What Makes an Orthodontic Site Bring in New Patients – Featuring Webster Orthodontics

Gone are the days when orthodontists could rely solely on referrals to grow their business. In the digital age, a high-performing website is crucial, and several key elements are necessary for an orthodontic site to attract new patients.

From planning and design to content production, the best orthodontic sites focus on lead generation – a powerful digital marketing tool. This entails steering prospective patients to a call to action (CTA) – and ultimately through your practice door.

Effective lead generation orthodontic sites are carefully designed and contain informative content that reflects the uniqueness of the practice’s ethos and personality.

One example of a good orthodontic website is the online platform of Webster Orthodontics, so we’ll be looking at that as we examine what makes orthodontic sites bring in new patients, starting with web design.

Orthodontic Website Design

A poorly designed cookie-cutter orthodontic website that’s merely a duplicate of hundreds of other sites is highly unlikely to give you a good return on your investment.

On the other hand, a customized orthodontic web design that’s unique to your practice can generate many quality leads that result in paying patients.

Your website will be the first point of contact with your practice for many of your prospective patients, so a user-friendly design is essential.

When a visitor arrives on your site, they should be able to get where they want easily, with a simple menu that opens up sub-menus – something like this:

Orthodontic Web Design Techniques

Designing an effective orthodontic site entails:

• Structuring a site that flows logically and is easy to navigate. This means your website visitors will be more likely to arrive at your ultimate destination goal for them – a persuasive call to action to seek more information or make an appointment.
• Keeping up to speed with advances in technology. The best orthodontic web design techniques look to the future, keeping an eye on developments such as the rise in popularity of voice searches and mobile devices.
• Establishing a strong practice identity. Creating a positive perception of your practice requires a website design that reflects your business philosophy and enables you to create a solid, trust-building connection with prospective patients.

Orthodontic Website Content

If your web designer has done their job properly, you’ll have several pages waiting to be filled with content, including separate pages or sections for each of your orthodontic services – conventional braces, Invisalign, adult orthodontics, kids’ treatment, for example.

In addition to these service pages, you’ll need content for:

• A Home/About page.
• Contact page.
• Financing Options page.
• Testimonials page.

Quality web content writing is a specialist lead generation skill aimed at boosting your online identity while reflecting your practice brand image and connecting with potential patients.

Content on your site that mirrors your orthodontic expertise and professionalism is likely to produce a sound return on investment as you see more quality leads generating more patients.

Your content also needs keyword phrases for search engine optimization (SEO) so potential patients can find you online through search engine results. However, quality content will avoid keyword stuffing in favor of providing information that gives value to the reader.

Importance of Orthodontic Blogs

Ongoing superior blog content is one of the best investments you can make in your orthodontic practice website.

Consistent blogging with useful content provides an effective means of connecting with prospective patients through relevant, helpful information that answers typical questions about orthodontic issues.

Good blog posts like those on the Webster Orthodontics site help to:

• Establish your authority in the field of orthodontics – important to build confidence and increase your patient base.
• Provide long-lasting results – consistent blogging can help to generate traffic to your main site with leads for years to come.

Alongside well-written content, videos can also help your orthodontic site to bring in more patients.

Orthodontic Website Video Content

Videos can play an important role in expanding your practice and highlighting your orthodontic services on an emotional level.

Video content is no longer a costly luxury accessible only to major corporations with big budgets. Small local businesses – like orthodontic offices – who use videos report a good return on investment.

Benefits of video content include:

• Greatly increasing your chance of getting a top listing on Google.
• Landing pages with the potential to attract many more patients.
• The opportunity to share your video content on social media platforms like YouTube.

Popular Orthodontic Videos

The best orthodontic videos are relevant, concise, and memorable, and the most popular include:

• Overview videos – like an About page, telling prospective patients who you are and what you do.
• Explainer videos – telling your audience how to solve a problem typically related to the benefits of the orthodontic services you offer.
• Service videos – highlighting the key strengths of your various orthodontic services.
• Patient testimonial videos – highly persuasive in attracting new patients.

Orthodontic Website Security

Website security is vital for your orthodontic practice to maintain a bond of trust with your patients. If potential patients don’t feel safe when visiting your site, they’re likely to regard your practice with the same suspicion.

Data thieves increasingly prey on small businesses – like orthodontic practices, with a wealth of sensitive data on patients – because they see them as a soft target.

You can help to protect your practice and your patients by:

• Ensuring your operating system is up to date.
• Making sure you have antivirus tools.
• Withholding access to your network unless absolutely necessary.
• Being alert to email attachments that may be phishing attempts.
• Using a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) for your website.
• Having secure forms for new patients.

Why Referrals Are No Longer Enough for Orthodontic Practices

Referrals from existing patients and fellow professionals such as general dentists and pediatric dentists remain important for orthodontic practices.

However, a quality lead generation website is essential in today’s digitally-focused world, especially in the highly competitive field of orthodontics.

Without an online presence to generate more patients, you could be losing many thousands of dollars’ worth of business – prospective patients who haven’t seen a dentist in years or have just moved into your area, and anyone else looking online for orthodontic treatment.

This is why the orthodontic landscape has changed significantly in recent years, with a shift from reliance on dentist-based referrals to a more direct approach to potential patients.

If you need more advice on creating or improving an orthodontic website that brings in new patients, DentalROI is here to help. We specialize in orthodontic sites – like the Webster Orthodontics platform – and all other aspects of digital marketing for orthodontists.