The situation is this: readers wander around in the largest library in the universe, looking for information. If it’s not easy to find, read, and digest, they move on. Quickly.
Here are three ways to keep that from happening:
Short Sentences If you can make one sentence into two, do it. If you can use smaller words, do it. Keep your paragraphs to two or three sentences. Don’t make your readers sit down to a 7 course meal when all they want is an apple. Keep it brief.
Use Subheadings A great way to break up and categorize text is to use subheadings that group your ideas into small parts. It’s the perfect setup for readers that skim, and they all skim. Make it easy.
Use Bullets As a general rule, if you have a list with four or more items, use bullets. They’re easy to read and attract the eye. The reason they work is because the extra grammar constructs of paragraphs have been stripped. Bullets are most often pure info, which is very attractive to readers. Numbered lists work well, too.
Just using these three tips alone will hugely improve the readability of your web pages. Tailor them to your writing style, your audience, and your info.
Your readers will thank you.
