Orthodontic website design essentials

When looking for services, most people typically start by searching the Internet, so orthodontists must have an online presence. Having an orthodontic website should be the top priority in your marketing strategy.

When potential new patients search “orthodontist near me,” you want your business to appear as high as possible in the search results. When users click on your website link, you want to stand out from other local practices and turn leads into paying customers.

Why is it important for orthodontists to have a website?

As an orthodontist, it is essential to have a website so potential patients can find your orthodontic practice. The best orthodontic websites are fast, secure and optimized for mobile users.

Since people search using their web browsers or Google Maps on their smartphones, you need a web design that looks good and has a responsive design across all mobile devices and web browsers.

Your website might be the first impression you make on potential patients, so you want to offer a positive user experience demonstrating your knowledge and expertise. Users should be able to easily find everything they are looking for about your practice on your site.

How do you make an orthodontic website?

The first thing you’ll want to do when making your orthodontic website is to register a domain name. A domain name should be easy for new potential patients to find, so something like “orthodontic-practice-(your city).com.”

You also want your domain to have secure sockets layer (SSL) encryption software, meaning the domain should start with “https://”. Most web hosting packages include your first domain name.

Next, you’ll need to decide how you want to build your website. You can build the website from scratch if you have the programming knowledge, use a template on a website builder or CMS (content management system) or hire a professional website design service.

What should an orthodontic website include?

When designing your website, you’ll want to consider the aesthetic, including the color scheme as well as the functionality and content. If a site is too confusing to navigate or has a ton of information with no white space, potential patients might leave and seek out a competitor’s site.

A user-friendly site is straightforward to navigate and displays all critical information clearly, so potential customers can quickly find what they need. Consider including the following components in your orthodontist website:

Homepage/landing page

Greet your site viewers with a welcoming homepage that shows what you offer to potential patients. Discuss your expertise and have a call-to-action (CTA) button that patients can click to schedule a consultation or a click-to-call button that allows cellphone users to call your office.

About page

Your about page explains your practice history, your staff and the equipment you use in the office.

Contact information and hours of operation

Ensure your hours of operation and office address are prominently displayed on your site.

Scheduling and payments

Online scheduling and payment options can create a smoother experience for both existing and new patients.

Web chat

Web chat is an excellent way to answer potential customers’ questions and is often included in CRM (customer relationship management) software. Automated chat software can answer frequently asked questions and forward more complicated queries so you can spend your time where it’s most needed.

Office tour

A video tour of the office is a great way to showcase your practice to potential patients, so they can get familiar with you before booking a consultation. It can also help new patients feel more comfortable before they come for a procedure.

Photos, videos and graphics

Photos, videos and graphics can help potential customers get to know you as a business. Videos and graphics demonstrating procedures can help patients feel at ease before their appointment.

Testimonials

Positive reviews are a huge factor in getting new patients in the door. Ask patients for video testimonials or embed great reviews from Google Business Profile or Yelp to feature on your website.

Video consultations

In the digital age, having a video consultation before physically heading into an office can help seal the deal for new patients. They get a chance to meet with you and decide if your practice is the right fit for your needs.

What is SEO for orthodontists?

Search engine optimization (SEO) helps search engine web crawlers recognize reputable businesses and determine how to rank listings in search engine results pages (SERPs).

Orthodontic SEO can be implemented on the back end within the build of your website as well as on the front end within your content and layout. Consider some of these strategies to improve your SEO ranking.

Create content

Improve your SEO by publishing high-quality content that provides value to potential customers. Research what orthodontic patients are searching for and write blog posts to target those keywords. Consider writing blog posts answering frequently asked questions and offering helpful dental care tips.

Improve page load speed

Site speed is also a consideration in SEO since bounce rate (the number of users who navigate away from your page without interacting) can hurt your ranking in SERPs. Ensure your load speed is fast so users are encouraged to stay on your site.

Claim your Google Business Profile and online directory profiles

Another way to improve your SEO is to claim your Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business) and business profiles on other online directory sites. Make sure all of your profiles are completely and accurately filled out. When users see your practice on different directories, all the information should be correct and up to date.

Optimize your labels for on-site images and videos

Choose descriptive names that use keywords so search engines recognize your images and can correctly index your pages.

These are just a few ways to start improving your orthodontic SEO.

Design your orthodontic website with Broadly

Partner with Broadly, and we’ll help you design an amazing orthodontic website optimized for local SEO and mobile-friendly. We can even help you add a web chat feature to answer frequently asked questions.

Want to see how Broadly can help you generate more leads through your website?