Make your Web Content Look Amazing

In a past article on content writing we talked about what to write about. Now we're going to put that to the side and talk about how to style your web content. This is helpful for those of us who manage our own websites; it's also helpful if you have someone do it for you because now you can know what to look for.

Text on a page is boring right? Answer - it doesn't have to be. Here are a few ideas on how to make your content look interesting.

1. Use white space

White space is simply the extra padding in between the words and whatever the words are next to. So for example, in this article the words are on a white background, and next to it is a gray background. The gap in between where the words stop and the gray background begins is the white space.

White space makes your website look less cluttered. It also makes it much easier to read. Help out your readers by making sure that you have some extra white space around your text.

2. Make sure the font size is readable

A good rule of thumb is that it's better to be on the safe side when it comes to font size. A lot of people (and I'm one of them) prefer the look of a smaller font. But it's best to make sure that everyone can read your text very easily.

3. Use the correct background

While we're on the subject of readability, let's talk about colors. We've mentioned this before in 8 Website Blunders to Avoid, but it's very important that your text be a very dark color on a very light background. It doesn't have to be black on white, (although that is very common) and there's nothing wrong with dark gray or dark blue, but make sure there's a very stark contrast between the words and the background behind it.

One thing we didn't mention in the previous article is that it's also OK to reverse it and have a black background with white text. Sometimes this looks good on an "artsy" website for a photographer, rock band, etc. Just keep in mind that it is harder to read white text on a black background so make sure you compensate for it with extra white space, font size, and...

5. Line spacing

Line spacing is the gap between subsequent lines in a paragraph. Good line spacing will allow readers to easily scan your paragraphs without having to squint.

6. Use some photos

Conveniently, we just wrote an article on how to use pictures in your web content. The second item in that list is to "Use Scattered Images". If you didn't read the article what we mean is this - when you have a lot of text, make it look more interesting by putting a relevant picture next to the text to break it up. It will just make everything look much more interesting and professional.

7. Include some hyperlinks in your content

Hyperlinks serve a dual purpose in this context. First and most importantly, they direct your users to other interesting content that they may way to check out. But secondly, the links look nice.

Look at the link above. The added color just makes that paragraph look a little bit more interesting. Granted, the link isn't very descriptive so some people won't click it, but that's OK in some cases because maybe you're just adding some color to the paragraph.

Writing for the web is a difficult task for anyone. Remember that it's harder to read text on a computer screen than on paper. Using these suggestions will help grab the readers attention and help you reach your online goals.