it’s all about content creation and distribution on different channels.

Why is this a reason to invest in a new website?

Your new website will be the hub where you will be adding and writing new content, which will then be distributed across all the channels mentioned in the orthodontist example above. Every digital activity you perform should guide people back to your website, which, if finely tuned and professional in its appearance, will convert those visitors into leads.

Bonus: Upgrade your website to ADA compliance and get a 50% tax credit (up to $5,000)

We promised to share 6 reasons to invest in a new website, but here’s one more to consider:

If you upgrade your website to ADA compliance guidelines, you’re eligible to claim up to a $5,000 tax credit. (Yep… you read that right!) The IRS states: “This credit can cover 50% of the eligible access expenditures in a year up to $10,250 (maximum credit of $5,000). The tax credit can be used to offset the cost of undertaking barrier removal and alterations to improve accessibility.”

There are many reasons to update your website to WCAG 2.0 Level AA standards for ADA compliance, including providing valuable information to everyone in your community and protecting your practice from costly lawsuits, but a $5000 tax credit is the icing on the cake! Get the latest ADA compliance info as well as resources to share with your tax consultant in this blog post.

Conclusion

Are websites expensive? To be honest, some are, but investing in a properly coded, properly built, current and optimized website is one of the smartest business decisions you can make.

As with anything in life, you can go with the hair dye in a box, gumball machine watch, save-a-few-pennies route, or you can invest in your future and get a custom-designed dental website that perfectly fits your practice.

Ask us about our amazing responsive website promotions and our customized marketing packages to help your practice go to the next level!

Editor’s note: This post was originally published in 2016 and has been updated to include the most up-to-date information.