Writing Tips for Your Web Site: Helping Visitors to Skim Read Your Pages
According to a Nielson study, 79% of users scan a web page, rather than reading it word for word. Here are some tips to aid scanning and skimming and make it easy for your visitors to understand your message.
You can get a quick overview of a page without reading it word for word by reading headings, bulleted lists, the first words of a paragraph, and highlighted text. To make a page easy to skim, these are the things you want to pay attention to.
Tips for easy skimming
Writing that uses the following techniques will be easier to skim:
- Sub-headings. Most web pages fail to make good use of sub-headings, yet they are one of the best ways of improving “skimmability”. Make sub-headings meaningful (rather than clever) so that people can quickly get a sense of what each section is about.
- Keep things brief. Use short paragraphs with one idea per paragraph. If you start each paragraph with the main point then people can get the gist by reading the first few words of each paragraph.
- Keep your writing succinct. Review as you go and cut out unnecessary words. Use images and tables as appropriate to help you make your point.
As a guide, aim to write half as many words as you would do if writing on paper. It’s more difficult to read online, and your visitors will thank you for it. - Use lists. Bulleted and numbered lists are great for skimming, so use them if appropriate.
- Make it easy to understand. Use simple clear language and keep your sentences short.
- Highlight important text. Use bolding, italics, or link text to draw attention to key points. Don’t go overboard or the effect will be lost. Skimming is easier if link text uses keywords rather than “click here”.
- Use digits. 10 is easier to take in than ten. Notice how my example was easier to understand than if I’d waffled on about using digits instead of writing numbers out in full?
A good way to get started with these techniques is to write your text as normal first. Get all your thoughts down on paper first, and then rework to make it easier to skim through. (Once you get some some practice, you’ll be able to write a piece that’s easy to skim without writing a long-hand version first.)
Summary
Visitors to your web site won’t read long waffly text. If you want to keep them happy, make scanning and skimming easy. Use sub-headings, bullets, simple language and clear calls to action. Keep things brief, and watch your visitor satisfaction soar.
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