Articles
Website Reading Patterns
By Cyndi Nguyen
As we all know, headlines are the first (and sometimes only) part of an article that are read. This of course applies to newspapers and gads of other documents, so it should come as no surprise that a recent study conducted by The Nielsen Norman Group shows this also applies to the web. More specifically however, the study found that web users scan website copy in an F-shaped pattern.
Eye scanning technology recorded that web users usually scan copy horizontally along the top of a website first, followed by a second horizontal scan slightly below, and then vertically down the left of the page. The resulting pattern from the eye trail is in the shape of an “F”. This pattern holds true for most web pages, with exceptions caused by images or text breaks inserted into the copy.
So what does this mean when writing for the web? Put your most important information in the path of the “F”. Web users are impatient and judgmental, tearing through web pages seemingly randomly while looking for information on fixing their bike or finding a spa. They are looking to decide as quickly as possible whether or not a page has worthwhile information, and the first place they look is the top two paragraphs and left hand column. Because the rest of the page may be completely ignored, keep the information on the page digestible and relevant.
While there are standards already in place when writing clearly for the web (see “Effective Copywriting for the Web”) – use bullets, visual aids, headlines and short paragraphs – these features can go by unnoticed if not in the “F” outline. Even more specifically, start bullet points, paragraphs and other sections with the most informational words so users catch them when scanning downwards. Keep the most important information and keywords in the first two paragraphs of your web page.
Because these are the top two bars on the “F”, it will likely be the first, and according this study, maybe the only information read on the page.
