6 Ways to Improve Your Website's Readability
Having a website is only effective if the content of the site is easily readable for visitors. Otherwise, even great content will not be able to do its job. While this may sound very basic, readability is a major issue that a high percentage of websites struggle with. Reading from a screen can be difficult, so readability should be a primary concern during design.
Here we will discuss some of the most important factors that will determine the level of readability for websites.
Spacing
Many websites have problems with spacing, especially content-heavy sites. Trying to fit huge amounts of content into small areas of above the fold will make it very hard for visitors to read the text as it will all be crammed together.
Whitespace around blocks of text and images is key, as is line spacing. Give your text plenty of room to breathe and don't try to cram too much in to any area.
Text Size
Not everyone prefers to read fonts of the same size. People with poor vision typically like larger fonts because it prevents straining of the eyes, but others may prefer to read smaller text. Styling your text in percentages or ems instead of pixels will allow visitors to use their browser to change the text size.
Also, use font sizes to emphasize certain text, such as headlines. Increase the size of certain lines will help it to stand out, but this is only effective if it is used in moderation.
Font Families
When working to make a site readable, it is best to stick to web-safe fonts like Arial and Georgia. Other fonts may look nice, but you will not have control over which visitors are able to view it in your favorite font. Newer technologies like sIFR do make it possible to use a much wider variety of fonts.
One of the main causes of poor readability is choosing the wrong font or using too many different fonts. Generally you should stick with no more than 2-3 fonts on any website, otherwise it can impair readability.
Line Width
As modern desktops and laptops are coming with higher-resolution displays, and widescreen monitors are very common, websites are often being designed with more width than they were just a few years ago.
Keep in mind when designing that very wide or long lines of text can be difficult to read, as can very short or narrow lines of text. Most content areas are not wider than 600-700 pixels, because anything can larger can get rather difficult to read.
Font Weight
Bold text can obviously be very effective for helping text to stand out, but it should be used in moderation. Overuse of bold, or italics for that matter, can decrease the level of readability and it will lose its impact.
Distractions
Websites that feature excellent readability allow the text to be the focal point of the design. Having too many other bells and whistles for the sake of looking impressive can actually do more harm than good as it will take away from the emphasis on the text.
Here we will discuss some of the most important factors that will determine the level of readability for websites.
Spacing
Many websites have problems with spacing, especially content-heavy sites. Trying to fit huge amounts of content into small areas of above the fold will make it very hard for visitors to read the text as it will all be crammed together.
Whitespace around blocks of text and images is key, as is line spacing. Give your text plenty of room to breathe and don't try to cram too much in to any area.
Text Size
Not everyone prefers to read fonts of the same size. People with poor vision typically like larger fonts because it prevents straining of the eyes, but others may prefer to read smaller text. Styling your text in percentages or ems instead of pixels will allow visitors to use their browser to change the text size.
Also, use font sizes to emphasize certain text, such as headlines. Increase the size of certain lines will help it to stand out, but this is only effective if it is used in moderation.
Font Families
When working to make a site readable, it is best to stick to web-safe fonts like Arial and Georgia. Other fonts may look nice, but you will not have control over which visitors are able to view it in your favorite font. Newer technologies like sIFR do make it possible to use a much wider variety of fonts.
One of the main causes of poor readability is choosing the wrong font or using too many different fonts. Generally you should stick with no more than 2-3 fonts on any website, otherwise it can impair readability.
Line Width
As modern desktops and laptops are coming with higher-resolution displays, and widescreen monitors are very common, websites are often being designed with more width than they were just a few years ago.
Keep in mind when designing that very wide or long lines of text can be difficult to read, as can very short or narrow lines of text. Most content areas are not wider than 600-700 pixels, because anything can larger can get rather difficult to read.
Font Weight
Bold text can obviously be very effective for helping text to stand out, but it should be used in moderation. Overuse of bold, or italics for that matter, can decrease the level of readability and it will lose its impact.
Distractions
Websites that feature excellent readability allow the text to be the focal point of the design. Having too many other bells and whistles for the sake of looking impressive can actually do more harm than good as it will take away from the emphasis on the text.
About the Author:
Steven Snell is a web designer and blogger from New Jersey. He maintains a design blog called DesignM.ag. If you'd like to see more about text and fonts you can find collections at his blog of calligraphy style fonts and big, bold fonts.
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