5 Simple Website Tweaks to Make Your Copy Stand Out (with Designer Vickie Chountalos)

Apr 4

Let’s be real: your words deserve better.

You poured your heart into writing your website copy. You fine-tuned every word, made sure your personality “shines through” like you’ve been told a million times, and triple-checked for typos.

So why does it feel like something’s missing?

Because words alone aren’t enough. Your design needs to support and reinforce your messaging. If your website design isn’t working with your words, it might actually be working against them.

Good news: You don’t need a full redesign to fix it. With just a few small tweaks, your site can go from forgettable to leaving a lasting impression. Let’s get into it ↓

1. Pick fonts that are easy to read— not just pretty

Typography plays a huge role in how people experience your website. The right font choice makes your copy feel effortless and clear, while the wrong one can turn people away.

QUICK FIXES TO TRY:

Use fonts that are easy to read, especially for body text. Sans-serif fonts (like Helvetica and Montserrat) are a great choice because they’re clean, modern, and work well on all screen sizes.
Keep your body text at least 16px so it’s easy to read without zooming in.
Make headings twice the size of body text to create a natural reading flow and visual hierarchy.
Limit yourself to 2 fonts max. One for headlines and one for body text is usually all you need, especially if you’re unsure how to pair fonts.

FONT MISTAKES TO AVOID:

Delicate cursive fonts for body text. Gorgeous on wedding invites, but a nightmare to read in paragraphs.
Using all caps in long sentences. Harder to read, slows people down, and let’s be honest.. it feels like you’re yelling.
Fonts that are too thin or light. If your copy looks faint or hard to read, it’s straining your reader’s eyes. Go for a regular or medium weight instead.

Pro tip: If your text looks cluttered, try *slightly* increasing letter spacing. This tiny adjustment adds a bit of breathing room and can make paragraphs much easier to read.

2. Add more white space (it’s not wasted space!)

One of the biggest mistakes I see on DIY websites (and even professionally designed ones) is not enough white space, which is the empty areas around text and images. It might not seem like a big deal, but giving your content room to breathe makes your site easier to skim through, more inviting to read, and it instantly makes it feel more professional.

QUICK FIXES TO TRY:

Add space around headlines and between each section on your pages so visitors don’t feel visually overwhelmed.
Break up long paragraphs. Stick to 2-3 sentences per block and use lists where possible to make content easier to scan.
Increase line height to at least 1.3x spacing so that your text isn’t packed too tightly. This makes your paragraphs smoother to read.

FONT MISTAKES TO AVOID:

Giant text blocks with no breaks. This is an instant “Nope, not reading that” moment for visitors.
Cramming too much onto one page. I get it.. when you care about what you do, everything feels important. But squeezing too much in only overwhelms visitors and makes it harder for them to take action. Give your content some space, it’ll be far more effective

Pro tip: Take a step back and scroll through your site like a visitor. Does it feel clear and easy to navigate? Do your eyes know where to focus? If things feel cluttered, add some white space! It's the secret weapon to making your site instantly clearer and more polished.

3. Make your pages easy to scan

Let’s be honest, when was the last time you read an entire website homepage? I’ll wait.. 🙃

The truth is, we all skim. These days, it's rare to find someone who actually has the time to read a website top to bottom.

So what does this mean for you? Your site needs to be ridiculously easy to scan so people can quickly find what they need and actually see your most important copy.

And one of the best ways to do this is by guiding your visitors' eyes with a clear page structure that makes your key messaging pop, otherwise people will give up and leave before they even get to the good stuff.

QUICK FIXES TO TRY:

Use the Z-Pattern for scanning. Your visitor’s eyes naturally move in a Z shape across the page: they start at the top left → go across → move down diagonally → and then across again. So you want to place important messages (like your headings and CTA buttons) along this path so they see what matters first.
Use clear headings and subheadings to break up sections. This creates a clear flow and helps people get the gist in seconds.
Bold important information so it stands out.
Add bullet points and numbered lists (like this one!). This helps people quickly digest information.

