The lights shone brightly in the stadium. The excitement was as palpable as the mist of early dusk. The stage was set, the combatants ready. It was time to witness the battle of the ages. In the left corner, Science, armed with facts and logic. In the right, Art, whose beauty has moved the strongest men to tears. Only one may emerge victorious ...or so we thought.

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Art & Science

When it comes to websites, sometimes it seems like we have to choose between art or science, beauty or brains, form or function. At Studio 8E8, we believe the best sites have both. Why? Because a website that’s all science and no art is boring and doesn’t foster human connection. All art and no science? Well, that’s a recipe for a confusing website that nobody “gets.”

It’s obvious why science is important to websites. Without science, your website wouldn’t be easy to navigate, the information would be presented in a way that didn’t make logical sense, and search engines would never understand how to index it. But why is art important?

Design Drives Decisions

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Take a minute to let those stats sink in. Before someone reads a word of your website, they’ve already made an assessment of how credible you are. It might sound crazy, but most people decide your quality of dentistry based on their impression of your website’s design. Does your website look clean and organized? They’ll assume the same about you. Is it broken and outdated? They’ll expect the same from your office. 

First Impressions

It only takes visitors 50 milliseconds to form a first impression of your website design (Source)

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I’m sure you’ve experienced this yourself when looking for something online. Here’s how it goes: (1) you Google something, (2) you start clicking results, (3) you immediately rule out the companies with the worst websites, and (4) when you see a site that stands out, that’s the company you’ll call first.

Still don’t believe me? Take a look at these examples and notice the opinions you form. 

Which of these offices appear to have the most qualified doctors?

Which office would you choose for a major cosmetic procedure?

Which pediatric dentist will provide the best experience for your kids?

Defining Design

So, what makes a website design good? I’m sure you’ve heard that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. And while that’s true, there are a handful of things that all beautifully-designed websites have in common.

Artistic Value & Creativity

Your website should reflect your practice’s aesthetic. Is your practice clean and modern? Your site should be bright and airy, with lots of visual room to breathe. Is your practice colorful and bold? Bring that into your website, too! Your site should be like a window directly into your practice. Its design should let new patients know what to expect when they arrive.

Beautiful Images

Your site should feature high-quality photos of you, your team, and your practice so people can get to know you before they arrive. Don’t settle for stock photos of random people with cheesy smiles – make a real connection by letting people see you and your team laughing and smiling with patients.

Tell a Story

Don’t dump information. Use the words on your website to tell your story. Focus on who you are, not just what you do. Let people get to know you by telling your story in a genuine, believable way. 

Art + Science = ❤️

Form or function? Why not have both?! Here’s what you can expect when art and science come together to create a beautiful, functional website.

Mobile First

With more than half of your website’s visitors viewing on a mobile phone (source), the mobile experience is now more important than the desktop experience. Your mobile website shouldn’t be an afterthought, it should be intentionally designed to provide a top-notch experience.

Ease of Use

A great website doesn’t just look nice, it’s also well-organized and simple to navigate. Instead of drowning your visitors in a sea of endless options and pages, choose simplicity. Give your visitors a small number of options that allow them to access the most helpful information quickly and easily.

Great SEO

A beautiful, properly-coded website isn’t just great for people – search engines love them, too!  By creating high quality content with proper organization and coding strategies, your website can score well with both people and Google.

At Studio 8E8, making great websites with the perfect blend of art and science is what we’re all about! We’d love to help you build a beautiful website that tells your story, represents you well, and gets the results you want.