Dentaltown June 2013 - (Page 79)

back to basics feature by Fred Joyal Your website and your front office – this is your first impression one-two punch. What new patients see on your website and hear on the phone will heavily influence how they view your practice and, more importantly, whether they become a long-term patient. So where do you start? First, you don’t just need a website, you need a dynamic one. This term “dynamic” means you can add and change the content of your website without going back to your webmaster. Most practices have a static website, which means they need to contact their web designer to make any changes. Worse, they have to pay for the privilege to edit their own site. Your website should be able to constantly evolve and you should be able to easily update content right from the practice. Years ago, having a well-designed, informative website was enough to keep Google happy. It’s just not anymore. Now you need to be able to add photos, video, written content and patient-generated content easily and on a continual basis. SEO is a moving target, and search engines now want relevant, ever-changing content. If your site is exactly the same as it was three years ago, Google won’t even offer you as a search result unless you’re the only dentist in town (And yes, you still need a website even if you are the only dentist in town, to keep your patients informed of all your services, and to let them request an appointment). The best way to have fresh, constantly updated content is by integrating patient reviews into your site. I do not mean testimonials. Everyone knows who wrote those. People are too sophisticated to give any credence to testimonials at this point in the Internet age. They want to read credible reviews from real patients. That means you need a systematic approach to eliciting those reviews. If you use a digital communications service like PatientActivator or DemandForce, then this is being done automatically, and you just need them to upload to your website. Ideally, you are also pulling in reviews from third-party sites that patients know and trust, like Yelp. You also need a clean, modern look to your website. As irrational as it sounds, patients are making judgments about the qualcontinued on page 80 dentaltown.com « JUNE 2013 79 http://www.dentaltown.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Dentaltown June 2013

Dentaltown.com Highlights
Howard Speaks: You Need an Associate Now
Professional Courtesy: All of Your Patients Are Famous
Continuing Education Update
Virtually Unlimited Free Domestic Coach Tickets for Two People
CPR – Thank God My Staff Were Trained or I Wouldn’t Be Here to Post This
Townie Tips: Pedo Simplicity with Fenderprime
New to DT – Thought I’d Give This a Try
Industry News
New Products
Corporate Profile: Keating Dental Arts
Office Visit: “Twitter”pated by Teeth
Focus On: Dentures
Successful Practice Acquisitions
Product Profile: Dentrix Communication Manager
Do-it-Yourself Finance, Part VII: You Are Not Immortal
To Bonus or Not to Bonus?
You Should Know: Brightsquid
Handpiece Essentials: Knowledge to Help You Maximize Your Tools
A Dynamic Website and an Equally Dynamic Front Desk Team
Continuing Education: Technique for Use of Stainless-Steel Crowns in Primary Molars
Ad Index
In This Issue: Child’s First Dental Visit
Continuing Educatio:n Window of Opportunity for Prevention: Health Benefits of Early Xylitol Use
Dentally Incorrect

Dentaltown June 2013