MISTAKES TO AVOID:

Center-aligning or justifying big blocks of text. There’s a time and place for these, but in most cases, centered text makes reading harder because your eyes have to constantly adjust to the starting point of each line. And justified text can create weird spacing that’s distracting. Left-aligned text keeps things easy to follow and effortless to skim.
Writing one loooong paragraph instead of breaking it up. If it looks intimidating, people will skip it.

Pro tip: Keep your line length between 50–75 characters per line. If your text stretches too wide, it’s harder for the eye to jump to the next line. Keeping it within this sweet spot makes everything easier to skim and way more readable.

4. Use colours that make your copy easy to read

Colours aren’t just for aesthetics—they affect how people read and engage with your site. If your text and background don’t have enough contrast, all those words you spent time perfecting can end up blending into the page, making them super frustrating to read.

QUICK FIXES TO TRY:

Make sure your text stands out against your background. Dark text on a light background is easiest to read. It’s always best practice to test your colours with a contrast checker to make sure they’re accessible to everyone.
Stick to 2-3 brand colours max so your site looks and feels cohesive, not chaotic. A good rule of thumb is to have one primary, one secondary, and one pop of colour for accents.
Use your accent colour for CTA buttons so they stand out and actually get clicked.

MISTAKES TO AVOID:

Light-coloured text on a white or pale background. It’s hard to read and extremely inaccessible.
Too many bright, competing colours. Unless you want your site to look like a highlighter pack exploded, keep it simple. Too many loud colours fight for attention and make it harder for visitors to focus on what actually matters.

Pro tip: If you’re not sure what colours work well together, try Coolors.co—it generates colour palettes for you!

5. Make sure your site works on mobile (that’s where most people are!)

Most of your visitors aren’t seeing your site on a big, beautiful desktop screen. They’re on their phones, scrolling between emails, social media, and whatever else is fighting for their attention.

The reality is, if your site isn’t easy to use on mobile, your copy isn’t being read and you’re losing potential clients. If they have to pinch, zoom, or struggle to tap a button, they’re gone—no matter how good your words are.

QUICK FIXES TO TRY:

Do the Thumb Test. Pull up your site on your phone and try tapping the buttons with your thumb. If it feels clunky or hard to tap, make them bigger and more spaced out. They should be at least 44px tall so they’re easy to tap without frustration.
Make text big enough to read without zooming in. Aim for at least 16px for body text and 24px+ for headlines so everything stays legible.
Make sure nothing gets cut off on mobile. Pull up your site again, scroll around, tap links, and check that all your images, text, and links show up the way they should.

MISTAKES TO AVOID:

Buttons too small to tap without precision aim. Tiny buttons are frustrating, and frustrated visitors leave.
Long paragraphs that take up the whole screen. Break things up!

Pro tip: People love to use hover effects for things like cool button animations, but if you’re using them to reveal important text—like links or pricing—mobile visitors won’t see it. If it matters, don’t hide it.

What it all comes down to:

Your website design has the power to amplify your message as long as it’s intentionally crafted to make people stop, read, and take action. No matter how strong your copy is, if the design makes it hard to read, skim, or navigate, it’s working against you.

Now that you know how much these small design tweaks can help your copy stand out, it’s time to give your website the glow up it deserves! If you’re ever in doubt, ask yourself: Is my copy easy to read? Easy to follow? Easy to act on? If not, a few simple updates, like better fonts, more white space, clearer structure, and mobile-friendly design, can make all the difference.

And if DIYing your design isn’t your thing, I would love to help. I’m the founder and lead designer at VERVE & COLOR, a web design studio that builds elevated, intentional websites to transform your online presence. No fluff, no cookie-cutter designs, just clear, thoughtful spaces that help you stand out.

Check out my web design services here or join my monthly emails - I keep it simple and share what actually helps when it comes to your site and showing up online.