How to write website content people will read
Although users go to websites for information, they scarcely read anything during an average web visit. Users typically scan information rather than reading it and at most read 28% of the words on a page
So how do you get around this? How do you keep a reader, a potential customer, interested, hooked until they bite? Research says that you should cram maximum information into the first two words of headlines and links
Still, visitors to a site will sometimes read more than the bare minimum, but why? The answer is if they are genuinely interested in the subject, the site content is interesting and they don’t get distracted i.e. they don’t lose interest. However, how interested a visitor is in your subject matter is outside your control, but you can make your site content as interesting and appealing as possible so as to maintain the interest of visitors to your site.
There are two aims you should meet if you want people to stay and interact with your site rather than ‘bounce’ off it without reading anything:
- Good information architecture – The structural design of the site should have clear navigation that allows the user to get to where they want to be, to reach the part of the site that interests them, which is of course key in holding their attention. If a user gets bogged down in misleading navigation, their interest will most likely peter out before they reach their desired destination and you will probably lose them. Even if they then reach a point of interest their enthusiasm will be low having taken so long to get there and they will most likely not bother reading all you have written on the subject. This in turn means that they are much less likely to buy your product or service, which obviously is what it’s all about. Each page should be clearly signposted, so that once the user is on the right page they know that they are on the right page!
- Good page layout – The eye should be quickly guided to the relevant part of the page, with good use of clear subheadings, diagrams and photos/pictures to retain interest if relevant.
Although the above two points are important, what is actually essential is good, interesting and unique content. There’s no getting away from this fact, and no shortcut to this. However, good website designers can help you with your site structure and content. Naturally, clear headlines are part of good content, but keeping your content simple and straight-talking when so much of what is on the web is waffle is key. Using numbers when making points is helpful as numbers usually represent facts and so attract the eye. Stick to the relevant facts and avoid waffling; concise, clear and interesting is what you should aim for, as this is what will keep the interest of your site visitors and give you the best chance of turning them into customers. Obviously ahead of maintaining a site visitor’s interest is the matter of getting them to your site, and in this respect you want to rank as highly as possible with the search engines, so an SEO strategy is crucial; there’s no point in having compelling site content if no-one’s going to see it!
