Plastic surgery is booming, both in our society and on the Internet. There are more and more websites out there related to plastic surgery, as well as an increasing number of plastic surgeons who are marketing their practices on the Internet. When it comes to plastic surgery website design, however, there are many important considerations to keep in mind.

Perhaps more than with any other website, credibility and professionalism are essential when it comes to designing plastic surgery websites, particularly those marketing a plastic surgeon's practice. Plastic surgery is, after all, surgery and for most plastic surgery patients the decision to undergo surgery is a very serious one. Your website visitors and potential patients are deciding whether to trust you with not only their looks but their lives as well, a decision which is based largely on the look and design of your website. While you may very well be one of the top surgeons within your field, you're likely losing many potential patients if your website isn't properly designed.

The following are some of the more important considerations when it comes to good plastic surgery website design:

• Layout. The layout of your site should follow a natural and logical progression that your visitors can easily navigate through and find what they're looking for. It's often best to keep the structure simple and to go with a common site layout that Internet users are familiar with. For instance, one of the more common layouts has the navigation running down the left and/or top of the page, your practice's logo across the top of the page, and the content below and to the right. Be sure to highlight important information with section headers, color, or bulleted lists and provide lots of white space.

• Color. Choose a color scheme that is pleasing to the eye and reflects your audience. Keep in mind that your text and background color should be contrasting for easy reading. Dark text set against a light background is often best. Use complimentary contrasting colors to draw attention to important information or page elements. Avoid using too many colors and patterned backgrounds.
• Font. While you can certainly go crazy choosing a style of font, it's always best to keep it safe. Your font should be easy to read and common enough that most people already have it installed on their computer.
• Load Time. Make certain that your pages load quickly otherwise your visitors are likely to simply leave. This may mean that you'll have to limit certain elements, such as graphics or Flash, on a single page.
• Graphics. Again, keep the graphics to a minimum so that your pages aren't too slow to load. You should choose your graphics wisely, selecting ones that really benefit the page while avoiding those that are overly distracting. However, the one place where you shouldn't avoid graphics is with your before-and-after patient photos. Provide your visitors with lots of these as they can be very beneficial, but be sure to provide them in a way that doesn't turn your visitors away. For instance, use descriptive text links or thumbnails that can be opened in a new page.
• Consistency. Design consistency can really help your Internet credibility. Be sure to use the same colors, fonts, font sizes and navigation on every page of your site.
• Intent. Be sure to define your website's purpose early on and make it obvious for your website visitors. Make it clear that you're a qualified plastic surgeon and include where you're located and what procedures you perform.
• Contact. Include your most important contact information, such as your phone number and email address, so that website visitors can easily get in touch with you when they're ready to become patients.