Choosing a Website Provider (Without Regret): A Comparison Checklist for GP Practices, Dental Clinics and Healthcare Providers

Choosing a website provider for your practice is now as important as choosing your phone system or clinical system. Your site is often the first point of contact for anxious patients, carers and time‑pressed parents. Getting it wrong means frustration, complaints, accessibility risks – and a lot of rework.

This guide gives you a practical, UK‑healthcare‑specific checklist you can use to compare vendors side by side, plus a set of questions to ask on your first call and in demos. It is written for NHS GP practices, primary care networks, dental practices and private clinics.

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Comparison Checklist: Side‑by‑Side Provider Criteria

Use this as a simple scoring sheet when you talk to vendors and review proposals.

Core technical and compliance criteria

These are the non‑negotiables for UK healthcare websites.

Speed and performance

• Ask for actual numbers: homepage and a typical content page should load in under 2–3 seconds on 4G and pass Core Web Vitals.
• Check they optimise images, use modern hosting (e.g. CDN, caching) and run regular performance audits.
• Confirm they test on low‑end devices and older browsers – the way many patients still access GP and NHS sites.

Accessibility by default (WCAG 2.2 AA)

• Confirm they design and build to at least WCAG 2.2 AA, in line with NHS and public sector expectations.
• Ask who in their team is responsible for accessibility and how often they audit sites.
• Check: keyboard‑only navigation, colour contrast, readable font sizes, clear focus states, screen reader support, and accessible forms and document handling (minimising PDFs).
• For NHS GP and other public‑sector bodies, confirm they can support a compliant Accessibility Statement and ongoing monitoring. Urgent banners and editing SLA

For healthcare, timely updates are safety‑critical.

• Ask for a guaranteed SLA for:
  • Adding/editing urgent banners (e.g. phone lines down, infection outbreaks, temporary closure).
  • Critical content changes (e.g. new triage route, emergency contact changes).
  • Check whether:
    • You can publish banners yourself within minutes via an easy admin.
    • They provide out‑of‑hours options for genuinely urgent alerts.

Fees transparency

• Request a single page or document that clearly shows:
  • Setup costs
  • Monthly/annual fees
  • Optional add‑ons and their costs
  • Training costs
  • Any per‑user or per‑edit limitations
  • Confirm:
    • Minimum contract term and notice period
    • What happens to your content and domain if you leave
    • Whether price rises are capped or pegged to inflation Migration plan

You should not be left chasing old providers or losing content.

• Ask for a written migration plan that covers:
  • Content audit and clean‑up (removing outdated, non‑NHS‑compliant content)
  • Redirects from old URLs (so patients and search engines don’t hit dead ends)
  • Preservation of accessibility and SEO during the move
  • Downtime plan (ideally zero or minimal)
  • Confirm who does the heavy lifting:
    • Do they migrate content for you, or just give you a blank site?

Ongoing support (no ticket traps)

Support should be simple, fast and human.

• Ask how you contact support: email, phone, portal, live chat.
• Check:
  • Typical response and resolution times
  • Whether you get a named account manager or just a generic helpdesk
  • If “small changes” (e.g. text edits, new page) are included or billable
  • Avoid providers who:
    • Charge extra for almost every minor edit
    • Force everything through a slow ticketing system for basic tasks you should be able to do yourself

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Criteria That Actually Matter (Beyond the Sales Pitch)

Many providers will show you glossy designs and “premium” templates. For healthcare, other factors matter far more.

Patient‑centred design and journeys

Think about your busiest and most vulnerable patient groups.

• Can patients:
  • Quickly find opening hours, contact details, emergency/urgent care guidance and self‑help?
  • Understand how to request an appointment, repeat prescription or test result without phoning?
  • Is the site structured around tasks (e.g. “I need help now”, “I want to register”) rather than internal departments?

Clinical and operational fit

Your website should support how your practice actually works.

• Check the provider understands:
  • NHS GP digital and online consultation tools (e.g. Accurx, Klinik, eConsult, PATCHS) and can integrate or clearly signpost them.
  • Dental workflows (treatment pages, price lists, emergency dental care, NHS vs private messages).
  • Confirm they can:
    • Build clear, safe triage journeys in line with local ICB and NHS guidance.
    • Reflect your policies (e.g. zero tolerance, chaperone policy, data protection, complaints).

Content quality and governance

Poor content leads to complaints and clinical risk.

