The dental website checklist.
Fifteen minutes with this list will tell you whether your website is working for the practice or against it - covering the booking path, speed, trust, compliance and measurement.
The booking path
The only job of a practice website is turning a visit into an appointment. Everything else is decoration.
- A clear booking action visible without scrolling, on every page, on a phone
- Phone number tappable on mobile - test it, many are plain text
- Online booking reachable in one click, not buried behind a contact form
- Contact form short: name, contact, reason - every extra field costs enquiries
- A confirmation of what happens next after someone enquires (when you’ll respond, what to expect)
Speed and mobile
Most dental website traffic is a phone on a mobile connection, often in mild discomfort.
- Loads in a few seconds on a real phone over mobile data - not office Wi-Fi
- No layout jumping while it loads (this is what Google’s CLS metric measures)
- Images compressed and modern formats used - photography is the usual culprit
- Readable text and tappable buttons without zooming
- Test the actual booking flow on a phone monthly - forms break silently after updates
Trust and content
Choosing a dentist is a trust decision. The site either builds it or leaks it.
- Real photos of your practice and team - stock imagery quietly signals the opposite of trust
- Team page with genuine bios and AHPRA registration details where appropriate
- Fees or honest price ranges for common treatments - hiding pricing loses more patients than it protects
- Service pages that answer real pre-booking questions: process, discomfort, recovery, cost
- Accessibility basics: sufficient contrast, keyboard navigation, descriptive image text
Compliance and safety
A practice website is health advertising under Australian law, with real obligations.
- No patient testimonials about clinical care anywhere you control - see our AHPRA-aware advertising guide
- Before/after imagery only with consent, un-retouched, and not creating unrealistic expectations
- No guaranteed-outcome claims for any treatment
- Privacy policy covering what the practice actually collects, including forms and analytics
- HTTPS everywhere, forms protected against spam, and software kept updated
Measurement
A website without measurement is a brochure. You should know what it produces each month.
- Analytics tracking calls, form submissions and booking clicks as distinct events
- A monthly number you actually look at: enquiries produced, not visits received
- Search Console connected, so you can see what patients searched before arriving
Ready to see what your practice could improve first?
Book a free growth strategy session. We review your website, search presence and advertising, and give you a clear plan - with no obligation.