How can I attract more patients? This is certainly a question all dentists ask themselves regularly. Especially new practices face this challenge. With the advent of the Internet, it has become almost mandatory for practices to be visible online. Using the web, you can attract patients from your area. Of course, it is up to you to decide which impression you want to create online. Your website can, thus, make a huge difference.
Why do I need a website?
Your website has two main goals: online presence and visibility. But why is this important? The number of internet users has been increasing continuously over the past years. In 2021, there were more than 66 million users in Germany. For those aged 14 to 49, the figure was as high as 100 percent (source: statista). At the same time, users have higher expectations. As a result, dentists should have an appealing online presence allowing patients to find them.
Your website is, so to speak, the modern business card of your practice and gives the first impression of you and the service you offer. However, try not to see it as a duty but rather as an opportunity to show your best side and stand out from other dentists. Especially in regions with many dentists, it is crucial to highlight the special services of your practice so that patients can make the right choice. Once patients have chosen a dentist they trust, it will be very difficult to convince them to change to your practice.
The more appealing a website is designed and the better optimized according to the criteria of Google and other search engines (keyword: “SEO”), the higher you will be ranked among the search results. This, in turn, leads to more users visiting your site, which helps you attract more patients.
3 examples of successful practice websites
What makes a good and, most importantly, visible website that sets you apart from other dental practices? We did some research and found three sites that lead by example and show what a distinctive and consistent design can look like.
The first page belongs to Dr. Henning Keil and his team. When you visit the site, you are greeted by a video showing a happy mother and daughter. This makes the entry more dynamic (keyword: “emotional appeal”). Various awards and reviews emphasize the quality of the services offered. On all sub-pages, you will find many authentic photos of employees and the practice. As you can see, they deliberately decided not to use generic images. The pictures show the practice team laughing in a relaxed mood and thus create a good feeling. You will also find patient testimonials, i.e., quotes from real patients about their experiences with the practice. For those interested, detailed information on Dr. Keil’s career is listed. The appointment scheduling function as well as links to the practice’s various social media profiles are also helpful. The website is well structured and has a good recognition value, not least due to the striking design of the logo and the mischievous slogan “Wie KEIL ist das denn?” (a pun on the dentist’s name, “How awesome is that?”). Source: https://www.zahnarzt-keil.de/
We also loved the website of “Dentaversum” in Hamburg. The homepage places great emphasis on emotional appeal, has a very dynamic design, and works with moving images, too. Its structure is clear and intuitive. The many self-made info videos of the dentists and staff are also outstanding. Visitors get a direct insight into the practice and a very good first impression. Other great features include the listing of all services offered by the dental practice, the possibility of scheduling appointments online, and the links to social media profiles.
Particularly noteworthy is the high recognition value of the brand, which results from both the inventive name of the practice and the distinctive logo design and corporate design as well as the overarching space theme. As a visitor and patient, you dive into a dentist’s universe (keyword: “a world of adventure”). The theme is implemented consistently, from planet graphics to the announcement: “3-2-1… READY FOR TAKE-OFF! EXPERIENCE THE FUTURE OF DENTAL MEDICINE TODAY!” Source: https://www.dentaversum.de/
Our selection is completed by the website of Zahnzentrum Fehrmann und Kollegen b06. Here, too, the start page displays a full-screen image that increases the website’s emotional appeal. The striking logo design as well as the simple overall design with a clear structure and the accent color orange, which is consistently used on all sub-pages, are outstanding.
We particularly liked the guide for anxiety patients and the 360° virtual tour of the practice. Special services and high-tech equipment are also listed. As with the previous examples, there are many images, detailed information about the dentists, an online appointments scheduling tool, and links to social media profiles. Source: https://zahnzentrum-fehrmann.de/
Conclusion: how to attract more patients with your website
All three selected sites have two important things in common: authenticity and recognition value. The many emotional images help create an appealing impression. All of the websites are characterized by a clear design, intuitive navigation, detailed information, and the integration of social media and appointment scheduling functions.
In the end, it is completely up to you how you design your website. We recommend that you do not put on an act but rather highlight what is special about your practice. Remember to only use the design and content that feels right for you. The practice marketing specialists of docvolution GmbH of our cooperation partner synMedico can help find what works best for you. Both in terms of design and search engine optimization, good advice is often worth its weight in gold. All of this can help you make an appealing first impression and, thus, attract more patients to your practice.
For more information on online marketing for dental practices please see the following article.
