How do your customers read your website?

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Does an Internet user read a text "from cover to cover"? Today, a few words about the basics of usability, eye tracking, specifically about how texts are read by users who visit your website.
* As you can see, this text is already quite "old", so I recently decided to update it. Date of last text update - 03.02.2020.

Jacob Nielsen, the web usability guru, had one, fairly precise answer to the question posed in the title:

"They don't read"
In fact, reading content on websites is nothing like reading a book. Why? Because Internet users are not accustomed to reading a page "word by word", line by line.

Surprised? Think about how you browse the content of websites or specific blog posts. I suspect I could count on the fingers of one hand the number of people who read an article straight from cover to cover. Right?

In reality, our "reading" of texts is more like a quick "glancing." We pick out bold words, headings, and graphics in the text, and if we think there might be something interesting in the article, we sit down for a more thorough read. Sometimes, however, we don't have time for that, because we're always in a hurry. Then we just scroll through the text to find the information we need at the moment.

The average internet user doesn't always have time to read a text thoroughly, most of us just skim pages. What part of the text do we look at first? And which elements do we not notice?

Of course, market research experts have long since found a way to answer this question. The study of eye movements, known as eye-tracking, came to the rescue . Thanks to the study, we learned about the reading preferences of Internet users.

For this reason, you will likely do one or more of these activities as you read this.

You scroll through an article, reading only its headlines;
You will only read the items in bold in the text;
You will look at the photos and captions under them;
You take a look at the text in the quote;
You will only read the bulleted elements (i.e. this part of the article);
You will only read the first sentences of paragraphs;
You will spot linked elements in the text;
You will only read the introduction or conclusions (option for the lazy).

Online reading is more of a scanning process. We skim over the most important elements of a text and anchor our gaze on them.

How do internet users scan a website?



1. F shape
In most cases, the Internet user's scanning pattern for text roughly resembles the letter F.

starts scanning from the upper left part of the text
scans text from top to bottom rather than left to right
keeps the gaze closer to the left edge of the text, sometimes the eye does not reach the end of the lines

Of course, this is a general rule that applies to text without graphics. Any interference in text formatting can disrupt this pattern.

2. Layer cake
In this pattern, users scan the page in layers, quickly going through the headings and then stopping at the layer/section they are interested in. The knowledge of this technique of scanning by Internet users is very often used in web design.
In this option, individual thematic blocks are distinguished, for example, by colors and resemble a "naked cake with layers".

3. Spot scanning (specks)
In this scanning “technique,” ​​users search for a specific element in the text, such as a link, number, word, or phrase.

The user selects words for one of two reasons:
They stand out visually in the text (e.g. bold words, bulleted lists).
They resemble the word the user is searching for.




4. Detention
It most often appears when browsing websites on a mobile device. When a user keeps all contact number list with name their eyes in one place and scrolls the page with a mouse or moves their finger over an article on a website on a smartphone/tablet.
5. Skipping
This pattern is hardly a text reading pattern. It is more like a pattern of ignoring content. It has been found that readers easily skip or ignore content if it becomes repetitive. This often happens with bullet points or lists, where, for example, the first few words in the lists are the same. Users skip over repeated words so as not to waste time reading the same thing or if it seems irrelevant. Online users are getting smarter. Facebook researchers have found that the younger generation is quite fast at scrolling and finding useful information. Taking a second to decide whether it is worth reading or not.

6. Z-shape
This reading pattern begins and ends with two horizontal lines, like an F-shaped pattern. The only difference is that the user moves down in a Z-like pattern.


7. Commitment
This is the last and most desirable pattern of behavior. In this pattern, the reader decides to read the entire text.

This scan pattern is usually preceded by another pattern (e.g. the letter F).

Users scan a page, and when they find something interesting on it, they stop and read it in detail .


How to write so people read?
There are many conclusions that can be drawn from eytracking research. The most important one is quite simple, but at the same time it carries serious consequences.

Writing content for the web is completely different from writing content for print.
The ability to write well "generally" (so-called light pen) "does not equal the ability to write well "for the Internet". Writing appropriate content for websites or blogs must be learned. Specialists in this are good SEO copywriters or webwriters

When creating content and writing, it is important to take into account the reading habits of our users and make it easier for them to scan text on a website.


Some tips for beginners
1. The inverted pyramid rule. Put the most important content first in your opening sentences and paragraphs. Be specific. Get to the point. Right away.

2. Don't use the passive voice, only the active voice. Write as if you were talking to one person.

3. Use the rule one topic = one paragraph.

4. Write in simple language that everyone can understand. Industry-specific text will only work if you direct it only to people who operate in the same "ecosystem" as you.

5. Don't center text (readers much prefer the left side of the page and can't even see centered text). Align headings (and links) with the left margin so that visitors can easily see them, especially as they scroll down the page (the core of the "F" pattern).

6. Use bold headings and subheadings that you want to emphasize and contain keywords.

7. Use bulleted lists when possible. This type of text is easy to scan.