Short answer
A dental website redesign rebuilds the design, code and content of an existing site while protecting what already works, such as pages that bring in search visits and addresses other sites link to. Dentoryxa starts with a full inventory, reviews the current wording against your regulator’s advertising rules, maps every old address to a new one and launches with redirects in place.
Signs your site needs a redesign
A redesign is worth considering when the site is hard for your team to update, looks dated on a phone, loads slowly or no longer describes the practice accurately. Other signs are less visible. The site may still show a dentist who left two years ago, list treatments you no longer offer or carry a reviews widget that pulls star ratings onto every page.
Compliance is another reason to act. Advertising standards change and so do websites, often one plugin or page at a time. A site that was fine when it launched may now include wording your regulator does not allow.
Step one: the inventory
We crawl the current site and list every page, image, document and redirect. For each page we note what it is about, whether it earns search visits, which other pages link to it and whether its content is still accurate. If you can share access to Google Search Console, we add the queries and clicks for each page. That data decides what to keep.
The inventory also catches technical debt: broken links, duplicate pages, missing titles, large images and old scripts that slow the site down.
Step two: the compliance read
Next, we read every page as a regulator might. In Ontario, the RCDSO lists testimonials, superlative or comparative terms such as “state of the art” and “cutting edge”, giveaways and contests, and statements that create an expectation of favourable results among the things a dental advertisement must not include.1 Its 2025 guidance repeats the warning against claims of uniqueness or superiority and anything that creates unrealistic expectations.2
Titles need the same care. The RCDSO says only dentists who hold a certificate of specialist registration may call themselves specialists, and that terms such as “cosmetic dentist” or “implant specialist” imply a specialty that is not recognized.3 We list every phrase that may need attention, with a suggested rewrite. The dentist responsible for advertising makes the final call.
Step three: the new structure
With the inventory and compliance notes in hand, we design the new page map. Pages that work stay, sometimes with a refresh. Thin pages are merged into stronger ones. Missing pages, such as a proper new patient page or a page for each location, are added. Every old address gets a planned destination, so visitors and search engines that follow an old link land on the closest new page instead of an error.
Step four: design and build
The design and build follow the same steps as a new website: layouts for review, content editing, accessible code and testing on real phone widths. Because the content already exists, we spend more time improving it than writing from scratch.
Step five: launch and redirect check
On launch day we switch the domain to the new site, apply the redirect map and test a sample of old addresses. In the following weeks we check Search Console for crawl errors and fix any address we missed. We also submit the new sitemap so search engines find the changes faster.
What you receive
- A full inventory of your current site with keep, merge or remove notes.
- A compliance read with suggested rewrites for each flagged phrase.
- A new page map and redirect plan.
- The redesigned site, built and tested.
- A post-launch check of redirects and crawl errors.
Common redesign risks, and how we handle them
- Lost search traffic. Prevented with a complete redirect map and a post-launch crawl check.
- Lost content. Every useful page and document is listed in the inventory before anything is removed.
- Broken forms. The new appointment form is tested end to end before the old site is switched off.
- Email disruption. Domain and mail settings are reviewed before launch, so email keeps working.
- Approval delays. A content checklist and a named approver keep the content stage on schedule.
Want a written plan for your practice website?
Send a few details and you get back a page map, a list of the content you would need to gather and a quote range. No obligation.
Get a Free PlanFrequently asked questions
Will a redesign hurt my Google rankings?
It can, if old addresses disappear without redirects or if useful content is deleted. We map every old address to its new one, keep pages that earn search visits and check the redirects after launch. Rankings can still move for a few weeks while Google recrawls the site.
Can you keep my current domain and email?
Yes. The domain stays the same and email is usually separate from the website. We plan the switch so email keeps working throughout.
My site has patient reviews on it. Can they stay?
That depends on your regulator. In Ontario, the RCDSO prohibits testimonials in dental advertising, and your website counts as advertising. We flag any reviews, ratings widgets or quotes so the dentist can decide how to bring the site in line.
How long does a redesign take?
Similar to a new build, about six to ten weeks for a single location. If most content can be reused, the content stage is shorter.
Can we redesign in stages instead of all at once?
Sometimes. If the current platform is sound, we can rebuild the most important pages first, such as the home page, the new patient page and key treatment pages, then work through the rest. If the platform itself is the problem, a single switch is usually cleaner.
Sources
- RCDSO: Advertising Guidelines Regulator
- RCDSO: The dos and don’ts of advertising (28 July 2025) Regulator
- RCDSO: Use of qualifications, titles, and designations (26 September 2023) Regulator
Checked on 29 October 2026. Rules change, so confirm the current version with the regulator before you publish.
