What to put on a dental office website
A new patient wants four answers fast. They want to know if you take new patients and if you take their insurance plan. They want to know when they can come and where you are. Put all four on the first screen.
People look for a dentist for different reasons. One has a new insurance card from a new job. Another needs a checkup for a child. A third has a tooth that hurts and wants to be seen today. The first screen has to work for all three.
The four answers
Give each answer its own line near the top of your home page. Add a line if your team speaks Spanish or another language.
Be exact about insurance. A line that says you take all major plans does not help. A patient wants the name on their card.
- Say if you are taking new patients and when a new patient can start.
- Name each insurance plan you take and add the date you last checked the list.
- Say when a new patient can get a first appointment.
- Show your street address and a map button with a note on where to park.
Services in plain words
Give each service one short line that says what it is. Say whether you see children.
Use the words a patient uses. Your chart has other words for the same work. Try these four swaps.
- Cleaning instead of prophylaxis.
- Gum care instead of periodontal treatment.
- Fillings and crowns instead of restorative work.
- Tooth removal instead of extraction.
The first visit and your dentist
Name your dentist and say where they trained in two lines. Add a real photo of the dentist. Add one of the front door so a patient knows the building.
Say how long a first visit takes. Say what it costs for a patient with no insurance. Use your own fee and your own time.
A first visit might run like this.
- The patient arrives and hands the insurance card to the front desk.
- The patient meets the dentist and the team.
- The dentist checks the teeth and the gums.
- The dentist and the patient talk about what comes next and what it costs.
- The patient books the next visit before leaving.
Hours and the request form
List your hours by day. Make evening and weekend hours stand out if you have them. A person who works days needs to see those first. Say so if the front desk closes for lunch.
Add a request form with day and time choices. Let the patient pick a day and then morning or afternoon or evening. Say when you will confirm the time. Ask for these four things. Leave health questions off the form.
- Name and phone number.
- New patient or returning patient.
- The name of the insurance plan.
- A first and second choice of day and time.
Emergencies and forms
A patient with a dental emergency needs a number and an answer. Give the phone number and say if you see emergencies the same day. Say which number to use after hours.
Your dentist writes the medical part of this page. Do not copy it from another office's site.
Put the forms a new patient fills in at home on one page. Link that page from your home page and from the request form. Ask your web person who can read what patients type into any form.
What to leave out
Leave out stock photos of perfect smiles. Show your own office and your own team.
Leave out medical advice unless your dentist wrote it. Leave out pages for services you do not offer. Each one invites a visit you cannot give.
Leave out any patient photo unless the patient said yes in writing.