{"id":104,"date":"2013-03-16T13:06:43","date_gmt":"2013-03-16T13:06:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mysiteauditor.com\/blog\/\/?p=104"},"modified":"2023-11-24T16:46:22","modified_gmt":"2023-11-24T16:46:22","slug":"keep-it-simple-stupid-content-guidelines-for-websites","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mysiteauditor.com\/blog\/keep-it-simple-stupid-content-guidelines-for-websites\/","title":{"rendered":"Keep It Simple, Stupid! Content Guidelines for Websites"},"content":{"rendered":"

You are wasting your time writing content no one will read. As obvious as my advice sounds, people continue to stuff web pages with text. There’s this fear that we might leave something out someone needs. And using big words makes us look intelligent, right? Not so much. You will not impress your visitors with long paragraphs or big words. More often than not you will confuse and deter.<\/p>\n

The Facts \u2013 Studies show, most visitors aren\u2019t reading all your content<\/h2>\n

Study #1<\/span>
\nIn 2008 (yes a little dated but still very relevant and supported by other studies), Jakob Neilsen identified that on the average web page<\/a>, users have time to read at most 28% of the words during an average visit<\/strong>. The following chart shows the maximum amount of text users could read during an average visit based on this finding.<\/p>\n

\"Jakob<\/a><\/p>\n

Lesson learned – Visitors just don’t have time to read all the content on the page.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Study #2<\/span>
\nIn an eye tracking study by the Missouri University of Science and Technology department<\/a>, participants spent only 5.59 seconds<\/strong> focusing on the site\u2019s written content before moving on.<\/p>\n

\"Gaze_Plot(1)\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Lesson learned – You better get straight to the point because visitors will move onto other stimuli on the page.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Study #3<\/span>
\nIn 2009, Google performed an eye tracking experiment<\/a> on a search results page. Although this isn\u2019t exactly the same as viewing a web page, it is indicative of how people scan information on the web.<\/p>\n

Notice that the viewers\u2019 eyes do not follow a linear progression from left to right. The user\u2019s eyes jump around the page, scanning content.<\/p>\n

Lesson learned – Visitors are looking for elements that draw their eyes and are easy to digest – images, bolded words, lists, etc.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Strategy \u2013 What you should do instead of writing a novel<\/h2>\n

Hopefully you\u2019re convinced that people are just not reading all your content. So how do you effectively communicate all your information in half the space? Approach this challenge considering the two following elements:<\/p>\n

\u221a What you\u2019re saying
\n\u221a How you\u2019re formatting it<\/p>\n

What you\u2019re saying<\/span>
\nJust cut to the chase! When I get to your site I need you to answer 3 questions:<\/p>\n

\u221a Am I in the right place? \u2013 Let the user know in a large heading what the topic of the page is about. Generally this will be your H1 and should consist of just a few words.<\/p>\n

Used Dodge Pick Up Trucks For Sale<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u221a What are the benefits of your offering? \u2013 Communicate what you can do for me right away.<\/p>\n

We offer used dodge pick-up trucks at each one of our 10 Chicagoland locations. Our trucks include:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u221a 20,000-85,000 miles
\n\u221a Automatic and Manual Drive
\n\u221a 2 and 4 door options
\n\u221a CarFax Reports available upon request<\/p>\n

\u221a What are my next steps? \u2013 Tell me what I should do next. Should I send an email, call your office, purchase via your website? Make it very clear what you want my next step to be.<\/p>\n

Call or Email Dave, your personal sales associate for more information regarding our pick up trucks.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u221a Phone:123-456-7890
\n\u221a Email: dave@usedcaresforyou.com<\/p>\n

If you need something visual to help you remember the flow of information use this inverted pyramid below.<\/p>\n

\"Content<\/a><\/p>\n

How You\u2019re Formatting It<\/span><\/p>\n

Use large headings<\/em><\/p>\n

Make sure you\u2019re effectively using heading tags to communicate main ideas and organize content.<\/p>\n

Below is an example from Rafal Tomal<\/a> which reveals why headings are important in content. Even when blurred, the content on the left looks more organized because of the large headings. Which would you rather read?<\/p>\n

