This has nothing to do with the fact that I bought my first pair of reading glasses this year! Reading online is very different to reading a book. And I’ve noticed that the blogs that I want to read most, all have something in common; a largish font size and optimal characters per line, (or words per line).

This post by Mike Anderson inspired me to share this idea with you. The fact that Mike has exaggerated this idea makes me laugh (which is always good). But sometimes you need to see an exaggerated version of something for it to register. Mike talks about size of the font as well as the optimal number of characters per line. Our eye can only take in so many words in one line before getting confused. So, the perfect solution is to use a decent font size and between 50 to 75 characters per line.

I’m sick and tired of cramped websites that have tiny type and don’t use the whole screen well. I’ve come to believe that the problem with reading on a screen isn’t the backlight—it’s that the type is too freaking small. Most designers don’t even know that there is an optimal number of characters per line. Let me take you through some of my thinking so that you can consider if you can take away any ideas to use on a project of your own. The fact you’ve read to this paragraph is proof that there is something to my argument. Mike Anderson

Mike also talks about ‘losing the noise’. This is something that I’m also really interested in. Make you message clear and remove ‘clutter’ from both your post and website template. How can you remove words and get to the core message of what you want to say? Or more importantly; what do your readers want to hear? It’s well worth reading Mike’s post over on his blog.

Writing a blog is an ongoing learning process. If you look at my Rangoli business blog, you’ll see that my font size and character length needs to be changed! It’s on my to-do list. But I’m happy with the format here on this blog. What do you think of it? I’d like to hear if you have a preference or does it bother you at all?

Here are some more examples of websites that make online reading a pleasure!

Zen habits – Leo Babauta

The Digital Storyteller – Roger Overall

Simply Zesty – Digital agency

House and Home – Irish home and interiors magazine

My blogging workshops cover lots of aspects of business blogging; from content and writing authentically to visual impact. Anyone can learn how to tell their business story. If you’re thinking about starting a blog, read about my one day workshops. I’ll be announcing my next workshop date soon and would love to meet you at one of my classes.