A website can have beautiful fonts and still look empty or unfinished. Sometimes the problem is too much distance between related elements; other times it’s a lack of hierarchy, an undersized image, or content spread too widely across the page. The headline touches the image, a long paragraph stretches from edge to edge and every section seems to run into the next. When that happens, changing colors or fonts usually doesn’t solve the problem. The page needs a clearer use of space.

White space in web design is the room around text, images, buttons and sections. It does not have to be white. A navy background with a short line of cream text can have plenty of white space; a white page packed with boxes can have very little. I use spacing to show which elements belong together, where one idea ends and what deserves attention next.

Quick fix: If your page looks empty, don’t immediately add more content. First check whether the headline, supporting text, image and button feel like one intentional group. Reduce oversized gaps inside that group, give the main image enough scale to balance the text, and reserve larger gaps for transitions between separate sections. The spacing values below are starting points to test, not universal rules.

Spacing values to try before redesigning the page

  • Heading to supporting paragraph: try 12–24px on desktop, then judge it with your actual type sizes.
  • Paragraph to its CTA: try 16–32px so the button still feels connected to the offer.
  • Between separate page sections: test roughly 64–112px on desktop and 40–72px on mobile, adjusting for content and layout.
  • Text width: try a maximum of roughly 55–75 characters per line for long body copy.

For example, if a hero has a small portrait floating in a large empty column, first try enlarging or recropping the image and narrowing the text column. If the button sits far below the paragraph, move it closer. Only add new content if the page genuinely fails to answer a visitor’s question.

1. Group related content instead of spreading it apart

Look at one section of the page. Is the heading closer to the paragraph it introduces than to the section above it? Is the button close enough to the offer that a visitor can tell what will happen when she clicks? Related items need a tighter gap; a new topic needs a larger one.

For example, imagine a services section with a heading, three sentences about the offer and a “View packages” button. Keep those items visually grouped. Then give the next section, perhaps a client review, more room above it. If every gap is identical, the reader has to work out the grouping on her own.

You can make a quick first pass by looking at the page blurred or zoomed out. The groups should still be visible even when you can’t read every word. If everything becomes one continuous column, the spacing isn’t giving the page enough structure.

2. Narrow overly wide text blocks

White space exists beside text as well as above and below it. A paragraph spanning almost the whole desktop screen forces a reader to track too far from the end of one line to the start of the next. Pull the text box in from the edges and let the lines wrap sooner.

Breaking one long block into shorter paragraphs also gives readers places to pause. This does not mean turning every sentence into a separate paragraph. Keep thoughts that belong together together, and start a new paragraph when the idea changes.

Check the actual copy before finalizing the layout. A short demo paragraph may look airy in a template, while your real offer description takes twice as much room. The fix might be a narrower column, a shorter explanation, another section or a different image placement.

3. Use different spacing for different relationships

Most websites need more than one level of spacing. A line between a heading and its body text is a small relationship. The gap between two different ideas is a larger one. The transition between a full introduction and a product gallery can be larger again.

Try reading only the headings as you scroll. Can you see where the introduction ends, where the offer starts and where the proof appears? A good page rhythm makes the story easy to follow even if someone is skimming.

Don’t add the exact same giant gap everywhere. Large empty areas can make related content feel disconnected, especially on a phone. Space works when its size matches the relationship between the elements.

4. Give the section a clear focal point

If the headline, photo, badge, testimonial and button all demand equal attention, the section has no clear entry point. Ask what someone should notice first. Then let the other elements support it.

You might give a headline more room and scale, keep a supporting sentence narrower and place the button immediately after it. In another section, a strong image could take the lead, with the copy set quietly beside it. This is visual hierarchy: the page makes its priorities visible through size, position, contrast and space.

Small details can still give the design personality. An overlapping photo, a rotated label or a repeated shape can be effective when it points to something meaningful. If every section has a different flourish, those details begin to compete.

5. Fix oversized gaps on mobile

Desktop spacing does not automatically become good mobile spacing. A large desktop gap can turn into a long blank scroll; a carefully aligned image and headline can stack in an odd order. Open the page on your phone and read it from top to bottom.

Check whether the headline wraps naturally, whether the image crop keeps the important subject in view and whether the offer and its button stay together. Look for a heading stranded at the bottom of one screen with its explanation on the next. Make sure buttons have enough room to tap without hitting another link.

If you’re working in Showit, treat the mobile canvas as its own composition. You may need to change spacing, scale, stacking order or crop to keep the same message clear on a smaller screen.

6. Resize images and bring the CTA back to its copy

Picture a hero with a long headline pressed against a portrait, three lines of description spanning the screen and a button floating far below. I would shorten the text box, move the button closer to the description and give the whole group more space from the next section. I would leave room beside the portrait so the face and headline do not fight for the same spot. The content stays the same. What changes is how easily someone can read it and understand which action belongs to the offer.

7. Run a five-minute spacing audit

  1. Find the first focal point. Can a new visitor spot the headline and the next step quickly?
  2. Check the groups. Are headings, descriptions and their buttons closer to each other than to the next idea?
  3. Look at line length. Are long paragraphs comfortable to read on desktop and mobile?
  4. Compare transitions. Does the gap before a new topic look bigger than the gap inside a related group?
  5. Scroll on a phone. Are there awkward blank areas, strange image crops or separated calls to action?

A page with good white space does not need to look sparse. It needs to help people see the offer, understand the details and move to the next step without fighting the layout. If you’re customizing a template, my Showit template customization guide covers the broader setup; this spacing pass is one way to make the final result feel more considered. For a final check before launch, use the website design checklist.