Dentaltown March 2021 - 13

" When I see a practice
website that has
photos of the doctors
only and not team
members, I think high
staff turnover. "

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vendors can make this happen, but this feature
has not been widely adopted yet because many
variables are difficult to control when you give
direct access to blocks of your schedule.
FAQ and/or blog posts. Let's face it, there's a
list of common questions that your experienced
front office team members could rattle off from
memory. These questions should be answered on
your website. Blog posts provide an additional
opportunity to provide patient education in a
short format that allows patients to see your
expertise firsthand.
Map of office location. This is something you
will find on just about any business website and it
is insurance that patients can find your office for
the first time without frustration. Also, they may
be looking at your site on a smartphone and need
directions at that moment.
Screen-friendly site. Speaking of smartphones,
your website design should easily morph between
the computer form factors of today: desktop,
tablet and phone. In the old days, this required
two versions of your website, but today's website
templates are designed to adjust on the fly.
Photos of the inside and outside of your office.
Make it easy for patients to find you the first time
and give them a preview of your office aesthetic.
Don't want to post photos of your practice?
Maybe it's time for a refresh.

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Access to new-patient forms. This should
already be part of every website, because it's a
big time-saver and in the time of COVID keeps
the waiting room from being filled with people
holding clipboards. Many practice management
software systems allow direct integration of the
completed forms. If that sounds too complicated,
post PDFs of your paper forms and let patients
print them from home. It's also a good idea
to share PDFs of postoperative instructions,
employment applications and a records request
form.
* Connect to your social media. If this is part of
your practice marketing, you can connect these
services to your webpage.
Getting your website redesigned or starting from
scratch can be accomplished by one of many dental-specific
companies or the services of a local designer if you have
a clear vision for your site. Updating my practice website
was one of my many " COVID projects " and I found a
local designer who could do the entire project remotely.
We had a couple of phone calls and exchanged email
throughout the project.
I hope you are inspired to make improvements to
your practice website or starting from scratch on the
most critical ingredient for a great first impression.
Connect with me via email: tom@dentaltown.com,
or comment on this article via the best dental community
online: dentaltown.com/magazine. ■
dentaltown.com \\ MARCH 2021

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2/18/21 4:55 PM
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Dentaltown March 2021

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