How to Keep Customers Focused on Your Website

“Try reading a book while doing a crossword puzzle. That’s the intellectual environment of the Internet.'

In his book, “ The Shallows: What The Internet Is Doing to Our Brains,” Nicholas Carr describes what we
have long suspected--that our use of the Internet is creating neurological changes in the brain, affecting
our ability to remember facts, or pay attention long enough to fully understand what we read.

Now, what was that again?

Though many disagree with Carr, the research he cites in his book has important implications for content
creation. Among the findings:

-The more links there are in an article, the lower the comprehension of the reader. This may be because readers devote more of their attention to evaluating links and deciding whether to click them.

-Readers of hypertext click through pages rather than reading them carefully. Worse, readers of hypertext could not remember what they had read or not read.

-People watching a CNN news story retained far more information without the headlines scrolling at the
bottom of the screen.

-Users click instead of reading and finding answers. Study participants who searched for answers to questions in print did better than those searching for answers on Web pages.

Does your content distract and overtax your readers? Are your messages too long and complex? Can your
visitors find the information they need quickly? How do you engage users who are “clicking instead of
concentrating”?

-Keep in mind that less is often more on the Web. Eliminate distracting site features such as flash
animation or scrolling text.

-Make copy easy to scan with subheads and bullets.

-Use site navigation to break your information into shorter pages.

-Make hyperlinks more descriptive. Don’t tell readers to “Read more”; tell them what they will read if
they click.

-Write website content in a conversational, less formal tone.

-Get to the point in the first words. Don’t expect readers to read a long introductory paragraph.

-Use adjectives, hyperbole, corporate-speak, and jargon sparingly.

-Consider using video to communicate more complex information.