Reading from a book or the printed page is much easier on the eyes than reading from a screen. Also, a computer makes is possible for you to do many things at once. Because of these things, the way people read web pages is very, very different to the way they might read a book, a leaflet or a report.

How do people read web pages?

They skim read. A lot. Readers tend to treat text-heavy pages as reference material, skipping down to get quickly to the information they need.

They don’t want to read too much. People reading books like to get comfy and spend a good while reading the same thing. This is rarely the case on the internet. Most people will want to get what they came for quickly and then move on.

If they can’t find what they need, quickly, they go elsewhere. There is an overwhelming amount of choice on the internet. People who are confident internet users get extremely skilled at “filtering”. If they don’t see what they’re looking for within a few seconds, they give up and try somewhere else.

So, people skim read, they don’t like to read too many words, and they give up quickly and go elsewhere if they can’t find what they came for within seconds. This is a tough audience to write for.

Top tips for your writing

Given the speed at which visitors skim down your pages, and the speed at which most will move on, what writing styles can we adopt to get our message across?

1. Use headings and lists

Headings help draw readers’ attention to the main sections of your page. They can then easily see at a glance what your page is about, and skip to the bits that most interest them. Ideally, a reader would be able to read only the headings on your page and still come away with all the key information.

Lists help you break your writing into bite-size chunks. As long as each list item is short and focused, lists make it easier for readers to extract and remember information from pages.

2. Summarise. And keep summarising.

Start your page with a good summary that tells the reader what they can expect to take away in the fewest possible words.

Follow each of your main headings with a similar summary of that section of the page.

Then, at the end of your page, finish by repeating all of the main points you’ve covered.

3. Use pictures, diagrams and media—avoid big blocks of text.

We all know that a few pictures and diagrams add colour and life to a page and help the text come to life. Along with headings, images provide reference points which people can use to skip down your page and remember your key messages.

Video and audio can be more difficult to incorporate, but where you have the resources, they can be extremely powerful tools for getting your message across. Video and audio content can also be very helpful and engaging for people who don’t read so well, or are blind or partially sighted.

We are multi-sensory beings, and we understand and remember things better when we experience them in a range of different ways.

So, good web writing in a nutshell?

• Expect visitors to skim rapidly through your writing before heading quickly to the next page or website.
• Write as succinctly as you can.
• Order your writing with clear headings and sub-headings.
• Use lists to offer bite-size facts and nuggets of information.
• Where possible, use pictures (and possibly audio or video) to give stronger appeal and emphasis to parts of your page and to support your writing.