What Is Alignment?

Date First Published: 1st October 2022

Topic: Web Design & Development

Subtopic: Web Design

Computer Terms & Definitions

Difficulty Level: 3/10

Learn more about what alignment in this article.

In web design, alignment is the process of positioning elements of a website, such as buttons, titles, text, images, icons, videos, and content boxes in a straight, symmetrical line to make them look neat and tidy, tighten the design, create a visual connection, and prevent them from looking messy. However, the design of some websites may intentionally break alignment to create an asymmetrical design and intentionally draw the visitor's attention to a specific element, but there may still be equal space between the elements. The design of most high-traffic websites is symmetrical and the use of grids can help with the precise placement of website elements.

Types Of Alignment

There are three types of alignment, which include:

• Horizontal alignment - The left and right margins are visually equal (e.g. a block of text on the left and right text). Even though separate lines of text are not perfectly aligned on both sides, paying attention to the amount of whitespace on the end of the line can result in a good balance of margin on each side.
• Vertical alignment - The top and bottom margins are visually equal (e.g. a button at the top is aligned with a button at the bottom of a webpage). This is the most common type of alignment.
• Edge alignment - Elements are lined up along the top, bottom, left, or right edges of a webpage. Alignment of the main content on the left side of a webpage is most common as most people's eyes are used to reading text that way, similar to text in newspapers.

Importance Of Alignment

Alignment is important for the following reasons:

• Responsive design - The alignment of elements can be part of a responsive design. The layout and structure will have to adapt to the screen size of a wide range of devices, including smartphones and tablets. If the alignment is not perfect, text, images, and buttons could be missing, be in the wrong position, or get scrunched up. This can also have a negative impact on user experience and SEO, as search engines, such as Google use mobile-friendliness as a factor to rank pages in the SERP.
• Trustworthiness - A visitor is much more likely to trust a website that has been properly designed with aligned elements. If text, images, and blocks of content were misaligned and appear in odd places, a website will look less than professional, create an unorganised look, and will lower the trust of visitors.