Online Dental Website Building Tools – Any Good?

The pros and cons of pay-monthly website builders.

We were recently contacted by a potential new client whose dental practice website had been built for him using an online web builder called “Squarespace”. He had purchased some business cards on a budget from a new dental web marketing company who also offered to build his website; an offer he took up as it appeared to be a good price – at least on face value.

When he elected to take the website update he confessed that he didn’t really know much about the attributes of a modern dental website, albeit he thought what they offered appeared to tick the boxes he needed, such as a content management system, GDC compliance etc.

However, what he hadn’t realised was that he was actually getting a template site, i.e. not bespoke and also that it was hosted on a third-party website building platform, popular with DIYers called Squarespace. When the website was delivered, he realised that there were actually some significant limitations and concerns and that he felt he’d made a mistake in going that particular route.

What he’d actually wanted, was a truly bespoke website, hosted on an independent hosting platform, and with much more flexibility than his templated version offered. He simply assumed he was getting this but later realised his error. The dentist concerned is now starting the process all over again but this time with his requirements met in full.

Let’s take a closer look at website building tools and why some companies choose to use them. Also their pros and cons so that you can ask the right questions and make an informed decision should you be in a similar position.

Why some dental marketing companies choose online website builders.

This is primarily down to making it easy and maximising profit margins – for them but not really for their clients. You will often see companies who are primarily print design based using this type of system, simply because they have graphic design skills in house but not web design and coding skills. The online web building systems allow them to upload dental images easily enough but don’t easily allow them to move outside of the basic template design too much. So it allows them to build a website which incorporates your images and branding, but which is essentially the same in structure as other dentists websites which they build.

It’s also quite interesting when it comes to the financial aspects. Renting a website at Squarespace or indeed any of the other online builders such as Wix, Moonfruit etc, doesn’t cost much – often less than £15 per month. However, you will see companies selling this type of pre-designed template site for several thousands of pounds. In my opinion, the work needed to populate a pre-designed template with dental images and text does not warrant that sort of fee.

Of course, these types of website builders are not all bad; far from it. They can be very useful for those who wish to pursue the DIY route or those who don’t have the budget to work with a designer who offers a fully bespoke service. Some of the systems, Squarespace included, do offer access to the underlying code structure in “developer” mode which allows a lot more flexibility; however there are relatively few designers who seem to offer this option and certainly not in the examples we’ve seen. The main focus in the dental website community seems to be to pursue the quick and easy pre-built template route and then move on quickly to the next one.

Let’s take a closer look at the pros and cons of online website building tools.

Pros:

• easily accessible and a quick, cheap start-up for DIYers
• some control over the page content using the on-board CMS (content management system)
• no need to find separate website hosting or domain name – a one-stop shop
• security updates are handled in the background without your involvement
• no large monthly fees if you deal direct

Cons:

• template designs which look cheap and “samey” unless your web company provides “developer” coding options
• you are restricted to one hosting platform – your site is not really your own and is not transportable
• the underlying code standards of some online website builders are not compliant with latest standards
• the facilities to optimise for search engines (SEO) can be limited
• very few “pro” web design companies use online site builders – it’s unlikely you’ll get much choice if you decide to switch provider

Should you go this route?

Whilst online website building tools have advanced quite a lot in the last five years, in my opinion they are still generally a good way behind fully bespoke websites built using the latest tools. Even where the provider is skilled using the “developer” mode of such systems to provide more features, you are still restricted to one particular hosting environment, your website is effectively rented and hence never really your own. If you do decide to move to another supplier, your website is not transportable and you may well struggle to find anyone to assist.

However, if you need to get up-and-running quickly and fancy a crack at DIY web design, such tools can be a useful way in to establishing a web presence. But please don’t pay over the odds for a marketing company to simply add some images and text to a pre-designed template.

If you’re considering a new dental practice website and you are struggling to see through all of the options available, please give the Dental Media team a call on 01332 672548. We’ll find the best solution to fit your budget and aspirations and with the flexibility to expand in future without being constrained by monthly contracts or restrictive hosting arrangements.