Any dentist who wishes to have a new website created for their dental practice to show off their skills in dental implants, emergency dentistry and teeth whitening – does not necessarily need to know all the fine detail with respect to the technical aspects of building a website. However, it would serve them well if they did have some knowledge of what specific elements constitute a good web design.
The advantages of this would at first allow them to discuss what they want for their website with more clarity, and thereafter be more able to assess how well the web designer had met those objectives. Moving on from that, knowing how web design can impact search engine rankings, is also a huge plus.
If you happen to be a dentist who is, in fact, currently planning a new website, and with that last point about how web design can impact search engine rankings in mind, here are some of the key elements of effective web design to consider.
Ensure Loading Speed Is Minimal
If you have ever clicked through to a website then had to wait any more than a few seconds for it to load, what went through your mind? Most likely it was not wanting to waste your time, and you probably clicked away to find a quicker loading site. Well, that’s exactly what visitors to your website will do if it takes too long to load.
Loading speed is a vital consideration for any website owner that wants good rankings so you must ensure that your web design takes account of this. Too many initial functions and large files are usually the cause, so ensure these are eliminated or at least minimised.
Your Website Needs To Engage With Visitors
No visitor to your dental practice website is going to have a positive experience if there is nothing on it which engages them. Engagement can come in many forms, but one of the best ways to do it is to have useful and interesting content throughout.
This can be in word form such as articles and blog posts, or it can be via media like infographics, images, and videos. The more interactive your website the better. Having surveys or quizzes relating to oral health is another way to engage visitors.
Make It Easy for Visitors To Navigate
The harder it is for anyone to navigate their way through your website the less likely they are to remain for any length of time. This is why it is so important that the navigation elements on your website leave no room for confusion.
Menu buttons should be clear and prominent and allow your visitors to search throughout your website. Important pages should be clearly labelled, and you should always provide a means for visitors to return to the home page anytime they wish to.
Ensure You Have On-Site Linking
You should be aware that backlinks from another website to yours are identified by Google and other search engines as a kind of currency. The more you have, assuming they come from other websites that are relevant and established, the better it is for your ranking.
Another advantage of the navigation that we have just discussed is that it will allow your web design to include links between the inner pages of your website. Any power derived from the external links coming in can be passed on to a degree throughout your website by linking the pages, in a structured and logical manner.