Is your website home page doing its job?

I’ve recently been scanning small business websites. And I’ve been struck by how little care is often given to home page content. Too often the intros rattle on about how great the new website is, what a marvellous job the designers have done and how it’s going to make life so much better for visitors.

Now you may be rightly proud of your shiny new site and want to show it off. But your visitors don’t really care about all that stuff. They’re short on time. They just want it to do its job simply and quickly.

So keep your home page simple and functional. Tell them who you are, what you can do for them or what you are selling. Use simple clear language and encourage them to take the next step by clicking through to profiles, portfolios or products. Those first words are your first impression. Make sure it’s a good one.

White text is easier to read – fact or fiction?

Well, here I am on WordPress. So let’s start with the basics. My first challenge was to find a theme. There’s a popular belief that white text on a black background is easier to read than black on white. So I thought I’d put it to the test right here. That’s why I chose this fetching mono set-up. And this is where I need some help from any journalists, designers and general creatives who might be reading this. Please vote on your preference, and maybe we’ll nail a myth or confirm what I’ve heard about screen text readability. Thanks in advance for voting. Please leave a comment if you feel strongly one way or another. Maybe someone’s even done some research.