When a person is searching for a dentist they are looking for a service they really don't want. Just about everyone dreads going to the dentist, so the goal of any internet marketing campaign in the dental market isn't just to bring visitors to a web site, but also to help put them at ease with the idea of coming in for an appointment.
The aesthetics of a website play a large role in making potential patients comfortable with visiting a Dentist. A flash slide show showing people smiling and at ease in your office works well. Soft colors and rounded corners are also good design ideas for dental websites. Things to avoid are dark colors, sharp corners, and a lack of pictures. One thing you definitely want to prominently display is testimonials from clients, as these will make people feel more comfortable.
SEO for dental websites is fairly straight forward. Oviously, the word dentist and your city is the main goal of the campaign, while any special services you offer, such as dental surgery or tooth whitening are also good to go after. Providing content rich pages describing the different procedures is very important in achieving rankings as well as engaging the end user.
With regards to converting traffic into phone calls and patients, a strong call to action should be part of each page, as well as prominently displayed contact info, and an easy, unobtrusive contact form with button options is definetly a must.