Responsive Dental Websites: Best Practices for Modern Dental Practices
The concept of a dental website is constantly evolving, and it’s crucial for you to keep up with these changes if you want to:
A) Remain competitive in the dental industry.
B) Cater to new patients who may be searching online for dental services.
When the internet first became popular, all you needed was an online brochure—a simple page showcasing your office address, phone number, and a brief outline of your services provided. Then dental websites evolved to be more interactive, focusing on user interface and website visitors. Today, you need to take things a step further and ensure your site has a responsive design and is mobile friendly. Here’s what that means and why it’s essential for your dental practice website.
The Rise of Mobile Devices in Dentistry
You’ve probably noticed how many people walk into your office staring into the screens of their mobile version devices. Perhaps you run one of those ‘progressive’ offices that use iPads or similar tablets to keep patients occupied while you work on their teeth. It turns out more people are now using mobile-friendly devices in all aspects of life, including searching for dental services. That means your dental website design must accommodate these users if you want to effectively convert visitors into prospective patients.
Mobile Device Use Has Overtaken Fixed Internet Access
Back in 2008, experts predicted that mobile-friendly browsing would overtake desktop version usage by 2014. That prediction came true, and the trend is accelerating. Millions of people use mobile devices daily for work, play, and especially for seeking out general dentists and other dental professionals. This highlights the necessity of having a responsive dental website.
What Does It Mean for a Website to Be Mobile Responsive?
A responsive dental website is designed to adapt to any screen size, ensuring an optimal viewing experience. This is crucial for dental practices as more patients are using their smartphones and tablets to search for effective dental websites.
The Importance of Responsive Web Design for Dentists
Imagine you’re using a desktop version and land on a dental website. Everything appears properly formatted, and you can navigate with ease. However, if that same site isn’t mobile-friendly, it may appear distorted on a mobile version. Text may be jumbled, and images might overshadow the written content, creating a frustrating experience for potential patients.
A mobile-friendly dental website ensures that all elements—text, images, and custom content—display correctly, regardless of screen size. This is particularly important when trying to convert visitors into existing patients.
How to Test If Your Dental Website Is Mobile Responsive
Follow these steps to determine if your dental website design is mobile responsive:
Step 1: Open your website on a browser like Chrome.
Step 2: Drag the bottom-right corner of your screen upward and diagonally to the left, mimicking a mobile version.
Step 3: Try to locate key information such as office hours, phone numbers, or services provided (e.g., dental implants or root canals). A fully functional site will adjust to the new dimensions, keeping calls to action visible and easily accessible.
If your site is not mobile-friendly, it will be difficult to navigate, frustrating users and driving them to another dental website that offers a more seamless experience.
The Benefits of a Mobile Responsive Dental Website
- Improved User Experience: A responsive dental website ensures patients can easily navigate your site on any device.
- Better Search Engine Rankings: Search engines like Google favor SEO-friendly and mobile-friendly sites, improving your search results.
- Increased Conversion Rates: A well-optimized dental website design makes it easier for prospective patients to book appointments or contact your practice.
- Cost-Effective: Instead of maintaining separate desktop and mobile sites, a responsive website design for dentists covers all bases.
- Future-Proof: As new devices with different screen sizes emerge, your responsive dental website will adapt automatically.
What If Your Dental Website Isn’t Mobile Responsive?
Don’t worry! Firegang Dental Marketing offers digital marketing services, including custom dental websites, technical support, and search engine optimization (SEO efforts). We provide a free website assessment to ensure your site is fully functional, ADA-compliant, and meets marketing efforts for modern dental practices.
Potential dental patients are searching for your practice right now, and most are using mobile-friendly devices. If your website isn’t optimized, they may leave and visit a competitor’s dental website that offers a better experience.
Get Started with Firegang Dental Marketing
Our website team includes project managers, developers, and content strategists who specialize in designing websites for general dentists and specialists alike. Whether you need custom designs, meta tags for improved search engine results, professional photos, a content management system, or pay-per-click advertising, we’ve got you covered.
We’ll help you effectively convey your brand, attract potential patients, and establish trust with existing patients through an effective dental website.
Schedule a complimentary practice growth call with our team today!