No, I’m not talking about the newest bestseller or what you have on your Kindle 2. I’m asking about how you read web pages.
What do you look at first when you visit a website? How much time do you spend on a page?
How you answer these questions will give you insight into how much text you should have on your homepage or how much text you should include with your product descriptions.
The truth is that website visitors rarely read web pages, they scan. Typically, they scan the text first and then look for the navigation.
Why do website visitors scan text?
- In our modern busy life is we don’t have the time or energy to work for the information
- We have been conditioned to click on links… immediately!
- There are so many pages to see and not enough time to see them
- Reading on the computer for long periods of time is tiring to the eyes
Become a Scan Master
There are several key things you can do to increase the “scan-ability” of your website content:
- Use bulleted lists
- Draw attention to keywords by using links, color or bold text
- Limit each paragraph to one idea
- Cut out the fluff - visitors tend to tune-out “marketing speak”
- Reduce the word count – about half as much as conventional writing
- Use subheadings
If you can master these techniques, you will capture your visitor’s attention and keep them coming back.
