Use this as a tick-box for your own site, or hand it to whoever builds it. It's grouped by the four jobs a dental website has to do. If you can check most boxes in each group, you're already ahead of the large majority of practices — and the gaps tell you exactly what to fix first.
1. Found — so new patients can reach you
- Loads in under ~3 seconds on a phone, on cellular.
- Practice name, city, and "new patients welcome" visible immediately.
- Address with a tap-to-open Google map.
- Hours visible without hunting, and kept accurate (especially holidays).
- Shows up on page one when you Google your own practice name.
- A unique, descriptive page title (what shows in Google's results).
2. Trusted — so they choose you
- Real photos of your office, team, and you — not only stock.
- A short, human introduction to the dentist.
- A clear list of the services you actually offer.
- Looks current — modern design, no dated layout or old copyright year.
- Reads in plain language, not dental jargon.
- A few genuine patient reviews or a link to your Google reviews.
3. Booked — so a visit becomes a patient
- Tap-to-call phone number on every screen.
- An online booking tool or request form for after-hours visitors.
- One obvious next step (book / call / directions) on every page.
- Insurance and payment info easy to find.
- A new-patient page that answers "what happens on my first visit?"
4. In control — so you're never stuck
- You own your domain name outright.
- You can get changes made quickly and affordably (ask the cost and turnaround).
- HTTPS / a valid SSL certificate (the padlock).
- Regular backups, so a mistake is never catastrophic.
How to use this
Score yourself honestly. Most practices miss several boxes in "Found" and "Booked" — and those two groups are where new patients are won or lost. If you're getting a site built, send this list to the builder and ask them to confirm each line. If a builder can't, that tells you something.
The fastest wins are usually the items in our 10 common mistakes guide, and the honest cost of doing it all properly is lower than most assume — see the full cost breakdown.
Want a site that ticks every box above by default? We'll build you a free redesign to see first — start here, or browse examples.