Readability is a Major Component of Good Web Design

Many of the web site redesign projects I do require a complete rewrite of the content.  The problem is always poor readability.

This is not a difficult concept to understand, especially when you are a visitor to a web site where it is done poorly.  These are the sites where you can't click the browser's Back button fast enough.  The page is cluttered and noisy, the font it too small, or it uses red text on a black background.  It doesn't even matter how nice the site looked at first glance.

Session 4 of our E-Marketing 101 Workshop covers Web Site Design.  The segment on readability always gets the most "Aha" moments for the participants.  It really just makes a lot of sense when you know the right way to do it.

So here are my Five Rules of Readability:

Use a large font.

So many web sites use teeny tiny fonts.  Who do they think their audience is?  Are they just trying to fit more words on the page without using up more space?  This is just wrong, and I don't get why it's still so common.  Use a font that most people can read, including those of us over 40.

Use black text on white background.

Black text on white background is the absolute best for readability.  You can stretch it a little by using a dark grey or charcoal, or even dark blue, for your text.  The background could be a very light yellow or even pink.  Very very light.  On headers and sub-headers you can get away with less contrast and more creativity, but not on the body copy.  Black on white is simply the easiest to read.  Period.

Make it scannable.

Web site visitors will not read paragraphs of copy.  They will scan the page to find what interests them.  You need to capture their attention with bullet points and short paragraphs.  Make use of logical headers and sub-headers with bolder larger fonts.  Also, highlight any key points you want to make, but try to keep it to one or two per page.

Make good use of whitespace.

Eyes need to rest every so often.  Good use of whitespace (blank space) allows for this, and makes your content feel more friendly.  Put space between paragraphs, between columns, and around pictures.  Even leaving entire blocks empty is OK.  Leaving blank space to the left and right of your page content is also a good idea.  It contains the content and makes it look more organized.

Use simple language.

Avoid complex words and compound sentences.  The experts say you should write your web content at an eighth grade level.  This is not because your audience all dropped out of high school, it's because it makes your message easier to read quickly.  Remember, visitors will scan your page, not read it.  Keeping the language simple gives readers a certain level of comfort with you, the content provider.

Doing a content rewrite can be painful and tedious.  But it will pay you back in spades when your web content starts converting visitors to buyers.

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