Need a Dental Site Redesign?
At My Social Practice, we’re experts in a lot of things—dental SEO, website design, the relative hotness of various TV dentists—but you may be surprised to know we’re also masters of love. In fact, it informs everything we do, and this Valentine’s Day we want to share that wisdom with you.
Finding new patients online is a lot like going on a first date. We know what you’re thinking: “Wow, that’s a pretty profound metaphor, tell me more!” Well, when you go on a first date, you want to make a great first impression, keep the conversation going, and build trust so your date is confident you’re not actually a serial killer.
Few things make as significant an impact on a patient’s first impression as your dental website. If your site is outdated or poorly designed, it might be driving potential patients away—kind of like a bad first date.
Here are the biggest red flags that might be making your practice undateable online and scream, “I need a dental site redesign!”
Table of Contents
- 1. “They Never Text Back” → Your Website Isn’t Mobile-Friendly
- 2. “They Showed Up in Cargo Shorts and New Balances” → Your Website Looks Outdated
- 3. “They Took Forever to Reply” → Your Website Is Slow
- 4. “They Talked About Themselves the Whole Time” → Your Website Lacks Patient-Focused Content
- 5. “They Gave Off Major Red Flags” → Your Website Has Broken Links or Outdated Info
- 6. “They Were Super Mysterious” → Your Website Lacks Clear Calls to Action
- 7. “I Couldn’t Find Them on Instagram” → Your Website Isn’t Integrated with Social Media
- 8. “They Had a Super Generic Dating Profile” → Your Website Looks Like Every Other Dental Site
- 9. “They Mumbled Through the Whole Date” → Your Website Has Bad SEO
- Ready for a Dental Website Glow-Up?
- FAQ
1. “They Never Text Back” → Your Website Isn’t Mobile-Friendly
Ever matched with someone only to have them disappear the moment you send a message? If your website isn’t mobile-optimized, that’s exactly what’s happening to potential patients. Over 60% of website traffic comes from mobile devices. If your site isn’t easy to use on a phone, visitors will ghost you and swipe right on a competitor.
💔 Fix It: A modern, responsive dental website that adapts to any screen size keeps users engaged.
2. “They Showed Up in Cargo Shorts and New Balances” → Your Website Looks Outdated
Imagine showing up for a date and your match is wearing the dad uniform. You know, the one that screams, “It’s Saturday and dad’s grilling hot dogs for dinner.” It’s endearing when it’s your pops burning the dogs again, but when it comes to a date (or a dental website) you want to dress to impress.
Outdated fonts, grainy stock photos, and cluttered layouts are the high-waisted jean shorts of website design. If your site looks like it hasn’t been updated in a decade, people might assume your practice is outdated, too.
💔 Fix It: A modern, clean design with professional photos makes your practice look trustworthy and up-to-date.
3. “They Took Forever to Reply” → Your Website Is Slow
Picture this: you’re snuggled up at home watching Netflix and thinking about the amazing date you just had at the local Cheesecake Factory. You send a text to your date, wanting to invite them over to binge watch Squid Game.
Minutes pass. Hours. Days. Nothing. You’ve finished every episode. You’ve tried to recreate the games in your living room. You’ve moved on and you’re already halfway through a re-watch of Bridgerton. By the time your date texts you back, you’ve lost interest. That’s exactly how users feel when your website takes too long to load. In fact, 53% of users will leave a website if it takes more than 3 seconds to load.
💔 Fix It: Optimize images, update hosting, and streamline your design to speed up load times.
4. “They Talked About Themselves the Whole Time” → Your Website Lacks Patient-Focused Content
Ever been on a date where the other person just would not stop talking about themselves? “I, me, my…” with no interest in you? If your dental website only talks about your practice, your credentials, and your services—without addressing patient needs and concerns—it’s a turnoff.
💔 Fix It: Use clear, friendly language that explains how you help patients rather than just listing your qualifications. Testimonials, FAQs, resources, and relatable content make your website more engaging.
5. “They Gave Off Major Red Flags” → Your Website Has Broken Links or Outdated Info
If your date shows up 20 minutes late, calls their ex mid-dinner, and “forgets” their wallet, you’re probably considering taking dessert to go. A website riddled with broken links, missing images, and outdated contact info gives off the same bad vibes. If patients can’t find basic information (or worse, they call a disconnected number), they’ll move on.
💔 Fix It: Regularly check for broken links, update contact info, and ensure your dental website reflects current office hours and services.
6. “They Were Super Mysterious” → Your Website Lacks Clear Calls to Action
A date who’s vague about their intentions? Not a good sign. We’ve watched enough serial killer documentaries to nope out of that relationship. If your website doesn’t make it crystal clear what potential patients should do next—whether it’s calling, booking online, or filling out a contact form—they might just leave without taking action.
