Web Design VernonWhat a dental office's website needs so patients book instead of phoning the next one
Someone looking up a dentist is either in pain or has been putting it off for a year. Neither wants to make five phone calls. They ask four things, in this order.
- Are you open, and are you taking patients?
- Will you take my plan?
- Can I get in today, and will it hurt?
- What will it cost me?
I read five Vernon dental office sites. All five answer the second question. Not one answers the fourth.
1. Are you open, and are you taking patients?
All five show a phone number. Four give their hours, and two of those make it a selling point: "Evening Hours" and "Open 6 Days A Week". A person who works until five picks the office that is open at six.
Four of the five have a Book button. Three say they are taking new patients: "New Patients Welcome", "We are always accepting new patients". The other two don't say. A patient who can't tell whether you're accepting phones the office that says yes. If you are taking patients, put those words on the home page.
2. Will you take my plan?
This is where Vernon offices are best, and where you can fall behind.
- Direct billing. All five say something about insurance. Typical: "we direct bill to many insurance providers".
- The Canadian Dental Care Plan. Four of the five answer it: one says "now accepting", one has a page about CDCP coverage, one has a FAQ ("Are you accepting CDCP patients?"), and one says plainly that it is not accepting it. That last one is the most useful line of the four. A patient who finds out in one second that you don't take it goes elsewhere without calling, and you've saved both of you five minutes.
Dentists choose whether to join the plan. Both answers are fine. What isn't fine is silence, because the patient has no way to tell. Whichever is true, say it in a sentence, and say what the patient should do next ("call and we'll check what your plan covers").
Two of the five mention financing for larger work. If you offer payment plans, say so near the crowns and implants.
3. Can I get in today, and will it hurt?
Two of the five offer emergency or same-day care, one on a page of its own. A toothache can't wait for Monday, and "Emergency Dentist" in a heading is what a person types at 7 a.m. If you leave room for emergencies, say so, with the phone number beside it.
Three of the five talk about nervous patients: sedation options, or "built around you and your comfort". A lot of people avoid the dentist out of fear. Naming it on the page tells them they're not the first to ask.
Four of the five describe what to expect at the first visit, and what to bring. Three of the five say they see children and families. Both are one short paragraph each, and each removes a reason to phone.
Every one of the five names its dentists, with some line on their training, such as "graduated from UBC Dentistry in 2006". Do the same, with a photo.
4. What will it cost me?
None of the five lists a fee. Two point to an "Insurance and Pricing" page or a payment page, and the patient still doesn't find a number.
You don't need your whole fee guide. Three prices answer most of it: an exam, a cleaning, and a filling, or "from" prices for them. Add a sentence on what the patient pays after insurance if they have it, and what they pay if they don't.
> New patient exam and cleaning, from $__. With a plan, we direct bill, and you pay the part your plan doesn't cover.
A patient who sees a figure can decide. A patient who doesn't phones, and the person who answers the phone is busy.
Two small things the others skip
- Parking. Three of the five say where to park, one with "FREE PARKING on 35 ST". Downtown, that's a real worry.
- Cancellation. One of the five states a policy. A line about how much notice you need saves an argument later.
The answer nobody gives
A price. Show an exam, a cleaning and a filling, and you're the only one of the five that answers the question every patient has.
Where this goes on your site
Phone, hours, the Book button and "accepting new patients" sit at the top of the home page. The CDCP answer and the insurance line come next, then the emergency line. The price sits with them.
Want it done? Text me your business name at 778 808 5385. I'll look at your site and tell you what I'd change, and the rebuild is free. Here's a site I made up for a different kind of business, so you can see the layout.
