Skimming & Scanning

People don't generally read on the web. They skim and scan.  Make sure your important points stand out and are immediately obvious.

Make sure that it is immediately obvious what your product or service is.

Balance the use of copy with images. Although pictures are nice, less notice is taken of them online than in other media.

ONLINE YOUR COPY IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN YOUR IMAGES

Improve the writing style and ensure it is appropriate for the target audience. Be careful with the language you use. Is it difficult for the prospective purchaser to understand the nature of your product/service or the procedure for buying? What do they need to know? Is the buyer buying for themselves or on behalf of others? The language, especially the jargon, may be appropriate for one but not the other. 

79% of visitors don't actually read online - those that do read shallow and wide and pay attention to text before they look at images.

Both skimming and scanning are information-gathering activities.

Scan: to look over quickly and systematically, to look over or leaf through hastily.

Skim: To give a quick and superficial reading, scrutiny or considering glance.

Scanning: Eyes scope the situation to see if they're in the right place. Scans visible screen for prominent elements, headlines, legibility, layout, type size and colour. If they don't find top-level clues then they leave.

Skimming: Comes second but is an equally important activity. It's reading-based - a refinement of the information-gathering process. The reader isn't ready to read thoroughly yet. They are not sure if it's worth their while. Starts with a superficial skim, looking for highlights and important keywords. This is where bold keywords and bullets, short text blocks and hyperlinks make a difference.

Help the Skimmers and Scanners

• Is information paced where a visitor is more likely to look for it?
• Are Calls to Action where they're needed?
• Do you have to scroll up and down to see them?
• Use headings to define the message of the page.
• Use subheadings to continue, expand or separate your information.
• Use different colours, and type styles and sizes for headings.
• Use white space to help scannability.
• If your headings were the only text on the page, would they communicate the basic point?
• Keep all pages consistent with design and navigation.