Formatting Tips for Web Writing

August 4, 2010

A great article about formatting your website text for easiest reading and maximum effectiveness. In Summary:

  • Sans-serif fonts work the best for online reading
  • Using a larger font size is not the best strategy
  • Try to limit larger fonts to headings/subheadings
  • Different colors should be used with care, contrast is best
  • Shorter paragraphs are better than long ones, due to the way people scan text when reading online
  • Shorter pages are also easier on readers, with links to different pages for more in-depth information

Read the whole article here: SiteProNews: Consider Font and Page Size When Writing for the Web

Heather Floyd Filed in Web Design & Development, Whole Web Impact, Floyd Innovations Consulting , , , Comments (3)

Comments (3) -

Oliver

I agree with your summary, however I have noticed a huge trend in web design of using serif fonts in copy which drives me crazy and is really hard to follow when reading. What do you think?

HeatherFloyd

Just as in print design, web design uses elements such as color and fonts to convey brand and mood, not just written information. I think many designs use serif fonts because it give a different feel to the site. I haven't noticed it being a big problem from a readability perspective. With today's larger monitors with better resolution, serif text is not that difficult to read, especially if the pages are not that long. (Mobile devices are a different thing altogether, though, so site owners with a substantial mobile audience should stick to sans-serif.)

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