subject: Does Your Website Adhere To Best Dental Marketing Practices? [print this page] Your website is your calling card onlineYour website is your calling card online. Its more than a business card. It represents you to potential patients and invites them to get to know you and book an appointment. Marketing your dental practice online or off can be a tricky proposition, though. The best dental marketing practices respect ethical marketing standards for dentists without compromising the marketing results you hope to accomplish. When it comes to web marketing for dentists, these are important standards your website should achieve.
Testimonials Must Meet State and FTC Guidelines
Many states have specific rules and regulations that web marketing for dentists must meet, especially if theyre using testimonials on the website. In Texas, for example, dental practices dont allow testimonials at all. Other states regulate the use of misleading statements, promising predictable results from specific treatments and declaring superiority over other dental practices. Once you know what your states best dental marketing practices allow, check to be sure that your website adheres to FTC standards for testimonials. In a nutshell, you cant promise atypical results even if you include a disclaimer that the results arent typical; you must reveal material connections with endorsers and people must reveal if they have been paid in any way for their testimonial.
Professional Appearance
Since your website represents you, your staff and your practice, its important that it present a professional, polished appearance. That doesnt mean youre stuck with a one-size-fits-all professional dentist template. Its also important, after all, to cater to your target market. Whether you use juvenile graphics for your pediatric practice or a high-end luxury style for your luxury dental salon, your website should look professionally designed and well-organized.
Ease of Use
The best dental websites are easy to navigate and provide a comfortable, intuitive experience for your existing and prospective patients. That means that your dental website should have a clear structure and easy to use navigation. Your contact information should be very easy to find its what most of your site visitors are looking for, after all. If you have testimonials or introductory videos on your website, you should avoid auto-starting them, and if you choose to have them start when the page loads, best dental marketing practices dictate that you clearly indicate how to stop the video if desired.
Web Accessibility Standards
Finally, the best dental web marketing companies will always ensure that your website meets all Web accessibility standards. People should be able to view it and use it in any browser, and, increasingly, on mobile devices, such as tablets, iPads and mobile phones. In addition, your website should be accessible to people of varying abilities. Those accessibility standards include things like providing alt text for all of your photos, captions for photos and videos and using high contrast color schemes and adjustable text sizes for the website.
Find out if your website adheres to best dental marketing practices today. Contact a company that specializes in web marketing for dentists to find out how much your website could be delivering to your dental practice.
