A person who visits a dental clinic's website usually arrives with a simple question: where is this clinic, when is it open, and how can I reach someone. The question is simple, but when the answer is scattered across the site or out of date, the person may give up and turn to another source.
This article is about how information is organised on a clinic website: address and directions, opening hours, team introduction, contact channels and who keeps this information up to date. Treatment, diagnosis and health information are not the subject of this article; what matters here is only the practical information a prospective patient looks for in order to reach the clinic.
⚡ Example scenario: Let's imagine a dental clinic. The clinic changed its opening hours for the summer months, but the old hours are still on the website. A prospective patient checks the hours on the site and calls in the evening, and nobody answers. The next day they look for the address; it is only in a small line at the bottom of the page and there is no parking information. The person has to make several attempts to reach the clinic. The problems in this scenario have nothing to do with treatment; they are about how information is organised on the site.
What Question Brings a Prospective Patient to the Site
A person visiting a clinic website usually wants to confirm a piece of information: the clinic's address, whether it is open that day, the phone number, or which channel to use for an appointment. They have not opened the site to read at length, but to take the next step.
That is why a clearly visible path to the answers to these questions can make it easier for the person to find what they are looking for. We discussed how your own website differs from a social media page in the article Your Own Website, or Is Social Media Enough?; here the subject is how information is organised within an existing site.
What should be visible on the first screen
The address, phone number, opening hours and appointment channel can sit on the first screen, or one tap away from it. When this information is squeezed into a small line at the very bottom of the page, visitors may struggle to find it.
Visitors on a phone
A prospective patient often opens the site on their phone. If the phone number is a link that starts a call when tapped and the address opens in a map app, the person may not need to copy the information by hand.
Address, Directions and Parking Information
Address information may involve more than the street and building number. Which floor of the building the clinic is on, which side the entrance is on, or whether the building has a lift are questions often asked by someone coming to the clinic for the first time.
Directions
Short directions written from a nearby stop, a well-known building or a main street can help a visitor who finds maps hard to read. Writing the directions from landmarks that rarely change can also help them stay accurate for longer.
Parking and accessibility
Whether there is parking nearby for people coming by car, and whether there are steps at the entrance for people coming with a wheelchair or a pushchair, can be noted on the site in a short line. If this information is missing from the site, the person may have to call the clinic to ask.
Opening Hours and Holidays
Opening hours are among the most frequently checked and most easily outdated pieces of information on a site. If the site is not updated when the hours change, a person may call a clinic that is closed, or assume that an open clinic is closed.
Where the hours are written
Opening hours are often written separately on the website, in the map listing and on social media accounts. Keeping a list of which places need updating when the hours change can help prevent one of them from being missed.
Holidays and special days
The site can have an announcement area for public holidays, festive periods or days when the clinic is closed for a short time. Noting in advance on which day the announcement will be removed can help prevent an old holiday notice from being forgotten on the site.
Introducing the Dentists and the Team
A prospective patient may want to see who they will meet before coming to the clinic. The team page answers this question: the names and titles of the dentists and staff, and a photo where available.
Name and title
Writing each dentist's name and title correctly and keeping them current can be a good start. When a dentist who has joined or left the clinic is not updated on the site, a visitor may not meet the person they expected when they arrive.
Mind the rules on promotion
There are rules on the promotion and advertising of healthcare providers, and promotional content on a clinic website should comply with them. This article does not recommend using before-and-after images, claims of superiority or low prices, price listings or patient reviews in promotion. If you are unsure what can be published, you can consult the relevant regulations and your professional association.
Contact Channels in One Place
The clinic may be reachable by phone, messaging, email or a form. When these channels are scattered across different pages of the site, a visitor may not know which one to use.
Which channel for what
A short note next to each channel can say what it is for: phone or messaging for appointments, email for general questions, and so on. Such a note can help each request reach the right channel.
Messages received outside working hours
Stating on the site when messages received outside working hours will be answered can set the visitor's expectations from the start. To see how messaging and call channels can be met with an automatic first reply, you can visit our WhatsApp, Telegram and voice call automation page.
Who Updates the Site, and How Often
Information on a site becomes outdated over time: hours change, someone new joins the team, a phone number changes. Whether the site stays current may depend on it being clear who will enter these changes on the site.
A responsible person
Assigning one person in the clinic as responsible for the site information can help prevent changes from being postponed with the thought that "someone will do it". If the responsible person does not make the change themselves, it may be enough for them to know whom to pass it to.
Regular review
Opening the site from start to finish at set intervals and checking the address, hours, team and contact details can make it easier to catch information that has gone out of date unnoticed. For setting up and regularly maintaining the clinic's website, you can look at our website service.
Site Information Checklist
The table below gathers the information that can be reviewed on a clinic website and why each item is useful. The list can be extended to suit each clinic's own way of working.
| Checklist item | What it can provide |
|---|---|
| Are the address, floor and entrance directions written down | Someone coming for the first time may find the clinic more easily |
| Is there parking and access information | People coming by car or with a pushchair can plan ahead |
| Are the opening hours the same everywhere | The person may not have to call outside opening hours |
| Is the holiday notice current | An old notice can be kept from staying on the site |
| Are the team's names and titles current | Visitors can meet the person they expected when they arrive |
| Is the purpose of each contact channel written down | Requests can reach the right channel |
| Is it clear who is responsible for the site information | Changes can be entered without delay |
Summary
A prospective patient visiting a clinic website is usually looking for practical information: address, directions, opening hours, team and contact channel. Keeping this information easy to find, updating it everywhere it appears when it changes, and having a responsible person review it regularly can make it easier for the site to help visitors. Promotional content, for its part, should comply with the rules for healthcare providers, and where there is doubt, the relevant regulations and professional association should be consulted.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should appear on the first screen of a clinic website
The address, phone number, opening hours and appointment channel can sit on the first screen, or one tap away from it. For visitors on a phone, it can also help if the number starts a call when tapped and the address opens in a map.
What can be included in directions
Next to the address, the floor, the entrance side, the lift, nearby parking and short directions from a well-known landmark can be written. This information may save someone coming for the first time from having to call the clinic to ask.
How can opening hours be kept up to date
The places where the hours are written, such as the website, the map listing and social media accounts, can be kept in a list. When the hours change, these places can be updated one by one; the day a holiday notice will be removed can also be noted in advance.
What can be shared on the team page
The names and titles of the dentists and staff, and a photo where available, can be shared. Since there are rules on the promotion of healthcare providers, if you are unsure what can be published, you can consult the relevant regulations and your professional association.
Does this article cover treatment information
No. Treatment, diagnosis and health information are not the subject of this article. The suggestions here concern only how the site's address, hours, team and contact information is organised.
Your clinic's information can sit in one place on the site
When address, hours, team and contact details are organised and current, a prospective patient can find what they are looking for more easily. Talking together about the site structure that suits your clinic can be the first step.
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