{"id":84,"date":"2018-03-01T10:00:07","date_gmt":"2018-03-01T18:00:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/webmuscle.wpengine.com\/?p=84"},"modified":"2018-03-01T10:00:07","modified_gmt":"2018-03-01T18:00:07","slug":"text-only-header","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/websitemuscle.com\/text-only-header\/","title":{"rendered":"Drawing a Blank: Benefits of a Text-Only Header"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Why Would You Use a Text-Only Header?<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Business owners usually have a list of expectations when they come to us for a new website.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>They want a website that looks professional. They want a website that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.websitemuscle.com\/blog\/topic\/mobile-responsive\">works on all devices<\/a>. They want a website that customers will like. And they want a website that\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.websitemuscle.com\/blog\/topic\/seo\">Google will like<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>But there\u2019s usually another request, one that\u2019s a little harder to pin down. Business owners invariably want a website that \u201cstands out.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Start With Your Message<\/h2>\n<p>Wanting a website that stands out is a great instinct. But as a business owner, your ability to stand out online is pinned to how you answer one simple question:<\/p>\n<h3>\u201cWhat is your message?\u201d<\/h3>\n<p>The fanciest website in the world won\u2019t do you any good if you don\u2019t know who your customers are and how your company will solve their problems. Defining and refining your message is the difference between being Apple and being&#8230; well, a guy who just sells apples.<\/p>\n<p>Once you\u2019ve distilled your company\u2019s unique offerings into a clean and memorable turn of phrase, you can make your website stand out with modern design choices.<\/p>\n<p>One technique that is gaining traction is both simple and counterintuitive: make your chosen phrase big and bold at the top of your website, with no images to muddle your message.<\/p>\n<h2>Here&#8217;s Why You Should Use a Text-Only Header<\/h2>\n<p>If you think this approach is just an excuse for web developers to be lazy, think again.<\/p>\n<p>According to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.webdesignerdepot.com\/2017\/11\/3-essential-design-trends-december-2017\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Web Designer Depot<\/a>, websites that find inventive but minimalist ways to feature their message can increase user engagement and create a more lasting impression.<\/p>\n<p>Some best practices for an effective text-only website header include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Lead with a key phrase that tells users what problem you will solve for them.<\/li>\n<li>Use a simple font that complements the text throughout the rest of the page.<\/li>\n<li>Balance text with a healthy amount of negative space. Open areas draw users\u2019 eyes to the type and force them to focus on your message.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Just because we aren\u2019t using images doesn\u2019t mean this can\u2019t be fun. Strong, vibrant color choices can reinforce your messaging and your site\u2019s aesthetic.<\/p>\n<p>The text-only header approach won\u2019t work for all websites, of course. But establishing your message is a must before tackling a new website project or any major marketing initiative.<\/p>\n<p>If you can create a strong value proposition that resonates with your customers, all you\u2019ll need is a few powerful words to get your message across. That, more than anything else, will make your website stand way out among your competitors.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Can you really just slap a text-only header at the top of your website and call it &#8216;design&#8217;?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":90,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[28],"class_list":["post-84","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-education","tag-web-design"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Drawing a Blank: Benefits of a Text-Only Header - Website Muscle<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Can you really just slap a text-only header at the top of your website and call it &#039;design&#039;? That all depends on what you&#039;re saying in the headline (and why).\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/websitemuscle.com\/text-only-header\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Drawing a Blank: Benefits of a Text-Only Header - Website Muscle\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Can you really just slap a text-only header at the top of your website and call it &#039;design&#039;? That all depends on what you&#039;re saying in the headline (and why).\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/websitemuscle.com\/text-only-header\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Website Muscle\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-03-01T18:00:07+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Sam Nelson\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Sam Nelson\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitemuscle.com\/text-only-header\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/websitemuscle.com\/text-only-header\/\",\"name\":\"Drawing a Blank: Benefits of a Text-Only Header - Website Muscle\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitemuscle.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitemuscle.com\/text-only-header\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitemuscle.com\/text-only-header\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-03-01T18:00:07+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitemuscle.com\/#\/schema\/person\/89522caa8c5027c475b71ade36325264\"},\"description\":\"Can you really just slap a text-only header at the top of your website and call it 'design'? 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