Boost Your Success With Results From New Website Study

By now we all now the first page of your website gets read the most. Many website owners may wonder what how to maximize their home page and how to increase the number of website visitors that take action and become paying customers. 

A new study by the Jacob Nielson of the Nielson Company, released this month, shows just how much text people read on a web page and exactly what parts of the page are viewed. This is pretty powerful information you can put into action!

Here is a summary of the results.

When we read a web page, our eye automatically traces the text in an F-shape.

The first paragraph is the one read in its entirety, as we trace the first long line of the ‘F.’ The next paragraph doesn’t fare as well, getting only half that much attention as we track about mid-way through the paragraph, tracing the second short line of the ‘F.’ The last step is simply to skim down the rest of the article, vertically.

That is as much attention as you are going to get so make your home page succinct and to the point. It doesn’t really matter what you write from that point on, unless you’re reader is absolutely captivated by what your'e saying.

According to Nielsen, the F stands for Fast, and anything important you have to say, get it said in the first two paragraphs, since the rest of the page text will be skimmed at best.

The Red Areas Show Where People Read MostIn the image here, you can see where readers tend to focus on a web page. The red areas are where readers look the most, followed in order by the yellow, blue and lastly grey areas, which didn’t attract any attention at all. In each example, the F-shape can be made out.

What’s interesting is that whether it’s an entire page or just a specific paragraph of text the “F shape” is consistant. The red sections go beyond the paragraph in some of the photos extending to text that is aligned with that first paragraph. That might have something to do with why most websites place their log-in or register buttons or call to action in that exact spot – at the top right-hand corner of the page – because the eye automatically gravitates there.

If Nielsen’s study is anything to go by, the first paragragph is where you want a concise offer and then place your call to action adjacent.