There is a well-known saying in the business of dentistry related to inflated prices \u2013 affectionately known as the \u201cdental tax\u201d. This is reasonably self-explanatory but if you haven\u2019t come across it before, it refers to suppliers hiking prices to dentists simply because they\u2019ve historically got away with it.<\/p>\n
Well, all dentists are rich right? Absolutely not of course and these days the industry is more polarised than ever. Whilst there are clearly lots of established dentists doing very well, there are lots of new entrants at the other end of the scale who are struggling with large loans and trying to build their practices from scratch.<\/p>\n
Notwithstanding market forces, is it fair then for dentists to expect to pay higher prices for services when compared to non-dental businesses? I\u2019m pretty sure that the answer to that is \u201cno\u201d.<\/p>\n
In today\u2019s blog we\u2019ll take a look at the \u201cdental tax\u201d issue in the field of website design and how several companies are charging way over the odds for the types of websites they\u2019re producing \u2013 and why some dentists are still falling for it.<\/p>\n
Small non-dental businesses are typically paying \u00a33-5k + vat for their websites. This would be for a website using the industry standard WordPress system and built to a high-standard.<\/p>\n
For a comparable dental website, several companies are charging double this and some even more. So what\u2019s the justification, if indeed there is one? Let\u2019s debunk some of the reasons given.<\/p>\n
Whilst there are standards which a dentist\u2019s website must comply with, these are not onerous and easy enough to achieve. Simply referencing the guidance documents from the GDC is going to cover most of what you need. A few agencies with a dental bias have tried to use these requirements to convince dentists that special skills are required, but this is not really the case as you\u2019ll see if you do your homework.<\/p>\n
Whilst it\u2019s useful to know your agency has experience with such standards, it certainly doesn\u2019t justify some of the fees currently being touted.<\/p>\n
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Whilst it\u2019s true that competition is fierce in dentistry and dental websites<\/a> have come on a long way, there is no reason to suggest that a dentist\u2019s website needs to be any better than that of a non-dental business \u2013 they should all be excellent if done well. There is nothing in a dental web designer\u2019s tool-kit that a non-dental designer wouldn\u2019t have. So you really shouldn\u2019t be paying a premium for that.<\/p>\n That\u2019s another \u201cno\u201d \u2013 any business looking to exploit the benefits of the web will need to look after their website and update it regularly with useful, engaging content \u2013 this isn\u2019t exclusive to dentists. The same goes for security considerations \u2013 any website will be subject to these requirements.<\/p>\n Again this isn\u2019t correct and if you think about it, not very logical either. All good design agencies will have access to the main stock image libraries where thousands of high-resolution photographs are available at very acceptable rates. Charging a lot more money for access to high-quality images isn\u2019t really valid these days.<\/p>\n It\u2019s also important to note that stock images, irrespective of the quality, aren\u2019t the best way to promote engagement on a website. As we\u2019ve explained previously, they are far too impersonal and \u201csamey\u201d \u2013 you are much better served with a bespoke photo shoot to help personalise your site.<\/p>\n‘Dental practice websites need more upkeep and maintenance’<\/h3>\n
‘Dental websites need better visuals’<\/h3>\n
‘Expensive websites perform better in Google’<\/h3>\n