Best Practices for Setting Up Online Scheduling on Your Dental Website
When adding online scheduling to your website, it's tempting to use a direct link to a third-party scheduling tool on every page. However, at Identity Dental Marketing, we recommend a more strategic and sustainable approach: place a "Schedule Online" button in the upper-right corner of your website’s menu—both on desktop and mobile—and direct that button to your Contact page, where a clear and prominent link to the online scheduling tool is featured.
Why This Approach Works Best:
1. Increased Reliability and Flexibility
Direct links to third-party scheduling tools can break or load slowly, especially if the tool undergoes changes or experiences downtime. By sending users to your Contact page instead, you ensure that even if the scheduling tool fails, patients still land on a page with your phone number, address, and contact form—giving them other reliable ways to reach you.
2. Simplified Website Management
If you ever change your scheduling provider, we can update the link once on your Contact page instead of hunting through every instance the link appears across your site. This keeps your website up-to-date and reduces the chance of missed or outdated links.
3. Better Tracking & Reporting
Routing traffic to your Contact page allows you to track visitor behavior more effectively using analytics. You can see how many visitors view the page compared to how many complete a form or use the scheduling tool. This data is essential for understanding your conversion rates and making informed marketing decisions.
4. A Consistent and Professional Experience
A well-placed, highly visible “Schedule Online” button creates a consistent experience for users across all devices. Plus, keeping scheduling access centralized on your Contact page maintains your brand’s professionalism while improving usability.
5. SEO Benefit
Additionally, by routing online scheduling through your Contact page, we can optimize that page for SEO. This means your Contact page can show up on Google when someone searches for a dentist near them with online scheduling—helping your practice get found by patients who value convenience. This setup not only serves existing patients but also helps attract new patients actively looking for easy scheduling options.
Final Thoughts
Setting up online scheduling the right way isn’t just about convenience—it’s about creating a reliable, measurable, and adaptable process for your practice. If you're ready to add or improve your online scheduling setup, our team at Identity Dental Marketing is here to help.