\"Rafal<\/a><\/p>\n

Use large font and increased line height<\/em><\/p>\n

Nothing is more annoying than getting to a site with tons of content in 9pt font. Who can even read that? Although studies do show that smaller font forces people to read each word in a string of text, it has been shown to decrease comprehension. Because of this, sites have been trending towards larger fonts \u2013 13 and 14pt for body copy.<\/p>\n

There is a strategic ratio for font size and line height (the space between two lines of text). Smashing Magazine analyzed typographic design patterns common to modern web design<\/a>. Here are some of their findings:<\/p>\n

\u221a Heading to body font-size ratio<\/p>\n

\u221a Head font size \/ Body copy font size = 1.96 (roughly x2)<\/p>\n

\u221a Optimal Line Height for Body Copy<\/p>\n

\u221a Line height (pixels) \/ body copy font size (pixels) = 1.48 (roughly 1.5x)<\/p>\n

\u221a Space between paragraphs (pixels) \/ line height (pixels) = .754 (roughly .75x)<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t be scared of white space<\/em><\/p>\n

Site owners are often concerned about the amount of white space on a page. They misinterpret it to mean \u201cWe don\u2019t have enough content to fill the space. We’ll look inept.” On the contrary, what space is not just good, it’s great. It actually helps visitors with comprehension. In a study performed by the psychology department of Wichita State University<\/a>, they compared reading performance with four white space layouts. Variables included:<\/p>\n

\u221a Margins surrounding text<\/p>\n

\u221a Margins surround leading<\/p>\n

\"Witchita<\/a><\/p>\n

Here were the results. Although reading speed increased when margins were smaller, reading comprehension decreased significantly.<\/p>\n

\"Effect<\/a><\/p>\n

Use bullets and lists when applicable<\/em><\/p>\n

This one seems like a given but it\u2019s definitely not utilized enough. Most types of information can be easily turned into a list. People generally read in an F-shaped pattern<\/a> on the web, so lists are ideal to quickly and effectively digest information. Another study by Jakob Nielsen<\/a> (although a little outdated) measured the effect of what they called \u201cImproved Web Writing.\u201d There was a 124% increase in usability when the participants were presented with concise, scannable, and objective language content. Usability factors that improved:<\/p>\n

\u221a Task Time<\/p>\n

\u221a Errors (questions on content)<\/p>\n

\u221a Memory<\/p>\n

\u221a Time to recall site structure<\/p>\n

\u221a Subjective satisfaction<\/p>\n

Control:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Control\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Improved Version:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Improved<\/a><\/p>\n

Now, wouldn’t you want your visitors to be more subjectively satisfied?<\/p>\n

But Wait!<\/h2>\n

I know what you\u2019re going to say.<\/p>\n

\u201cPractice what you preach! This was a long blog article!\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ahh, you see, blog posts are a whole different beast – as are white papers and other resources that are supposed to supply the reader with a lot of detailed information. But, just because you have more information to share, doesn\u2019t mean that you can\u2019t format it effectively.<\/p>\n

Conclusion:<\/h2>\n

So my message is simple – get to the point! Don\u2019t overwhelm your visitors with tons of information they won\u2019t even read.<\/p>\n

Do you know of any sites that do this well? Share examples with us and let us know what you think they\u2019re doing right. Here are a few of our favorites:<\/p>\n

http:\/\/copyblogger.com\/<\/a>
\nhttp:\/\/prezi.com\/<\/a>
\nhttp:\/\/conversionxl.com\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"You are wasting your time writing content no one will read. As obvious as my advice sounds, people continue to stuff web pages with text. There’s this fear that we might leave something out someone needs. And using big words makes us look intelligent, right? Not so much. You will not impress your visitors with […]","protected":false},"author":77,"featured_media":108,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"episode_type":"audio","audio_file":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","filesize_raw":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"series":[],"episode_featured_image":"https:\/\/mysiteauditor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/albert-einstein-quote.jpg","episode_player_image":"https:\/\/mysiteauditor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/itunes-cover.jpg","download_link":false,"player_link":false,"audio_player":false,"episode_data":{"playerMode":"dark","subscribeUrls":[],"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/mysiteauditor.com\/blog\/feed\/podcast","embedCode":"

Keep It Simple, Stupid! Content Guidelines for Websites<\/a><\/blockquote>