First impressions do count
When it comes to website design for a dentist, a homepage speaks a thousand words.
In the world of digital marketing, as in the non-virtual world, a patient will often make up their mind about you on the basis of the first thing they see, so it’s essential to get it right.
When creating your website’s shop front, here are some things to think about:
Focus on your patient
Your homepage is there to work for you, and to do this, it needs to work for your patients. Patients just want to find what they’re looking for—and quickly.
So, when you’re designing your homepage, focus on easy navigation and clear organisation.
Patients want to know how you’re going to help them rather than being bombarded with company news or messages that don’t answer their questions.
Save your company spiel for a less prominent page, where patients can go if they want to read more.
Less is more
For most websites, the main function of the homepage is to get the patient to page two.
If your content includes a persuasive call to action, it will help you to achieve this aim. If your link to page two is lost in lengthy copy, you’re unlikely to convert to a new patient.
Check that every word is essential and keep the copy to a minimum on the homepage.
Striking images are definitely a plus, but these also need to be carefully chosen. Think of your homepage as a book cover, and this should help you to get the balance right.
If you wouldn’t “pick up” your homepage based on the main photo, title and blurb about your product, it’s unlikely anyone else would either.
Dare to be different
Thinking about your homepage carefully is the only way to do justice to your business offering. If you don’t do this, you risk being lost in a sea of similar websites.
If executed well, your clinic’s website can be one of your USPs, so its homepage should be a user-friendly invitation to a distinctive and exciting online space.
Try to use your own unique photography for your homepage if you can, and write catchy headlines which are specific rather than generic.
Focus on telling people that you saved patients £x last month, for example, rather than saying that you’re cost-effective.
If you avoid empty phrases and emphasise why what you do matters, you’re much more likely to get your readers’ attention.
Contact us to find out how we can help your practice with dental website design and marketing.
