Why Next.js and Sanity Are the Best Choices for Dental Websites in 2024
At Top Dental Marketing, our mission is to provide dental practices with modern, robust, and future-proof websites that not only look great but also deliver exceptional performance and security. After extensive research and practical experience, we chose Next.js and Sanity as our technology stack for building dental websites. Here’s why we chose Sanity and not WordPress:
The Limitations of WordPress in 2024
Security Concerns
WordPress, while popular, has increasingly become a target for security vulnerabilities. The need for constant updates and patches, along with the reliance on multiple plugins, exposes websites to various security risks. Many marketing agencies still use WordPress, often hiring junior developers or offshore contractors to cut the costs who may not prioritize security. These developers can make simple mistakes, such as installing unsupported plugins, which further expose sites to vulnerabilities.
WordPress is infamous for its security issues. In Sucuri’s Website Hack Trend Report, WordPress made up a staggering 90% of infected websites in their sample. Weak passwords, outdated software, and poorly managed permissions contribute to security breaches, making WordPress a less secure choice for health providers who must protect sensitive patient data.
Developer Availability
The landscape of web development has shifted significantly in recent years. The demand for WordPress developers has decreased, making it harder to find skilled professionals who can maintain and update WordPress sites effectively. This scarcity can leave dental practices with outdated, broken websites and difficulty in finding reliable support.
Performance Issues
WordPress sites can suffer from performance bottlenecks due to their monolithic architecture and reliance on multiple plugins. This can lead to slower load times and a poor user experience, which negatively impacts SEO and patient engagement. Google research has found that 53% of internet users will leave a page if it takes longer than 3 seconds to load. Speed isn’t just a perk anymore; performance is essential if you want to compete in the modern digital age.
The Advantages of Next.js and Sanity
Performance and Speed
Next.js is a powerful React framework that enables server-side rendering and static site generation. This results in faster load times and a smoother user experience. By pre-rendering pages at build time, Next.js ensures that dental websites are highly performant and optimized for SEO.
Flexibility and Customization
Sanity is a headless CMS that provides unparalleled flexibility in content management. Unlike WordPress, which often requires cumbersome plugins for customization, Sanity allows us to tailor the content model to fit the specific needs of each dental practice. This makes it easy to create custom content types and relationships without being constrained by a rigid structure.
Scalability and Future-Proofing
Sanity’s architecture is designed for scalability. As your dental practice grows, your website can seamlessly accommodate new content and features without the need for a complete overhaul. Sanity’s real-time collaboration and content versioning also ensure that your team can work efficiently and keep the website up-to-date with the latest information.
Security and Reliability
Sanity offers a robust security framework, minimizing the risks associated with traditional CMS platforms. With built-in features for access control and data protection, Sanity provides a secure environment for managing sensitive patient information. Sanity is SOC 2, GDPR, and CCPA compliant, offering 24/7/365 monitoring, >99.9% uptime, and hosting on industry-leading infrastructure through Google Cloud Platform (GCP), which regularly undergoes audits for industry standards such as HIPAA.
Why Sanity is Ideal for Healthcare Providers
According to Sanity’s healthcare CMS page, the platform is specifically designed to meet the needs of health providers. It offers:
- Customizable editing environments: Tailor the content workspace to match your team's needs.
- No-ops storage and delivery: A fully-managed, cloud-hosted backend that ensures reliability and scalability.
- Centralized content and context: Maximize content reuse and consistency with a single source of truth.
Conclusion
By choosing Next.js and Sanity, Top Dental Marketing ensures that your dental practice gets a website that is secure, fast, and scalable. This modern tech stack not only meets the current demands of web performance and security but also positions your practice for future growth and technological advancements.
If you're ready to elevate your dental practice's online presence with a future-proof website, contact us today. Let us show you how Next.js and Sanity can transform your digital experience.
