Website for Dentists: Pages, Costs and Getting Patients
A website for a dental practice has to do two jobs at once: look trustworthy enough for anxious patients and make it obvious how to book, whether you are NHS, private or mixed. Get the clinical facts, team photos, fees and contact details right, then make the site fast on a phone. That combination is what actually fills the diary.
What patients look for in the first 10 seconds
Most people searching for a dentist are in a hurry or slightly worried. They want to know you exist, you are registered, you take new patients, and how to get in. Put the practice name, town, phone number and a clear “book” or “request an appointment” action in the header on every page. Do not hide the number behind a form.
Show whether you accept NHS patients, private only, or both. Mixed practices should say so on the homepage, not only in a buried fees PDF. If you have waiting lists, say so honestly. False “new patients welcome” copy wastes everyone’s time and damages reviews later.
Pages a dental site actually needs
Keep the structure short. Extra pages that nobody reads slow the build and confuse Google.
- Home: location, NHS/private status, opening hours, emergency number if you offer one, and three treatment highlights with links.
- Treatments: one page per main service (check-ups, fillings, implants, Invisalign-style alignment, hygiene, cosmetic, children’s dentistry if you offer it). Plain English, typical appointment length, and who it is for.
- Fees: NHS bands if relevant, private price list or “from” prices, and what is included. Update this when you change prices. Out-of-date fees generate angry calls.
- Team: named dentists and hygienists with GDC numbers, photos, and a short bio. Patients book people, not logos.
- New patients / first visit: what to bring, parking, accessibility, and how long the first appointment takes.
- Contact and locations: map, parking, bus links, and a simple form. Multi-site groups need a page per surgery.
- Policies: privacy, complaints, and a short note on how you handle medical information. Link CQC and GDC where it helps trust.
Before-and-after galleries are useful for private cosmetic work if you have proper consent. Do not use stock smiles. Do not imply guaranteed results. Keep clinical claims conservative.
Legal and trust details UK practices cannot skip
Display GDC registration for every dentist who treats patients. CQC rating and inspection date belong on the site if you are registered. If you are a limited company, Companies House details go in the footer with a real UK address, not a PO box.
Cookie banners and a privacy policy are required if you use analytics or booking tools. Collect only what you need on enquiry forms: name, phone, email, preferred time, and a short note. Do not ask for full medical history on a public form.
Accessibility matters more here than for many small sites. High contrast, readable type, working keyboard navigation, and alt text on images help older patients and anyone using a screen reader. Aim for WCAG 2.2 AA as a practical target, not a badge.
Booking, phone and getting found
Online booking that talks to your practice software is ideal if you already use it. If not, a short form plus a click-to-call button on mobile is enough. Missed calls are the usual leak. Put the number in the header and again near the form.
Google Business Profile still drives a large share of “dentist near me” traffic. Match the name, address and hours on the website to the profile exactly. Ask for reviews after completed courses of treatment, not on the day of a difficult extraction. Link to the profile from the contact page.
Local SEO is mostly honest pages: town name in titles where it is true, service pages that mention nearby areas you actually serve, and fast load times. A practice in Maidstone does not need a fake page for every village in Kent.
Speed and phones
Compress photos of the surgery and team. Avoid auto-playing videos. Target under 2.5 seconds on a mid-range phone over 4G. Heavy sliders and chat widgets that load last are the usual culprits. Patients will call a competitor if the page stalls.
Typical UK costs in 2026 terms
A simple brochure site for a single-surgery practice, built properly on a proper host, often sits in the £1,500 to £4,000 range as a one-off if content is ready. Multi-site groups, custom booking, or large treatment libraries push that higher, commonly £4,000 to £10,000. DIY builders look cheaper until you factor in time, accessibility, and someone keeping fees and team pages current.
Ongoing costs are easy to underestimate. Hosting, SSL, backups, plugin updates, and small copy changes typically run £20 to £80 a month if you handle them yourself, more if an agency retains the site. A full redesign every four to six years is common when templates age or you add a second surgery.
I offer both a one-off build and a pay-monthly route with a setup fee then a monthly price covering hosting, updates and ongoing management. Pay monthly suits practices that want the site looked after without a large cheque up front. Exact figures are on arlowebstudio.com rather than here, because plans change and a quote depends on how many locations and whether booking is involved.
| Route | Typical UK range | Best when |
|---|---|---|
| One-off custom or WordPress | £1,500 - £10,000 build, then hosting | You have budget now and in-house time for updates |
| Pay-monthly managed | Setup fee plus monthly | You want hosting and changes handled |
| Template builder DIY | £15 - £40 a month plus your time | You can write, design and maintain it yourself |
NHS, private and mixed: copy that does not confuse
NHS pages should explain bands and what is not covered, without sounding like an apology. Private pages can talk about time, materials and choice. Mixed practices need a sentence on how you decide which route applies. Do not bury NHS information because private work is more profitable. Patients notice, and so do reviews.
Emergency cover, out-of-hours numbers, and what to do with swelling or trauma belong on the homepage and contact page. If you do not offer emergency slots, say where patients should go. That honesty reduces 8pm voicemails.
Content you should write yourself
Treatment explanations can start from your existing leaflets. I can structure and edit, but clinical accuracy has to come from the practice. Team bios work when they sound like the person, not a CV. Opening hours, fees and “we are taking / not taking NHS” must be easy for you to change later, or they will rot.
Plan a 30-minute review every quarter: fees, team leavers, opening hours, and Google hours. That is the maintenance that actually protects enquiries.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a website if I already have a Google Business Profile?
Yes. The profile gets you on the map. The website holds fees, GDC numbers, treatment detail and a booking path Google cannot replace. Many patients check both before they call.
Should a dental website include prices?
Yes where you can. NHS bands are public. Private “from” prices reduce tyre-kickers and set expectations. Mark them as a guide and date the page so people know it is current.
Is online booking essential?
No. It helps if it integrates with your software. A clear phone number and a short form still convert well, especially for anxious first visits. Do not add a booking widget that double-books or ignores NHS rules.
How often should a practice website be updated?
Fees, team and hours whenever they change. A light content pass every few months. A fuller redesign when the layout is slow, inaccessible, or no longer matches how you work, often after several years.
Can I use patient photos?
Only with documented consent that covers the website and social use. Avoid identifiable children. Stock images of perfect teeth look fake next to a real Kent surgery.