In fact most dental office websites are practically worthless because there was little or no knowledge of dentistry by those who created the site. It is true that our patients and prospective patients are becoming more and more dependent upon the internet.
What is the minimal and maximal expectation from a dental office website?
At this time we can expect that a well designed and easy to use website will provide a half dozen or so new patients per month, and that it will save time answering their questions. Most are not even kept up to date, however, so they are of little value.
What should an effective Dental Web Site include?
Information for a prospective new patient to choose an office. This means that the office, the doctor(s), and the staff should appear warm and caring. A description of services should be included with adequate discussion of insurance, sterilization, location, time of operation, etc. However, more can be done. Existing patients should be able to confirm appointments and communicate with the office about billing, future appointments, insurance coverage, etc.
New patients should be able to describe their interest and communicate briefly even before making the decision to become a patient. Remember, a new patient is worth thousands of dollars. To save time at the first appointment the prospective new patient should be able to complete a new patient form for auto-delivery to the practice web coordinator (front desk probably)
