When it comes to marketing your plastic surgery website, there are certain key elements that must be incorporated into your site in order to best guarantee its success. Good design and layout are two such essential elements, and they often serve as the foundation for the rest of your site. The following are tips for creating a good web design and layout:
Navigation
- Though some creativity and originality can be an excellent addition to any web design, this isn’t true for your site’s navigation. Place your navigation bars in one of two common locations: either at the top or on the left side of the page. Internet users have come to expect this, so don’t make them go in search of your site’s navigation by placing it elsewhere.
- For easier navigation, divide your navigation bar into related groupings.
- Every page on your site should have your navigation bar in the same place and clearly visible.
Practice Name And Logo
As with the navigation, there are two common places for a company’s name and logo which Internet users have come to expect. Have the name and logo of your practice located at the top of your pages, either on the left or in the middle.
Consistency
Make sure that the theme of your site remains consistent throughout. Keep your page layouts, fonts, colors, links and other important details the same on all of your pages.
Color
Choose your colors and color combinations wisely. They should be appropriate for your site’s content and target audience, and chosen with the understanding that colors can impact a person’s emotions. It’s best to use no more than 5 to 7 different colors per page, less if possible. Also remember to use contrasting colors between your background and text. Dark text (black) on a light background (white) is often best and the easiest to read.
Site Map
Have a site map that lists every page within your website. Not only is this good for the search engines, it can be very helpful, if not essential, for your visitors as well.
Layers
Your site should have no more than three layers, meaning that a visitor can get to any page on your site from your homepage within two clicks or less. Users often become lost in sites with more layers.
Graphics
To ensure fast download times, keep your use of images and other graphics to a minimum. Lots of images or large images should be given their own page with an appropriate page title so that visitors can anticipate slow downloads if necessary.