SiteSmith

Your website on business cards, trucks and signs

SiteSmith · · 4 min read

Print your web address as short and plain as possible: no "https://", usually no "www.", in a clear font, large enough for where it will be read. Capitalize the start of each word if it helps people read it, like MillerRoofing.com. Before anything goes to the printer, type the address into your phone exactly as it appears on the proof and check that it opens your site, quickly, with the right phone number on it.

Write it the way people will type it

Customers copy what they see, letter for letter. Make that easy:

  • Leave off "https://". Nobody types it, and browsers add it themselves.
  • Usually leave off "www." It wastes space, and most sites work without it. Check that yours does before dropping it; with or without www explains how to make both work.
  • Use capitals to show the words. Web addresses ignore capital letters, so MillerRoofing.com and millerroofing.com go to the same place. The capitals help people read where one word ends and the next begins, and avoid accidental words when names run together.
  • Do not underline it. Underlines hide the bottom of letters and can make an underscore look like a space.
  • Keep the ending visible. If your address is a .net or .co, make sure the ending is clearly printed, because people will type .com by habit otherwise.

Choose a font that cannot be misread

Fonts with decorative curls look elegant and cause typos. Pick a plain font for the address, even if the rest of the design uses something fancier. Watch for these confusions:

  • lowercase l, capital I and the number 1,
  • the letter O and the number 0,
  • rn that reads as m in some fonts,
  • hyphens that disappear at small sizes.

If your domain contains any of these, print a test card and ask someone who does not know the address to type it.

Sizes that work

Business cards

The address should be readable at arm's length without glasses for most people. On a standard card, give it a line of its own rather than squeezing it next to the email address. If the card has a lot on it, the address is more useful than a fax number or a long slogan.

Trucks and vans

A vehicle is read from a distance, often in a few seconds at a traffic light or while driving behind it.

  • The phone number usually matters more than the website on a vehicle. People remember or call numbers more than they type addresses on the road. Make the number the biggest line after your name.
  • The address second, large and in high contrast, on the back doors and both sides.
  • No extra text around it. "Visit us online at" just takes room.
  • Check it from across the parking lot on a mockup before the wrap is printed.

Yard signs, shop signs and banners

These are read from the sidewalk or a passing car. Keep to the business name, what you do in two or three words, the phone and the address. Dark letters on a light background, or the reverse, but never a busy photo behind the text.

Check what people land on

The address is only half the job. When someone types it, they land somewhere, and that somewhere should match what they just saw:

  • The site opens on a phone without errors or warnings.
  • The phone number on the site matches the one on the card or truck.
  • The services match. If your van says "Heating and Cooling", the site should mention both near the top.
  • It loads quickly. Someone who typed your address standing in a store will not wait long.
  • Your name and logo look the same, so they know they are in the right place.

If the site is out of date, fix that before printing thousands of cards that send people to it.

Before a big print run

Vehicle lettering and signs are expensive to redo. A few checks protect the investment:

  • Renew the domain for several years and turn on auto-renew. A lapsed domain on a van keeps advertising for years, possibly for whoever buys it next. What happens if your domain expires explains the risk.
  • Confirm you own the domain, in your own account, not a designer's.
  • Make sure your email address uses the same domain, so the card reads as one business: [email protected] next to MillerRoofing.com.
  • Spell-check every line with a second pair of eyes. Printers print what you approve.

If your address is long or awkward

If people struggle with your address, you do not have to reprint everything immediately. You can buy a shorter or simpler domain, point it at the same site, and use that on new print as you go. Old cards keep working because the old address still leads to the site. Changing your domain name: when it's worth it helps you decide whether a full change is worth it.

Should you add a QR code?

A QR code can help on flyers, menus, window stickers and the back of a card, where someone is holding the item and has time. It is less useful on a moving truck. If you add one, always print the written address too, for people who will not scan. QR codes that point to your website covers how to set one up so it keeps working.

Your pre-print checklist

  • Address written without https:// and, if it works, without www.
  • Capitals used to separate words, if it helps.
  • Plain, unambiguous font, no underline.
  • Large enough for the distance it will be read from.
  • Typed from the proof into a phone, and it works.
  • Site checked: phone number, services and name all match.
  • Domain in your name and renewed for years ahead.
  • Email on the same domain.

If the website your cards point to is the weak link, you can see your site rebuilt first and print with confidence once you are happy with it.

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