• Ask if content is:
  • Written or at least reviewed by UK healthcare specialists familiar with NHS language and plain English standards.
  • Mapped to NHS.UK where appropriate, so you do not duplicate clinical advice unnecessarily.
  • Check how they:
    • Handle review dates for content
    • Support you in keeping information up to date (e.g. seasonal flu clinics, Covid changes, new services)

Security, data protection and forms

Healthcare forms and patient data must be handled carefully.

• Confirm:
  • UK (or at least UK‑GDPR‑compliant) hosting
  • HTTPS by default, HSTS and regular security updates
  • Role‑based access for your staff (no shared logins)
  • For forms:
    • Ask where form data goes (e.g. secure email, clinical system, or ticket system).
    • Check there is no storage of sensitive patient data in the CMS unless fully secured and necessary.
    • Ensure they provide appropriate consent wording and privacy notices.

Alignment with NHS brand and public‑sector expectations

For GP and NHS‑contracted services, your site should feel aligned with NHS standards.

• Ask to see examples of:
  • Use of NHS brand colours and styles (where appropriate and allowed)
  • Accessible, non‑promotional language for NHS services
  • Confirm they understand:
    • NHS England guidance on GP websites and digital access
    • Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) Accessibility Regulations

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What to Ask in the First Call

Use this shortlist to quickly filter providers before you spend time on demos.

Core qualification questions

• “How many UK healthcare sites do you manage, and what proportion are GP or dental?”
• “What regulations and standards do you design to? (Prompt for WCAG 2.2 AA, NHS England guidance, UK GDPR.)”
• “Can you talk me through your last NHS GP or dental site launch and key lessons learned?” Speed, accessibility and reliability
• “What performance targets do you design to, and how do you measure them?”
• “Who in your team is responsible for accessibility, and how often do you audit client sites?”
• “What is your uptime guarantee and how is hosting monitored?”

Content and migration

• “Do you handle content migration and clean‑up, or is that up to us?”
• “How do you ensure we don’t carry across outdated or non‑compliant content?”
• “What’s your typical timeline from agreement to go‑live for a GP or dental site?”

Support and costs

• “What’s included in your standard monthly fee, and what’s extra?”
• “If we need a small change (e.g. update opening hours), can we do it ourselves easily, and is there a cost if you do it?”
• “What is the minimum contract term, notice period, and what happens if we decide to leave?”

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Must‑See Demos: Tasks, Forms and Banners

In demos, do not just look at pretty homepages. Ask vendors to show you how day‑to‑day tasks work.

Task‑based journeys

Ask the provider to perform key tasks live, using their CMS.

• “Show me how a patient would…”
• Request an appointment online
• Find urgent care guidance when the practice is closed
• Register as a new patient or join the practice (GP) or book an exam/consultation (dental)
• Watch for:
  • Number of clicks
  • Clarity of language
  • How clearly risk‑based guidance (111, 999, urgent dental) is displayed

Forms and requests

Forms are often the most sensitive and heavily used part of the site.

• Ask them to demonstrate:
  • Creating or editing a form (e.g. general enquiry, admin request)
  • Adding validation (e.g. required fields, date of birth format)
  • How/where submissions are delivered (email, system, dashboard)
  • Check:
    • Whether patients receive confirmation emails
    • That the practice can export or review submissions securely
    • That sensitive clinical information is minimised, or handled through approved online consultation tools rather than generic forms

Urgent banners and notices

Urgent messaging is crucial for practices.

• Ask them to:
  • Add an urgent banner (e.g. “Phone lines currently down – use online form or call 111 for urgent issues”)
  • Schedule start and end times
  • Change the colour and position (e.g. top of every page) to ensure visibility
  • Check:
    • How long it takes from login to published change
    • Whether the process is simple enough for non‑technical staff

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Beware Scope Creep and Plugin Bloat

Many practices regret website projects because they become complex, expensive and fragile over time.

Understanding scope upfront

Before you sign:

• Ask for a detailed scope that clearly states:
  • Number of page templates and total pages included
  • Number of rounds of design revisions
  • What “content support” actually includes (writing, editing, migration)
  • Check that:
    • All the features you’ve discussed (e.g. forms, banners, accessibility testing) are explicitly included.
    • Additional costs for new features or extra pages are transparent.

If a proposal is vague (“all standard features included”) without detail, expect surprises later.

Avoiding plugin bloat

Many healthcare sites are built on platforms like WordPress. Used well, that’s fine; used badly, it leads to:

• Slow load times
• Security vulnerabilities
• Difficult updates and conflicts

Ask:

• “Roughly how many plugins or third‑party add‑ons do you typically use on a GP/dental site?”
• “Which core functions are handled by your own theme or system rather than lots of separate plugins?”
• “How do you manage updates and ensure plugins don’t break the site?”

