6 essential elements of great dental website design

Attractive and engaging dental website design encompasses several elements that work together to create an outstanding user experience. Here’s a look at a few essential components that make a dental website stand out.

Incorporate these design elements to make your dental website as effective and appealing as possible.

Almost every respondent (94%) to web design company Clutch’s 2022 survey said easy navigation is the most important website feature. For patients seeking information, it can be frustrating to land on a healthcare website and not be able to find what they are looking for quickly.

Effective website design and navigation make it easy and intuitive for prospective patients to move between pages. A nav bar at the top of the page containing information organized in a logical manner is a classic structure prospective patients will recognize and understand. Make sure it is easy findable and viewable on your mobile website as well.

When you think of dental website design, the content might not be the first thing that comes to mind, but it’s crucial. The content on your website tells the story of your practice and what you have to offer. It also speaks to your professionalism and can build — or break — trust with prospective patients. 

Make content digestible by using headers to break up text and keeping sentences short. When possible, present information in list form, as this is easier to read than a large block of text.

Misspellings and grammatical errors will give prospective dental patients pause, cause them to question your professionalism, and may lead them to look elsewhere, so enlist your sharpest editors to proofread your content.

Conversely, well-written, grammatically correct, and easy-to-read health content provides the information patients are seeking, while conferring a sense of trustworthiness and credibility to your practice. 

High-quality images to complement your dental website’s design are non-negotiable. More than half of marketers (52%) cite visual images as a very important form of marketing for their business, according to Venngage. Photos add visual interest to the page and give prospective patients a better idea of how their experience at the practice will be. Avoid stock imagery, and instead invest in images of your practice, waiting room, and wonderful staff.

Introduce patients to your team by including professional headshots with bios on your “About Us” page. Include photos of your office — i.e., waiting room, exam rooms, etc. — to help patients envision themselves receiving treatment at your office.

Incorporating video into your dental website design can add serious value. Engage potential patients by creating videos that explain the different treatments an specialties you serve so they can quickly learn more about them and their benefits.

Consider adding short video testimonials from returning patients about their experience to add a friendly and communal tone to your dental website, but be sure to get patient permission in writing to avoid any issues with HIPAA. Video testimonials can be a powerful tool to convert new online visitors to patients and showcase how your dental practice is better than the competition.

The ultimate goal of your dental website design should be to convert visitors into patients. Place prompts such as “Call us” and “Request an appointment” prominently on every page of your website so it’s easy to get in touch.

Including a variety of calls to action (CTAs) is important because not everyone wants to reach out through the same medium. Some people prefer phone calls, while others would rather connect through an online form or email. Provide various options to increase the likelihood that prospective patients will get in touch. 

According to Google, most users now access the search engine through a mobile device. Consequently, the search behemoth recommends using responsive web design for many reasons.

Google cites some of the benefits of responsive web design as making it easier for patients to share and link to your content and helping its algorithms accurately assign properties to the page. In fact, Google has been practicing mobile-first indexing  — i.e., primarily using the mobile version of the site for indexing and ranking — for all new websites since July 1, 2019.

Ultimately, prospective patients will visit your site using a variety of devices. Since responsive web design adjusts to fit the content on a variety of devices and screen sizes, you’re able to provide a positive user experience for everyone.

Great dental website design encompasses a variety of features that make it both attractive and functional. This is the first impression many patients will get of your practice. Investing in a high-quality site adds value and helps attract new patients to your dental practice.

Your dental practice office is where prospective patients expect to feel welcomed and receive exceptional care. Your dental website design should also embody a similarly positive, efficient, and professional experience.

Keep in mind that dental websites are different than standard commercial websites, so take advantage of custom designs and special features that will appeal to dental patients. Provide a user-friendly experience with website elements such as online appointment scheduling and the ability to pay bills online.

For your own dental website design, lean toward a clean, modern, and minimalist design with lots of visual design elements. Include images, text callouts, and more. Modern website design suggests that your practice delivers a modern patient experience, so consider what your dental website design currently says about you and how you might like to change that. 

A custom dental website includes your logo and brand colors, and it presents what makes your location and services unique. It is important you stand out from other dental practices in your local area. Consider adding website features that will help turn your website visitors into patients. 

The cost of a dentist portfolio website depends on multiple factors. Those include how much content is needed, how much design is needed, the timeline, and ultimately, the rate of the designer. Websites can cost from $1,000-$20,000 or even more, according to Rosemont Media. 

While you consider your options, know your website will need to include standard informational pages about your practice, look good on all devices, and be easy to navigate. 

The ultimate goal of your dental website is to convert online visitors into new patients. On each webpage, you should have clear CTAs that direct their next step.

It’s also important to enable online scheduling so patients can quickly make an appointment at their own convenience.  Make sure it’s clear how to get in touch with you, whether it is via email, phone, or an online form.