What we looked for.
We checked whether a first-time visitor could see an appointment control or a call control without scrolling or opening the menu. We counted buttons labeled book, schedule or appointment, including a cleaning appointment. A generic “Contact Us,” a new-patient offer, a chat box or a patient-forms link did not count as an appointment control.
A visible phone icon, call button or telephone number presented as a control counted as a call option. We did not test the destination, make calls, send messages or submit appointments. A visible control does not prove a working booking process.
What the sample showed.
15 of 20 first-screen captures showed an appointment-labeled control. 14 of 20 showed a call control. Five did not show an appointment-labeled control in the captured view; that does not mean the site lacked one elsewhere.
Entry points appeared in several places: the header, the main introduction and the bottom of the screen. Some captures also contained cookie notices, promotions or chat panels. We recorded the screen as presented, without dismissing overlays.
For a practice planning a redesign, the useful question is specific: can a new patient see a clear next step, understand which office it reaches and tell whether they are requesting a visit or reserving a time?
Use this in your own redesign.
Open the website on a phone with a fresh session. Check the first screen, then follow the appointment path. Confirm the office, destination and confirmation wording. Test delivery with the practice team before launch. Keep patient information out of screenshots and analytics.
For a group, repeat the check for each location. A shared design does not prove that every office has the correct booking destination. Our DSO website design guide explains how to plan a rollout.
This study measures visible entry points only. Our Northside Dental case study reports a different kind of evidence: the practice’s new-patient counts, with their source and limits. Do not treat interface observations as a forecast of those results.
How we checked.
We selected 20 publicly accessible practice homepages from web searches about dentists and appointment booking in Chicago, Denver, Austin and Miami. The sample contains seven Chicago sites, five in the Denver area, five Austin sites and three Miami sites. Selection favored discoverable websites and was not random or representative of US dentistry. No WTM client site was included.
Each page loaded in a fresh desktop Playwright WebKit context with an iPhone user agent, touch enabled and a 393 × 844 CSS-pixel viewport. The capture followed DOMContentLoaded and a 1.6-second wait. Navigation, image loading, banners and late scripts can affect what appears at that moment. These were browser simulations, not physical-iPhone tests.
We visually reviewed every captured screen. We did not scroll, open menus or dismiss notices before capturing. No patient information was entered. This is not a speed benchmark, accessibility certification, clinical assessment or conversion study. The observations can change after the check date.
Download all observations and source URLs (CSV). The file records each decision and its limitations. Screenshots are retained as internal evidence; the source links let you inspect the current websites.
Fixes when the first screen falls short
If your own check finds no clear appointment control, the fix is usually simple. Put the next step where a thumb can reach it, and label it in the words patients use.
- Use a button labeled book, schedule, or appointment. A generic Contact Us is not the same next step.
- Make the phone number tappable, not plain text or part of an image.
- Make sure cookie notices, chat panels, and promotions do not cover the booking control.
- Keep the opening message short so the button is not pushed off the first screen.
- For groups, make the office clear before the patient reaches the scheduler.
What the study does not tell you
A visible button is a starting point, not a result. The sample was small and not random, so it cannot rank practices or describe dentistry as a whole. It also says nothing about whether a request reached the front desk.
To judge your own path, ask your team what happens after a request: who sees it, how they respond, and whether the patient gets a clear confirmation. Those answers matter as much as the button. For the wider picture, read what a dental website needs.
A booking path after a group rollout
Outcome data is a different kind of evidence from this study. For one dental group with nine locations, we built a new site, a page for each location, and online booking through Patient Growth System. The group reported 18+ new patients in the first month, and growth in month two was 17% above its usual monthly growth. These are group-reported figures. They do not prove the website caused the change and are not a forecast.
If you want a second look at your own booking path, see our dental website design service or send us your site.
Common questions
Did the study test whether booking actually worked?
No. It recorded only the controls visible on the first screen. It did not test destinations, make calls, send messages, or submit appointments.
Which websites were included?
The study looked at 20 publicly accessible practice homepages from Chicago, Denver, Austin, and Miami. Selection was not random, and no WTM client site was included.
Does a visible book button mean more patients?
Not on its own. The study measures visible entry points only and should not be read as a forecast of new-patient results.