Keeping it short is something I struggle with so Lisa's post was definitely must read for me. She's absolutely right, most of us scan articles on the web, so why not make our posts scannable? Of course easier said than done - hence the extremely helpful examples!
If you are blogging, writing web pages for your websites, or engaging people online, it's very important to understand how people read the web. The #1 reason people won't read your information is because you aren't telling it correctly. Here are some tips to help you get more readership and increase your effectiveness on the web.
Get To The Point With Scannable Writing
I myself struggle with this a lot, and no matter how hard I try, it seems I want to add more words where they aren't necessary. What's my point? Ha!
Be precise, get to the point quick, and explain later.
Example:
The long version:
When buying a home it's extremely important to know what the conditions of the market are, and you need to keep in mind the advantages of home ownership. Buying a home can be one of the biggest purchases of your lifetime, and can also be a great investment in your future.
To the point:
Things to know about buying a home:
- Market Conditions
- Advantages Of Home Ownership
- Largest Purchase Of Your Lifetime
- Great Investment
If you have both of these examples on different web pages. The first one is going to get a lot of people clicking the back button.With the second example, you can take each point, and add more to the conversation. You have their attention, gave them something easy to read, and now you can give them more.Get Their Attention And Give Them MoreStudies show that 79% of people will scan every new page they come across on the web, but if you catch their attention, you can give them more.Example:Take each point and expand on the topic.Market Conditions - Each real estate market is different and it's always a good idea to find the expert in your market. Talk to your family to learn what real estate agents they have used to buy a home, and interview a few until you feel comfortable with an agent.Advantages Of Home Ownership - Purchasing a new home can be great for your families well being, and is also a great way to get a tax break. Home ownership is a great step to gaining wealth and comes with the social benefits of the American dream.The key to writing for the web is getting to the point quickly, grabbing your readers attention, and then expand on your topics.Check out these blogs and webpages for more examples:
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Thank you for the tips I will try to be precise, get to the point quick, and explain later.
Good tips, thanks for posting--- Kathy
Hi Denise. Bulleted points are always a good way to communicate as long as they are limited in number. I've seen up to 2 dozen bullets which makes my eyes glaze over.
Thank you all for the comments.
Richard ~ You make an excellent point - too many bullet points defeats the object of a shorter and more effective writing style.
Denise
Hi Denise. I read that post too though some posts like yours are valuable so I will take time to read longer posts. ~ Lana
Hi Lana ~ Thank you for the compliment. It really made me feel good that you think my posts are valuable. I agree that I also take the time to read longer posts that are written by people who I know write worth while posts.
I think what I want to learn from this post is how to catch people "on the run." Not everyone on the Web wants to take the time to wade through a book length post to find the answer to the question they typed into Google search. Once you've got their attention of course you can give them more - It's the "getting their attention" bit that needs some fine tuning. At least that's what I'm working on.
Denise