Increase Site Conversion By Making Text on Your Site Scannable
Studies of how users read on the Web found that they do not actually read: instead, they scan the text. A study of five different writing styles found that a sample Web site scored 58% higher in measured usability when it was written concisely, 47% higher when the text was scannable, and 27% higher when it was written in an objective style instead of the promotional style used in the control condition and many current Web pages. Combining these three changes into a single site that was concise, scannable, and objective at the same time resulted in 124% higher measured usability. Such improved usability will increase your site’s conversion rate.
Read the full Alertbox at: Jakob Nielson Alertbox – Writing for the Web
- Some conclusions of this interesting study:
- Simple and informal writing are preferred
- Credibility is an important issue on the web
- Outbound links can increase credibility
- Humor should be used with caution
- Users want to get their information quickly
- Text should be scannable
- Text should be concise
- Users like summaries and the inverted pyramid style
- Hypertext is well-liked
- Graphics and text should complement one another
