We\u2019ve had a very dynamic year when it comes to the messaging shown on dentists\u2019 websites, all brought about by the fluid situation surrounding Covid-19. This has ranged from messages announcing temporary practice closures early in the first lockdown, through to new and frequently changing protocols as the pandemic progressed. Suffice to say we\u2019ve been extremely busy helping our clients keep their websites bang up-to-date and informative for their patients.<\/p>\n
However, where we don\u2019t have website maintenance contracts with clients, and noting that quite a lot of dentists prefer the more cost-effective ‘pay-as-you-go’ approach, we do rely on clients to advise us expediently when they require updates to their websites. This is particularly important where vital messaging is concerned, e.g. opening status during Covid-19.<\/p>\n
This was brought home to me last week when a non-maintenance client called to say that the messaging on his website still showed an opening date of June 8th albeit they had been open and treating patients for months! If we see situations like this, we will of course get in touch with clients to advise them; however where no maintenance contract exists, understandably we are not able to carry out regular checks on the hundreds of dentists\u2019 websites<\/a> which we host on our servers.<\/p>\n So the message here is hopefully clear \u2013 please ensure that you are checking your website content regularly, particularly where you are not paying someone to do it for you.<\/p>\n With this in mind, I thought it would be helpful to compile a short check-list of the key content and functionalities you should check regularly on your own practice website.<\/p>\n We\u2019ve covered some of this above but in particular, is your website current when it comes to key information such as opening times? Are there any restrictions in place due to current Covid requirements? Are you displaying the correct protocols in terms of what you expect from patients before, during and after their visits? This is vitally important, particularly during the current pandemic and likely to remain so as we ease our way out of it.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Whilst the contact systems we use on our client\u2019s websites are very robust, periodically things can go wrong and this is almost always at the client side; for example an over-zealous email spam filter starts to filter out website contact forms.<\/p>\n So a weekly check by the front desk team is simple to do and highly recommended. Perhaps build it into their operating procedures so it doesn\u2019t fall into disrepair and can be audited. When you consider the potential value of a new patient enquiry via your website, a few minutes testing each week is well worthwhile.<\/p>\n Periodically the various legislative bodies will update their requirements for what needs to be shown on a dentist\u2019s website and so you need to check this from time-to-time; perhaps quarterly. Where a significant change is announced, we will contact all of our clients by default, but ultimately the responsibility lies with the practice to ensure that type of information is up-to-date and hence fully compliant.<\/p>\n For all new websites, we do of course ensure compliance with all major standards before the site is made live.<\/p>\n This is actually part of the legislative compliance noted above as accurate team information is a requirement of the GDC. So please ensure that staff biographies are current and include all of the necessary training information etc. This will also work for you as new patients will be keen to see that training and education in latest techniques is up-to-date.<\/p>\n This may sound unlikely but we have had clients forget to update their website treatment section when new team members with new skills joined the practice. This resulted in key treatments such as Invisalign and dental implants going unadvertised. Please keep that information current or you will be missing out on those all-important web enquiries.<\/p>\n This is an \u201cunder the bonnet\u201d maintenance requirement and consequently often goes unseen. However it is extremely important and neglecting it can end up with your website ceasing to function, or worse getting hacked.<\/p>\n So if you are using a system like WordPress and don\u2019t have a maintenance contract, you really do need to check regularly in the admin management console to see if there are any cores system or plugin updates required. However, if you have limited experience with this, please be extra careful as indiscriminately pressing the \u201cupdate\u201d button can result in your website breaking. You need to be sure that the original design of your site is compatible with the ongoing updates to the core content management system and any plugins which have been used to extend the functionality. Often that\u2019s not the case and your website will break \u2013 so if you are uncertain, please ask your web designer for help.<\/p>\n Whilst the aspects I\u2019ve covered above would class as essential checks and updates, it\u2019s also very beneficial to update your website content periodically to gain the Google ranking advantages<\/a> that this can bring. Google loves fresh, authoritative content and will rank it better in search results; so if your content is going stale, please take a look at this earlier blog<\/a> to see how to address it.<\/p>\n Making regular checks on a dental practice website makes sense for various reasons. Whether it\u2019s checking the function of a contact form, through to maintaining compliance with legislative bodies or ensuring that your content management system isn\u2019t prone to hacking, it\u2019s all very well worthwhile the little bit of effort needed to get it done.<\/p>\n If you need help with any of those aspects or would like us to take on the tasks for you, please get in touch with the web team here at Dental Media on 01332 672548<\/strong> and we\u2019ll be pleased to assist.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Check your content and functionality frequently to ensure top performance We\u2019ve had a very dynamic year when it comes to the messaging shown on dentists\u2019 websites, all brought about by the fluid situation surrounding Covid-19. This has ranged from messages …<\/p>\nWebsite key messages<\/h3>\n
Contact forms<\/h3>\n
Compliance information \u2013 GDC\/ICO\/GDPR<\/h3>\n
Team information<\/h3>\n
New treatments<\/h3>\n
Content management systems (CMS) \u2013 technical aspects<\/h3>\n
A quick word about non-essential website content updates<\/h3>\n
Summary<\/h3>\n