Internet users, and blog readers, generally don’t like to read long, winding texts, so cut your writing in half. Make sure your content is scannable and properly structured, starting with the conclusion and then the supporting information. I’ve been reading a bit about what makes or breaks a text on the Internet, or more specifically, a blog post. It might seem straightforward enough to the novice (me), but one soon discovers that in the razor sharp competition in the blogging world readers have little or no tolerance to bad writing and layout. So what is bad in this context? Well – overly long and talkative texts are bad. Compact text with low scannability is bad. Obviously, poor grammar and punctuation is bad.
To summarize a few points from what I’ve learnt:
- Be brief. Write 50% less than you want to. Excessive scrolling and massive texts are boring and detracts from the interactive experience.
- Use a scannable text layout. Reading from a computer monitor is painful. Bulletize important information, highlight keywords, use meaningful headlines.
- Use effective structure, like the “inverse pyramid” technique. Start with your conclusion, then give supporting information and lastly the introduction.
The F-shape
Studies by Jacob Nielssen has shown by tracking eye movement that people who read information (a web site) on a computer screen usually scan in an F-shaped pattern. The first lines of an entry gets the most attention, then each line gets gradually less and finally the user just scans the left side of the content. That makes it easier to understand why the inverse pyramide text structure is so important doesn’t it?
Scannability
Break up your information into readable chunks. Highlight keywords and avoid long essays unless your content and audience really calls for it. A blogger like Guy Kawasaki might get away with essay writing, but people are less likely to cut you the same slack. Don’t mislead your reader by sloppy or “cute” headlines. Facts and important points are best presented as bullets:
- Internet is an interactive media. Your writing and layout should reflect this fact.
- Users spend as little as 29 seconds per page view. That”s your window to capture their attention.
- Traditional design and layout is the best option. Visitors are likely to dismiss unknown and hard to navigate content.
Do you doubt the effectiveness of using scannable layout? Mr. Nielsen (again) has shown that usability increased 124% for scannable text compared to a block-like reference layout. By usability we mean parameters like task time, errors, memory and subjective satisfaction.
Do you really want to give this potential advantage away by ignoring it? Didn’t think so. Anyway, this concludes this article. I hope you found it interesting and worth spending your 29 seconds.
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