Staying on top of the latest technology in the dental industry is essential to your practice’s success. When keeping up on the latest educational seminars, tools, and technology, don’t forget that your front door – your website – is the first place potential patients will learn about you. To make sure you are maximizing your appeal online, educate yourself on latest trends in the world of web: video, mobile, tablet, trendy web colors and styles, and even take a peek at what not to do when starting a new website.

1. Sesame Communications
Web Trends for New Patient Acquisition
Video, mobile, tablet, and beyond!
And taking a look at even what not to do
when starting a new website.
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2. About Brittany Hunt:
• Senior Design Producer at Sesame
• Producing dental websites since 2009
• Background in graphic design
• Bachelor of Science degree in
Advertising from the University of Idaho
• Digital Design Diploma from the
Art Institute of Seattle
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3. Web Trends for New Patient Acquisition
Staying on top of the latest
technology in the dental
industry is essential to your
practice's success.
Don’t forget that your front
door – your website – is the
first place potential patients
will learn about you.
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4. Your website should:
• Communicate what you and your staff value, and
what makes your practice unique
• Focus on patient needs, be user-friendly, and be
search engine-optimized
When building your website, ask yourself:
• What will prospective patients look for when they
visit my site?
• What elements could potentially turn them away?
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5. Leverage the Power of Video
A professional, personalized onsite video of your
practice is included with all Sesame Designed Sites.
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6. Your Website Video:
• Meet the Doctor, Office Tour, or Combination
• Staff Testimonials
• Patient Testimonials
• Friendly, business-casual wear
• One hour shoot
• Professional editing included
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7. Want to see video examples?
Send us an email!
webinars@sesamecommunications.com
Subject: Video Examples
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8. One Website Across Every Device
Responsive Design ensures your website adapts for
optimal viewing and use across a wide span of screen
sizes including popular tablets and smartphones.
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12. Want to see more
website examples?
www.SesameWebDesign.com
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13. Top 10 Mistakes in Building
a Dental Website
– And How to Avoid Them
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14. Don’t:
• Focus on topics unrelated to your role
as a dentist/orthodontist
• Get carried away with general health
topics
• Overwhelm prospective patients with
more than 25 pages of content
Irrelevant Content
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Mistake 1

15. Irrelevant Content
Do:
• Emphasize how much you
and your staff care
• Accentuate your warm,
caring feelings toward patients
• List your continuing education
credentials and how they benefit the patient
• Convey the premium your staff place on high-quality care and a
positive patient experience
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Mistake 1

16. Impersonal Doctor and Team Bios
Don’t:
• List credentials or use
medical terminology
• Use a group team photo
• Use stuffy or clinical photography
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Mistake 2

17. Impersonal Doctor and Team Bios
Do:
• Include a photo of you
and your family
• Use easy-to-understand language
• Personalize the staff bios with
individual photographs
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Mistake 2

18. Photos and Images that are Too Clinical
Don’t:
• Use pictures of the dentist or hygienist
reaching into a patient’s mouth
• Use images of tools, scrubs, blood, or masks
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Mistake 3

19. Photos and Images that are Too Clinical
Do:
• Include happy, cheerful
photos of confident people,
especially on the homepage
• Emphasize the office’s
warmth and approachability
• Use photos of actual patients
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Mistake 3

20. Buried Contact Info
Don’t:
• Make it difficult for prospective
patients to get a hold of you
by burying your contact info
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Mistake 4

21. Buried Contact Info
Do:
• Make sure your office’s contact
information is readily available
for new patients to be able to
book that first appointment
• Display your phone number
prominently on the homepage
• Have a mobile website with a
phone number and map
to your office
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Mistake 4

22. A Lack of Call to Action
Don’t:
• Leave off New Patient Information
• Sound salesy or gimmicky with text
such as “50% off teeth whitening
- summer special!”
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Mistake 5

23. A Lack of Call to Action
Do:
• Add a “complimentary
consultation” or “schedule
your regular checkup”
button on your homepage
or prominently displayed
throughout the website
• Display your phone
number prominently on
the homepage
• Have a mobile website with
a phone number and map
to your office
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Mistake 5

24. Splash Pages and Animated Introductions
Splash/landing pages:
• Are horrible for your website’s search engine optimization
• Distract from your website’s purpose to communicate your services effectively
• Waste prospective patients’ time
• Entertain, rather than inform
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Mistake 6

25. Auto-Play Music
Automatically playing music:
• Disrupts prospective patients’ privacy when viewing
your website in public
• Makes your website look dated
• Serves as an additional distraction from the
main purpose of your site
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Mistake 7

26. Thematic Websites
Don’t:
• Focus on your personal hobbies as a theme
for your professional website
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Mistake 8

27. Do:
• Focus on the high quality of
dental or orthodontic care
you provide
Thematic Websites
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Mistake 8

28. Broken Pages and Bad Links
Don’t:
• Include blank pages labeled
“under construction” or “coming soon”
• Give prospective patients the bad
message that you don’t take good
care of your website
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Mistake 9

29. Broken Pages and Bad Links
Do:
• Make it easy for prospective
patients to learn about
your services by including
pages that patients can
actually access
• Keep pages current
and up-to-date with
correct information
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Mistake 9

30. Slow-Loading Web Pages
Don’t:
• Use pop-ups, which are often blocked
by browsers anyway
• Use Flash or animation, both of which
cause websites to load slowly
• Use large imagery
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Mistake 10

31. Slow-Loading Web Pages
Do:
• Respect prospective
patients’ time
by eliminating
slow-loading elements
• Have a clean, modern
design with appealing
graphics, clear and
consistent navigation,
and easy-to-find
contact information
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Mistake 10

32. Conclusion
Design a website that will help you
better connect with current patients,
reach new patients, and stay relevant
on search engines. Make sure your
website is functional across all
platforms. Utilize video. Avoid these
ten mistakes when building your
website; the success of your site,
and your practice, depends on it!
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33. Want to see more examples?
Send us an email!
webinars@sesamecommunications.com
Subject: Web Trends Webinar
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