How to Keep Visitors On Your Website & Improve Your Search Engine Ranking
Your website is your online home, where potential clients come to learn about you and your services. But if your content is too hard to read, or requires too much effort to navigate, they might not stick around long enough to explore what you have to offer.
And if your visitors leave too quickly, search engines like Google note that and will assume your website is not valuable to their users — and you won’t have a chance at ranking highly.
To keep visitors on your website follow this guide to having an online home that feels visually effortless to potential buyers, and accessible to people with sensory sensitivities.
— In this article —
1. Contrast: Let Your Text Shine
Imagine reading pale grey text on a white background—sounds tiring, doesn’t it? Contrast is key to ensuring your text stands out, making it easier for all visitors to read, including those with visual impairments.
Here’s the rule: Stick to dark text on a light background (or vice versa). Avoid faint colour combinations that require visitors to squint. If you’re unsure, use a contrast checker to test your text and background colours.
2. Font Size matters: Bigger is Better
Have you ever landed on a website where the text was so small and faint in colour that you had to zoom in? Let’s not do that to your visitors!
Best practice:
Use a minimum of 16px for body text.
Headings should be larger—think 24px or more, depending on their level.
Allow plenty of space between lines (around 1.5x the font size) to make reading comfortable.
3. Font Type: Keep It Simple
When it comes to fonts, the simpler, the better. Overly fancy or decorative fonts might look cool but can be hard to read, especially in longer paragraphs. Here are some best practices to follow:
Use clean, sans-serif fonts like Arial, Helvetica, or Roboto for body text.
Limit yourself to two font families to keep things consistent and cohesive.
Avoid excessive use of ALL CAPS—it feels like shouting and is harder to read in big chunks.
4. GIFs and Emojis — Use these Sparingly!
Sure, GIFs and emojis can add personality to your site, but too many can feel overwhelming or even irritating.
GIFs: Use them only when they genuinely add value, like demonstrating an action. Choose subtle ones that don’t loop endlessly. Personally, as a Highly Sensitive Person, I leave webpages (or emails) that have GIF’s, it’s just too overly stimulating.
Emojis: One or two per section is fine if they enhance the tone, but don’t overdo it.
5. Paragraph Length: Short and Sweet
No one likes a wall of text. Long paragraphs feel overwhelming and often get skimmed (or skipped entirely).
Keep paragraphs to 2–4 sentences.
Break up text with bullet points, bolded phrases, or numbered lists.
6. Look to Medium.com for Inspiration
If you’re wondering what a highly readable website looks like, take a peek at any blog on Medium.com. They’ve poured a tonne of research into creating layouts and typography that make reading effortless. Notice how they:
Use clean fonts with excellent contrast.
Keep paragraphs short and well-spaced.
Add plenty of white space to avoid visual clutter.
Your site doesn’t need to look exactly like Medium, but comparing your layout and readability to theirs can help you fine-tune your design.
7. Navigation: Keep It Simple
Your visitors should never have to play hide-and-seek with your content. A clear and intuitive menu ensures they can find what they need quickly.
Stick to 5–7 main menu items.
Use clear labels like “About,” “Offerings,” and “Blog.”
8. Check for Mobile-Responsiveness
With more than half of web traffic coming from mobile devices, your site must look great on smaller screens. How to check:
View your site on your phone or tablet. Is the text large enough? Are buttons easy to click?
Most website platforms are automatically mobile responsive these days, but if something feels off, hire support to fix it (or do it yourself if you can), this ensures your site adjusts beautifully to any screen size.
9. Test Your Site with Real People
Sometimes, we’re too close to our own work to spot issues. That’s where fresh eyes come in. Ask friends or clients to test your site and share their honest feedback.
Is the text easy to read?
Can they navigate the site without frustration?
Does it load quickly on both desktop and mobile?
Your website is a reflection of your business, and small improvements can make a huge difference in how people experience it. By focusing on readability, accessibility, and a little inspiration from places like Medium.com, you’ll create a site that clients love to visit.
Where do you need to adjust so that visitors stay longer on your website? Let’s chat in the comments.
Danielle Gardner
The Quiet Marketer
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