8 things I’ve learned about websites

People don’t read web pages in the same way they read a book. They scan — eyes dart to headings, the first few words of a paragraph, anything bold or different. They skipped most of your carefully written copy! It’s not laziness; it’s just how everyone uses the web.

So the job isn’t to simply write more, it’s to write for the skimmers: clear headings that make sense on their own, short paragraphs, the important point at the beginning, and the one thing you want people to do made really obvious.

If someone only reads the headings, would they still get it? If the answer’s no, the page is working too hard but not saying enough.

If a visitor can’t quickly work out what you offer, whether it’s for them, or what to do next, they don’t push through the confusion — they just leave.

Too many choices, jargon only you understand, a page trying to say five things at once, and an unclear next step. None of it feels like a problem when you already know your business inside out — which is exactly why it’s so easy to miss.

A big part of my work is bringing fresh eyes to that: spotting where a site makes people think too hard, and clearing the path so the obvious thing is, well, obvious.

There’s a lot of focus on traffic — SEO, ads, social — all aimed at getting more people to your website. Of course, it matters. But it’s also the easy part. You can pay outright for it if you want to!

The hard part is what happens once they arrive on your site. Do they understand what you offer in the first few seconds? Do they trust you? Can they find what they need and take the next step? Many sites put so much effort into getting visitors through the door, but then just let them wander away again.

A good site doesn’t just bring people to your site, it makes sure those visits turn into enquiries and customers. A quieter site that converts beats a busy one that doesn’t.

Justified text — where both edges of a paragraph line up neatly — looks tidy in a printed book. On a website, it’s a different story. Browsers don’t space words as carefully as print typesetting does, so justified text on screen often ends up with awkward gaps and rivers of white space running through it, which makes it harder to read, especially when screen widths can vary widely.

Left-aligned text, with its natural ragged right edge, is almost always more comfortable to read online. It’s a small detail, but small details are what separate a site that feels considered from one that doesn’t.

These are the kinds of things I notice instinctively after years of doing this — the choices that most people never consciously register, but that make a website feel right.