[Articles]Cost
How much does a website cost for a dentist?
What a dental practice website costs depends on who builds it and what it has to do: booking, patient forms, insurance and more than one dentist. Here is how to price it.
Key takeaways
- A dental website costs more than a basic small business site when it has to book appointments, take patient forms and list the insurance you accept.
- The price depends on who builds it (you, a freelancer, a general agency, a dental marketing agency or a done-for-you service) and on what it has to do.
- Ask every provider how patient forms are handled. Anything that collects health information should go through a service that will sign a business associate agreement with your practice.
- Count the monthly cost, not just the launch. Hosting, security, backups and changes go on for as long as the site does.
- With Hyperdesk it’s $500 to launch, then $49 a month or $490 a year, and you see the finished site before you pay anything.
A dental practice website often costs more than the site of a shop or a contractor, because it has more to do. It has to book appointments, take new patient forms, list the insurance you accept and introduce each dentist. What you pay depends on who builds it and how many of those jobs it takes on.
Here is how to price it, and the questions that keep quotes comparable.
What a dental website has to do
Before you ask anyone for a price, list what the site needs. Most practices need:
- A way to book or call in one tap. New patients decide quickly. Booking online, or a phone number that dials when tapped, belongs on the first screen. See what goes on the first screen.
- New patient forms, if you want patients to fill them in before the visit.
- The insurance you accept, in plain words. New patients often want to know before they call.
- Your services, from cleanings to implants, so people (and Google) know you do them.
- Hours, parking and directions.
- A short page for each dentist and each location, if you have more than one.
Every item on the list is work for someone, and that’s what the price is paying for.
Who builds it, and what you pay for
The same five routes as for any small business, with a few dental twists. Our guide to what a small business website costs has sourced price ranges for each.
Build it yourself
A website builder costs a monthly plan. The design, writing, photos, booking setup and every later change are yours to do. It’s the cheapest in cash and the most expensive in evenings, and patient forms are easy to get wrong on your own.
A freelancer
Prices vary widely with experience. A good freelancer can do a fine dental site; ask who hosts it after launch, who makes changes, and how patient forms will work.
A general web agency
A team for design, writing and development, usually at a higher price and a longer timeline. Hosting and changes after launch are often billed separately.
A dental marketing agency
Agencies that only work with dentists know the field and often bundle the site with ads, search marketing and review management, usually on a monthly retainer. Worth it if you want all of that; expensive if you only needed the website.
A done-for-you service
One price that covers the design, the writing, hosting and upkeep. Hyperdesk works this way, and you see the finished site before you decide.
Patient forms and HIPAA: ask before you sign
A page with your phone number and hours holds no patient data. An online intake form, a medical history or a message about treatment can. Those forms should not land in an ordinary inbox.
Ask every provider:
- Which forms on the site collect health information?
- Where does that information go, and who can see it?
- Will the form or booking service sign a business associate agreement with the practice?
If a provider can’t answer, that’s your answer. Many practices keep it simple: the website books the visit, and the forms are filled in through the practice’s own patient software, so the website never holds that information.
Make it usable by everyone
Patients with low vision use screen readers, and many use larger text. A dental site should have enough color contrast, text descriptions on images, labels on every form field and buttons that work with a keyboard. The widely used benchmark is the W3C’s Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). Ask whether the site is built and checked against it. It’s easier to build in than to add later.
The costs that come after launch
- Hosting and security. Someone keeps the site online, updated and backed up. Ask what it costs each month.
- Changes. New hours, a new associate, a new service. Ask who makes them, how fast, and what each one costs.
- Your domain. Make sure yourpractice.com is registered in the practice’s name.
- Booking and form services, if they’re billed separately from the site.
Five questions that make dental quotes comparable
- What’s included at launch: pages, writing, photos, booking, forms?
- What do I pay every month after launch, and what does it cover?
- How are patient forms handled, and who signs the business associate agreement?
- Who makes changes after launch, how quickly, and at what price?
- Can I see the design before I pay?
Two quotes that answer these the same way can be compared on price. Two that don’t are different products. Our comparison pages set the usual routes side by side.
Where Hyperdesk fits. We redesign your current site around what new patients look for: booking or tap-to-call on every page, your services, the insurance you accept, hours, parking and directions. It’s $500 to launch, then $49 a month or $490 a year for up to 5 pages, hosting with SSL, daily backups, security updates, SEO setup and 2 small changes a month. You see the finished site, with the price, before you pay anything. More on websites for dental clinics and pricing.
Questions
How much does a website cost for a dental practice?
It depends on who builds it and what it has to do. A site you build yourself costs a builder’s monthly plan and your time. Freelancers and agencies quote very different amounts, and a dental marketing agency usually costs more again, often with a monthly retainer. With Hyperdesk it’s $500 to launch, then $49 a month or $490 a year.
Does a dental website need to be HIPAA compliant?
The parts that collect health information do. A general “call us” page doesn’t hold patient data, but online intake forms, medical histories or messages about treatment can. Ask your provider which forms collect health information, where that data goes, and whether the form service will sign a business associate agreement with your practice. Your compliance advisor has the final word.
What should a dental website include?
New patient booking or a clear way to call, the services you offer, the insurance you accept, your hours, parking and directions, and real photos of your team and office. Practices with more than one dentist or location also need a short page for each.
Do I need a dental marketing agency, or is a regular web designer enough?
A regular designer is enough for most single-location practices if they get the dental specifics right, mainly booking, patient forms and insurance. Agencies that only work with dentists add things like ads and review management, usually for a monthly fee. Decide which of those you actually need before you pay for them.
Published . Questions or corrections: contact@hyperdesk-ai.com.
