Websites for personal branding
Develop your personal dental brand online.
Whilst the importance of a great practice website is well-established, there is also an upsurge in the number of dentists who are developing their own personal websites too.
So why is this, who are they and what are the benefits of building your own personal online presence and brand?
Who is doing this?
There are three main categories of dental professional who are establishing their own personal on-line presence:
- prominent specialists, particularly those who are promoting referral businesses and teaching courses
- young dentists who are aware of the power of internet marketing and wish to establish an early presence
- dentists who practice in more than one location
Why are they doing this?
Whilst there are still many “traditional” operators who may not fully appreciate the power of the internet as a marketing vehicle, an increasing number of dentists are becoming web savvy. It is also becoming increasingly apparent that one of the factors Google uses to rank websites is age, simply how long the site has been around on the web. This is why you still occasionally see very old websites which rank well even though they are outdated. So the faster you get yourself out there, the more credibility your domain name will accrue compared to brand new websites i.e. it pays to start early.
There is also benefit in establishing a broad web “footprint” as we’ve seen in earlier posts on this blog. Take for example the dentist who works at 3 or 4 practices, has his/her biography on each of the practice websites but also has a personal website detailing where they work and more about what they do. This legitimate network of websites will have more chance of attracting traffic as well as establishing the credibility of the individual.
Of course it’s not just about Google rank and traffic; there are personal development considerations too as follows:
- develop an on-line CV to showcase experience and skills
- build a gallery of case work to demonstrate to potential new patients and employers
- demonstrate credibility within a peer group
All of these elements contribute to the development of a personal on-line brand and a website is an excellent way to build and nurture this.
How to get going?
Starting out on the web is relatively straightforward and you have a couple of options. The first is a ‘DIY’ approach whereby you pay a monthly fee to a provider who equips you with a domain name and a website template and then you get on with it. Whilst this can work, the resulting website is usually low quality, similar to a bunch of others out there and also not portable in that it is stuck on the provider’s platform. Basically DIY dental websites are really rather poor and aren’t really commensurate with your training and professional status.
The recommended approach is to go with a professional web designer who specialises in the dental field. This will keep you abreast of the various GDC requirements and give you a professional looking website too. It’s actually more cost-effective than you might imagine and will pay back nicely when compared to the monthly fees some charge for DIY systems.
Summary
The benefits of a personal brand website for a dentist are significant and establishing a firm, early foothold on the web is important. You don’t have to start in a grand way – a simple 6 or 7 page website is sufficient to showcase your skills, experience, education and case work and can be established very cost-effectively.
If you would like to know more, please call Dental Media on 01332 672548 and we’ll be pleased to illustrate how we can help.