Favour providers who:

• Keep the tech stack lean
• Use a few well‑supported, widely used components
• Have a clear process for testing updates before applying them to your live site

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Example: A “Good” vs “Risky” Provider Through the Checklist Lens

This is a composite case based on common patterns, not a single company.

Provider A (Good fit for a GP practice)

• Provides clear WCAG 2.2 AA commitments and an accessibility audit at launch.

• Has a dedicated “urgent alert” feature that any receptionist can update in under a minute.

• Includes a full migration service: reviews existing content, removes duplicates, adds redirects.

• Uses a small number of well‑supported components, with security updates managed centrally.

• Offers a flat monthly fee including hosting, routine updates, and reasonable content changes. Provider B (Risky choice)

• Focuses on design and animations, but cannot explain accessibility compliance in practical terms.

• Uses a heavy page builder and 20+ plugins for basic tasks.

• Offers migration as an optional extra, leaving you to copy/paste content.

• Has a ticket‑only support system with vague response times.

• Quotes a low base price, but charges separately for SSL, backups, uptime monitoring and small content edits.

When you apply the comparison checklist, Provider A may look more expensive on paper, but will almost always cost less in time, stress and risk over three years.

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Quick Vendor Question List (Print or Copy/Paste)

Use this short list on your first call and in demos.

• “How do you ensure our site meets WCAG 2.2 AA and NHS guidance?”
• “What speed and uptime targets do you work to, and how are they monitored?”
• “Show me how to add an urgent banner and change our opening hours.”
• “How many healthcare sites do you manage, and can you show a GP and a dental example?”
• “What does your standard monthly fee include, and what commonly requested items are chargeable extras?”
• “How will you migrate our existing site, and how do you handle redirects?”
• “What happens if we decide to leave – who owns the design, content and domain?”

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Downloadable Comparison Checklist (Suggested Structure)

On your website, you can offer this as a simple PDF or editable document for practice managers:

Section 1: Provider details

• Provider name

• Contact

• Example healthcare clients Section 2: Compliance and safety

• WCAG 2.2 AA by design

• Accessibility statement and regular audits

• NHS and UK GDPR awareness

• Secure hosting and backups

Section 3: Day‑to‑day operations

• Speed targets and performance monitoring

• Urgent banner editing process and SLA

• Ease of updating content (non‑technical users)

• Forms handling and data pathways Section 4: Costs and contracts

• Setup fee

• Monthly/annual fee

• Included features

• Extras and their costs

• Contract length and exit terms

Section 5: Overall fit

• Patient journey quality
• Staff ease‑of‑use
• Support experience
• Future‑proofing (updates, new features)

Encourage practices to rate each provider (e.g. 1–5) against each criterion.

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Pricing Context and Transparency

When comparing providers, you should always have a clear, published pricing point for context.

For example, at ClinicWeb (clinicweb.uk/pricing) pricing is presented openly with:

• Clear package tiers aimed at healthcare providers
• Transparent features per tier
• No hidden charges for basic accessibility and security features

Use this as a benchmark when assessing other vendors. If a provider cannot clearly explain how their pricing compares to similar healthcare‑focused options, consider that a warning sign.

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Key Takeaways

• For healthcare, speed, accessibility, urgent updates and data handling matter more than flashy design.
• A good provider will happily talk in detail about WCAG, NHS expectations, security and patient journeys, not just aesthetics.
• Always ask to see how core tasks are done: editing banners, updating content, managing forms.
• Avoid providers who rely on excessive plugins, vague scopes, or ticket systems for every minor change.
• Use a structured comparison checklist so you are choosing based on evidence and fit, not personality and sales polish.

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Conclusion and Next Steps

To choose a website provider without regret: **1. Build your shortlist ** Identify 2–3 providers with strong healthcare experience (GP, dental, clinic).

1. Use the comparison checklist
   Score each provider against the criteria in this guide: speed, accessibility, urgent editing, transparency, migration, support. **3. Run structured calls and demos ** Use the vendor questions list and insist on seeing real‑world tasks (forms, banners, content updates) done live.

2. Clarify scope and contracts before signing
   Ensure every promised feature is written into the proposal, with clear costs and exit terms.

3. Plan for the long term
   Choose the provider that will be easiest and safest to live with for the next 3–5 years, not just the cheapest setup fee.

By following this process, GP practices, dental clinics and healthcare providers can secure a website partner that supports safe access, reduces pressure on phones and reception, and meets modern NHS and accessibility standards – without the headaches of scope creep, plugin bloat or hidden costs.