Unless doing extensive research, many people in search of an orthodontist are not interested in reading pages and pages of information the first time they come to your practice’s website. Instead, they want the simplest steps displayed conspicuously in front of them. For your website, this should be done in the form of a “call-to-action”. Our team at Ortho Marketing is here to explain what a call-to-action and why it is an integral aspect of your website. Take a look at this video from President of Ortho Marketing, Dean Steinman, and feel free to read the blog below for more details!
WHAT IS A CALL-TO-ACTION?
A call-to-action, or CTA, is anything that signals to potential patients what steps they can take to engage contact with your practice. Most often you’ll see it in the form of a “Contact” button, which drives searchers directly to your contact page, which should be ready with your practice’s address, phone number, and Google maps display.
WHY IS A CALL-TO-ACTION SO IMPORTANT?
It takes only seconds for the modern-day searcher to decide whether your website is worth their time. If they have to hunt around to figure out how to contact you, they won’t take the time to do it. This is why an obviously-placed, plainly-stated, easy-to-read call-to-action is essential on the home page of your website. Don’t lose out on potential patients simply for lacking the proper tools to enable them to contact you.
ARE THERE OTHER KINDS OF CALLS-TO-ACTION?
Yes! There a few other popular and successful kinds of CTAs that you can implement (or we can implement for you), like these:
- “Schedule an Appointment” or “Free Consultation”: every practice functions differently, so your practice might not work as well by just having potential patients call you. If that’s the case, then you might try having a CTA like this – rather than having people call you, it directs them to a “consultation form” or the like. They can be as simple as a button, or they can be a little more in-depth like the one below. Either way, this is another great way to encourage potential patients to engage with your practice.
- Live Chat: this new feature, which our team at Ortho Marketing can set up for you, is a big hit with consumers of all kinds, but especially those searching within the field of orthodontia. Potential patients have numerous questions about the services you offer and what kind of treatment they might need when they land on your website. 44% of web searchers say that having a live chat feature while on a website is the most important feature that you can offer (Source). Don’t just be a wall of web content; be there for your potential patients with this feature.
- Written Content CTAs: Your website doesn’t just include a home page and inner pages; it should also have an active blog feed and landing pages that help searchers find your website. Within this written content lies another possibility for calls-to-action. You should include a call-to-action like, “For more information, contact Fake Orthodontics at: 123-456-7890”. This text can be hyperlinked to direct readers to your contact page to really drive the message home.
Don’t feel like only one of these options are for you. Test out which work best for your practice, and don’t be afraid to implement a bunch of different kinds of calls-to-action. If you’re not sure how to go about applying these tools, we are here to help. To find out more information or to set up a call-to-action on your website, don’t hesitate to contact our team at Ortho Marketing!
