A mobile website is a lot like a pair of shorts. You only wear them when it’s warm enough, or you only visit a mobile website when you’re using a mobile device. A pair of pants on the other hand is like a desktop website. You’re only wearing pants when it’s cold out and only visiting a desktop website on your computer.
In 2019, 53 percent of web traffic came from mobile users. This means that likely more than half of people who visited your dental website visited it from their mobile device. Does this mean that you need a separate mobile website? Not necessarily. You just need convertible pants.
What’s a Separate Mobile Website?
A mobile website is a separate website designed specifically for mobile devices. You may have visited a website on your phone that asks you if you would like to view it with a mobile display. When you click yes, it would redirect you to a subdomain on the website like mobile.website.com. Sometimes the website would automatically redirect you if it noticed you were viewing it from a mobile device.
The separate mobile website would have all the same information as the desktop website, but it’s easier to navigate on a phone. The purpose of a separate mobile website was to give users a better experience on your website while browsing it on your phone. If you’ve ever tried to navigate a desktop website from your phone, it’s incredibly frustrating – much like wearing a thick pair of pants on a hot day. You can’t read anything without zooming in and out, and finding the menu requires you to scroll back to the top.
While having a separate mobile website sounds like it will solve a lot of problems for your dental office, it will actually just cause even more.
Why a Separate Mobile Website is a Bad Idea
Although separate mobile websites were a great idea when phones first could browse the internet, the idea is now incredibly dated. One of the biggest problems with separate mobile websites is when the automatic redirect based on your device doesn’t happen. For instance, if someone viewing a mobile website sends a mobile website link to someone their desktop and it doesn’t automatically redirect to the desktop website, it creates a frustrating experience for the desktop user. The same is true if a desktop user sends a website link to a mobile user and the website doesn’t redirect them to the mobile website.
Another major problem with separate mobile websites is that search engines don’t know how to handle the content on them. In the earlier days, search engines didn’t crawl mobile websites which means the content on there wasn’t detected or indexed. Today, search engines crawl all types websites. Therefore, if you have a separate mobile website with the same content as your desktop website, you might get flagged for duplicate content which can ultimately crush your search engine rankings.
Lastly, there are issues with linking when there’s a separate mobile website. Your desktop website might have tons of links pointed to it which helps it rank higher on search engines. If your mobile website doesn’t have the same amount of links pointing towards it, its rankings will suffer.
While having a separate mobile website sounds like it will solve a lot of problems for your dental office, it will actually just cause even more.
Does My Dental Office Need a Mobile App?
You might also wonder if your dental office needs a mobile app. Going back to our pants analogy, an app is a lot like a pair of capris. They’re perfect for days that aren’t too hot or too cold but are really only useful a few days of the year. There’s really no use for a dental office to have an app. Everything your patients need can be on your website. It’s also unlikely anyone will want to actually download and use your app if it has the same information and use it as a website. Just do yourself a favor and don’t invest in capris.
Why Your Dental Office Needs a Responsive Website
There is one solution to meet all of your needs: a responsive website – or convertible pants. Yes, we mean the zipper pants. While they might not look fashionable, they’re the perfect pair of pants for any type of weather. If it gets too hot, zip your pants off into shorts or vice versa. A responsive website is like a pair of convertible pants, it’s ready to take on any climate or device you throw at it. Responsive website designs solve every problem you would encounter with a separate mobile website. You will also save yourself money too. Instead of paying for a separate desktop and mobile website design, you’re paying for only one responsive design. Although the development takes a bit longer, it’s still cheaper than two separate websites.
A responsive website design provides you with:
- Faster page speed
- Decreased bounce rate
- Better social sharing
- Less duplicate content
- Less linking problems
- Improved site usability
Not only will your patients love visiting your responsive dental website from any device, stress-free, but search engines love it too.
Responsive Website Designs for Dentists
At the end of the day, investing in a responsive website design for your dental office will save you money, help you rank higher, and help you attract more patients to your dental office. Fortunately, Pro Impressions Marketing can help. We design each of our websites with a responsive design. You never have to second guess whether a potential patient will have a bad experience on your website or not.
If you currently don’t have a responsive website design or feel unhappy with your current design, let us help. We promise we won’t try to sell you a pair of shorts in the winter or a pair of capris—ever. Schedule a consultation with us today to learn more about our different website design and marketing package options.
