Colour definitely makes a difference to a website – it brings it to life and often adds to the professional look and feel.  But sometimes people get it wrong and the way that colours are used make the web copy virtually impossible to read.

It seems that people think red writing attracts attention – that’s true, but try and read more than 3-4 words and your eyes will start to play tricks on you.  Red is one of the hardest colours to deal with on screen.

I’ve already been on my soapbox about pale writing on a dark background, but another real challenge to readability is where two fairly bright colours are next to each other of similar tones (depth of colour).  The usually end up screaming at each other and the reader can’t bear to look.  This means any web copy in the vicinity hasn’t got a chance of being read.

Colour can enhance web copy – it can also destroy it – be careful!

I’ve been looking at web copy that is intended to persuade and it seems that when you want action you have to use sentences with power.

For instance, do you say:
‘If you’d like to improve your skills you’ll find this programme will help you to develop your performance to higher levels.’
or
‘Get promoted faster – give your skills a shot in the arm and outperform the rest! Find out how this programme can help you now …’

There’s nearly always a more powerful way of saying it – it’s just seeing it from the reader’s end – what gets them going? People ‘buy’ on emotional triggers. If your web copy doesn’t hit those hot buttons – you’ll lose them.

When it comes to web copy there are a few things that stop your brain taking the message in, probably the worst culprit is nice dark backgrounds with light coloured writing.

As a design it has impact and almost certainly qualifies as sexy or slick, but because of the way the subconscious sees this the writing simply dazzles the eyes, it’s not readable copy. If the brain can’t assimilate the information easily it rates it ‘difficult’ and the hand hits the back button, however good your copywriting, all that effort is wasted.

Think of a time when you’ve had a couple of stabs at reading web copy and it you find you’re not getting it. How do you feel? Frustrated, impatient, irritated – how much effort are you willing to make if it’s not absolutely critical?

When designers go to design school they learn about colours, balance, shapes and juxtaposition. They learn how to make the visual image attractive, appealing and enticing.

When writers learn to write web copy they learn about benefits, emotional triggers and writing for the reader. They learn how to craft compelling headlines, web copy that excites and calls to action that actually get results!

So where is this black hole? It’s where the words and the design come together. No matter how great the web copy is, if the designer presents it as a visual element only, it can be virtually unreadable. It’s actually very easy to achieve this – and until you really understand how the eye and the subconscious operate in tandem – it’s often a black hole that everyone is completely unaware of.

Sign up to our data service and you’ll have access to plenty of information that will ensure that your website visitors don’t disappear down that black hole, never to be seen again.

I’m not asking if you write killer web copy – we’ll get to that in another blog, but I’m asking how you make your message connect.

Look at any web page that comes up on the screen – what attracts your attention first? Is there a clear message that stands out from the rest or are there so many things to look at that you get a headache?

It’s essential that your web copy starts with a powerful headline and is big enough to get attention (not in 14point bold, but much bigger).

Then there’s the issue of where it goes – of course, at the top of your main web copy, but do you know where people connect naturally with the screen? How far down, how far in from the left and how far over they’re prepared to scan before they lose interest?

That’s what readability is all about. If you want to find out even more about how all this works then sign up (on the right) and get a regular update on a whole host of readability issues and all the allied subjects.

I was looking for information on readable copy the other day and came across this in an article*:
If a 3-year-old asks you, “What’s that?” when you’re holding a rake, tell her more than just its name. Say it gathers up the fallen leaves, that it’s made of metal, that it’s blue. Tell her it starts with the letter “R” and show her the word. Expounding on a simple lawn tool will be a better springboard for her to eventually start reading and writing.

Now I’m not suggesting that your readers are three year olds, but we all respond to colourful descriptions, stories and something that brings whatever you’re writing about to life. You’re creating readable copy that engages people.

I’m not a fan of purple prose so wouldn’t recommend ‘the rake lay on the ground, left forlorn amongst the furrows.  It had been there so long that the weeds were beginning to wind around the tines.’  That really doesn’t count as readable copy.

You’ll do better with ‘when your garden needs action, this sturdy blue rake will tackle the job with ease, and its bright colour ensures you don’t lose it easily in the undergrowth!”

Create a vision and people will read your copy and connect with it.

*By Stacy Teicher Khadaroo | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor from the January 9, 2009 edition

It’s no use writing killer copy, if nobody gets to read it!

In order to persuade people to use your services or buy your products they need to read what you’ve got for them – but if the website doesn’t make that easy, they’ll be off before that find out.

Usability is a big issue – and there’s far more to it than nice big fat buttons and a visible menu. You need to know how people connect with the website and where they are looking for the information they want.

If you get that right your conversions will increase dramatically.

It’s no good having great web copy when there are no visitors.  And it’s no good having lots of visitors coming to your site and if they take one look and leave again.

The two need to work together – the key word experts find out what people are searching for in your business area and then identify three or four key phrases or words that need to be included in the web copy.

Then the copywriter goes to work to write readable copy that focuses on those key words.  It’s no good stuffing the headline or first paragraph with all the key words; these days search engines are more sophisticated than that.  the secret is to have good strong copy that gets the message across and features the key words in a natural way.

There is a third element to all this – how this fantastic web copy is put on the page to create a strong link with the visitor as soon as the page loads.  Even good readable copy can be made unreadable if the presentation isn’t right.

The first thing you need to know is how to get the visitor to your website to read anything!  People don’t read web copy – they scan it.  To keep them on your site you need a good headline – and it needs to be in the right place.

No matter how good your web copy – or your copy writer – is – if it isn’t where your visitor can easily connect with your message, it can be virtually unreadable.

You need to place your headline in the right place and know how to engage your reader quickly.

So your web copy needs a good headline and the the headline needs to be right where the visitor is looking when the page opens.

There’s a huge gap between the design of a website and the words that present the site owner’s message.  Web copy can be brilliant and still not get read!

So, how do you make sure that the web copy that you put on your web site connects with your reader?

You need to know not only what people read, but how they read.  This website is designed to share the information you’ll need to ensure that your visitors not only find your site, but stay there.

If you sign up to the data bank you’ll get regular deliveries of information that will help you to become a real expert in both what and how people read.