Lift ideas off the screen with micro content
Why skimmable web content? | |
 | They don’t; so make web pages scannable How do people read online? They don’t read; they skim. So write skimmable web copy. |
 | Why is scannability of a website important? Because readers spend only a few seconds on a web page How long is too long? Web visits peak at two to three seconds. At that point, visitors decide that one-quarter of web pages aren’t for them. |
 | Insights from Poynter’s EyeTrack study Tablet tasks: People reading news on an iPad spend about 78 seconds on stories they don’t finish. Give readers a reason to stay. |
Make web pages skimmable | |
 | Scannable content makes message 34% more memorable Also increases understanding, satisfaction What if you could keep users on a web page for half the time, yet have them understand more, remember it longer and enjoy it better? |
 | Reach three types of web visitors Get the word out to lookers, skimmers & readers Reach all of your web visitors, whether they’ve come to your web page for a bite, meal or snack. |
Micro content catches skimmers’ eyes | |
 | How to write good online headlines Draw people into your web pages, blog posts, emails and social media Heads up: How do you write great headlines that grab reader attention and show up in search results? |
 | How to write a double deck headline That second head drives readership, reaches nonreaders Double decker: Multi-deck headlines get the word out to skimmers and scanners. So don’t drop the deck. |
 | Subheads increase scanning and reading Layer on the subheads: Subheads can change F-shaped eyetracking patterns to Layer-cake patterns. The result: Visitors read further and find what they want more easily. |
 | People look at 70% of lists — if you write them right Check it twice: One test of a good list article: Can skimmers tell without reading what the parts of the list are and what the whole list covers? |
 | Link writing: How to get clicked Grab readers’ attention, help them find their way Only connect: Good link writing can convince screen readers, users and other visitors to read more or click. And good link text helps nonreaders who are scanning your web page. |
More on scannable web copy | |
 | Resources on skimming, scanning and reading Websites, books & tools The research is in: People skim and scan webpages. They don’t read them. |
 | Quotes on skimming, scanning, reading What writers & others say “The dirtiest four-letter word in the English language: ‘read.’” — Evelyn Wood Reading Dynamics website |