Start with plain text for easier Weebly website updates
(Updated 5/21 with MailChimp information)
If you add text to your website by copying text from other sources, such as email, word-processing documents, online articles, and social media, it's important to convert the text to plain text before pasting it into your website.
Take out the formatting before pasting copied text
Any text you copy from these sources has hidden formatting instructions that determine what the text size, style, and color should be. For example, if you copy a paragraph from a Microsoft Word document that has 12 pt. black text in Times New Roman and paste it directly into your website, it will retain those instructions and disregard some or all of the text styles and colors that are built into your website. Sometimes the difference is subtle, but over time these differences will make your website look inconsistent and unprofessional.
A pro tip for handling copied text is to convert the formatted text to plain text to strip away the formatting. Then when you paste the text into your website, it adopts whatever styles your website requires.
Weebly and other website editors
With Weebly or other website editors, use a plain text editor as an intermediary, such as Notepad or TextEdit.
Paste your copied formatted text into a new document you create in a plain text editor (such as Notepad for Windows or TextEdit for the Mac).
Then copy the text from the plain text document and paste it into the text block in your website where you want it to appear.
Any text editor that can produce a .txt file will also work to strip away formatting instructions, but I find it faster to keep a plain text editor open with an empty document and use it to paste text into and copy from.
MailChimp
If you use MailChimp for your mailing list, I noticed the MailChimp classic editor now has a “Paste from Rich Text” editor. You can use this to remove formatting from any source documents that you’re using as the basis for my MailChimp text. Find out more here.
Using these tips will keep your website looking clean and consistent and it will be plain for all to see!