💔 Fix It: Make sure buttons like “Schedule an Appointment” or “Call Now” are easy to find and click.
7. “I Couldn’t Find Them on Instagram” → Your Website Isn’t Integrated with Social Media
Let’s be real—if someone has zero social media presence, you start to wonder… are they even real? Are they on the run from the law? Are they secretly an alien performing research on humans dating habits? Are they actually a 100-year-old vampire teenager intent on draining me of blood? Anything is possible.
These days, patients expect to find social proof through reviews, social media updates, and Google ratings. If your website isn’t connected to your practice’s social media, you’re missing a chance to build trust.
💔 Fix It: Embed links to your Facebook, Instagram, and Google reviews so potential patients can see real patient experiences and updates.
8. “They Had a Super Generic Dating Profile” → Your Website Looks Like Every Other Dental Site
You know the type—blurry selfie, a bio that just says “I like to have fun,” and zero personality. If your dental website looks like a cookie-cutter template with generic stock photos and bland text, it won’t stand out from the competition. Patients want to feel like they’re choosing a real practice with a unique personality, not just another faceless clinic.
💔 Fix It: Invest in custom dental branding, real photos of your team, and engaging content that showcases what makes your practice a special snowflake.
9. “They Mumbled Through the Whole Date” → Your Website Has Bad SEO
You’re on a date, and the other person is talking… but you can barely understand them. They’re mumbling, rambling off-topic, or speaking in a way that just doesn’t make sense. That’s what a website with bad SEO is like—search engines can’t understand what it’s about, so they don’t bother ranking it. If your site lacks clear keywords, structured content, and local SEO, Google will just…ignore it.
💔 Fix It: Optimize your site with clear, relevant keywords, fast load times, and strong local SEO strategies to ensure search engines (and potential patients!) can easily find and understand your practice.
Ready for a Dental Website Glow-Up?
In the world of online dating, first impressions can make or break a potential relationship—and the same goes for your dental website. If your site is slow, outdated, confusing, or just plain unhelpful, potential patients won’t stick around. Instead, they’ll “ghost” your practice and move on to a competitor with a more polished, user-friendly site with better abs and a sick car.
But the good news? Unlike dating, where you can’t change someone’s bad texting habits or questionable fashion choices, you CAN upgrade with a dental site redesign. A modern, mobile-friendly, and engaging dental website makes all the difference in attracting and keeping new patients.
So, if your website has been unintentionally driving people away, it’s time for a website glow-up—think of it as a makeover montage from your favorite mid-2000s rom-com! We might not be able to turn you into Anne Hathaway in The Princess Diaries or The Devil Wears Prada (why is she always getting movie makeover-ed?) but we can make your website the irresistible quirky female lead of the online dental space. 💘 Don’t let your dream patient slip away. Let’s create a website that makes them say, “Wow, I think I just found the one!”
💘 Let’s make your website date-worthy! Contact us today for a dental site redesign.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who can help me with a dental website redesign?
Tackling a dental website redesign can be an intimidating task, but highly valuable when it comes to attracting new business. For the best possible experience, it’s important to choose a website designer that understands the unique needs of dental professionals.
A dental marketing company knows the intricacies of marketing for dentists, as well as how to keep everything online HIPAA compliant. They will be able to design a website that is targeted to improving your patients’ experience and driving new leads for your practice. A dental marketing specialist understands your unique needs to build the best dental website possible.
How do you optimize your dental website for SEO?
Optimizing your website for SEO (Search Engine Optimization) means addressing the technical aspects of your website that help drive traffic via search engine results. SEO means looking at your website speed, photo images and file types, keyword usage, user experience, and more to produce a technically proficient website.
Dentist SEO should focus on targeting your specific demographic. This includes using keywords like “dentist in [location],” “pediatric dentist,” or “root canal specialist.” As a local business you want to make sure that your practice ranks well on Google Maps as well. See how your dental practice ranks with this free Google Maps ranking report.
What elements make a good dental website design?
A modern and minimalistic website design has been increasingly popular in recent years. It also works well for SEO and user experience. If you look at the best dental website designs, you can see a common thread of a clean, well-organized website. This includes using white space intentionally, not overloading the page with information, and naturally guiding users to the most relevant details.
Your homepage should present the most important information upfront, and answer your most commonly asked questions. Consider including the following: your mission, a link to book an appointment, positive patient reviews, your social channels, and your practice location. A good-looking website cannot hide technical issues, however. Make sure your dental website looks professional and works well too.
About the Author: Megan Nielsen is an SEO strategist and the Grand Overlord of copywriting at My Social Practice. My Social Practice is a dental marketing company that offers a full suite of dental marketing services to thousands of dental practices throughout the United States and Canada.
