Studies have shown that you should position key content on your web pages in a certain format in order to have maximum impact. If you do it right, visitors to your site can answer the question in their minds when they land on your web page – “Is this what I’m looking for?”
The format is in the shape of an “F.” Heat scan tests conducted by Jakob Nielsen of how visitors look at web page show this shape, and tests of the visitors eye scanning path prove this. Website visitors scan across the top, then the middle, and then down along the side. There is some variety to the test results depending on where text and images are placed on a page, but overall the “F” shape prevails and here is what this means to website owners and developers, according to Nielsen….
1. Visitors don’t read web page text word for word. They scan it.
2. The first two web page paragraphs must contain the most important information.
3. Headlines, paragraph and bullet lead words must contain clues that help the visitor understand what this is about.
Writing and positioning content on web pages is very different from writing copy for articles or print pieces. Note that because webpages are easily changed, you have the luxury of being able to test different versions of the same page when you put it up or when you update it. Tools like Google Analytics Content Experiments facilitate this.
If you need help deciding how to write and place content on your website for maximum results, contact New Incite today. Since 1998 we’ve worked on hundreds of websites to improve return on marketing investment for our clients.
