Techniques to get people to read long copy

[skbohler]

Is there an article you're aware of that offers tips on how to get people to actually read/skim over long copy?

I'm thinking of advice on layout, bolding, etc.

Thanks in advance,
Steve

[seeber01]

Steve,

I can't specifically forward you to an article but there are things I have picked up over the years.

Using h1 h2 h3 tags to create an article outline; then
use bold,italics, colored fonts, sparingly to draw the eye to important text within a paragraph.

You should stay consistent in style from page to page, and only use bold or italics or a colored font not all three.

What I do is use <h1> for the page title with primary keyword; <h2> is the secondary subject with <h3> as important points within the secondary subject. It is not
unusual for me to have only one h1 and one h2 on a page, but multiple h3's ... another thing I have tried is one h1, and multiple h2's with rare use of the h3.

The key is to break up the copy so it is easily skimable and comfortable for the eye to follow.

Hope this helps.
Debs

[Jenstar]

Here you go:

Paging or Scrolling [webmasterworld.com]

Web Reading Styles [webmasterworld.com]

Length of page as a design/usability issue? [webmasterworld.com]

There are some gems in those threads on this issue. Happy reading :)

[skbohler]

Thank you! I've got more reading to keep me busy.

~Steve

[Hawkgirl]

I would also recommend only having the copy be as long as you have to make it.

Is there a reason you want them to slog through a long piece of content? If not, I'd recommend that you keep it shorter to keep their attention. :)

[Fruit and Veg]

My personal advice is not to break it into different pages, I hate having to click on 'Next Page' to carry on reading.

I understand web copy should be kept to a minimum but one page is better than 10.

[John_Glube]

Hi All,

Long copy versus Short Copy - always an interesting debate.

1. Your copy should be as long as necessary to say what you have to say and no longer.

2. Two Techniques to get people to read:

a. Questions - ask a question of your reader and then answer it

b. Highlighting - use text highlighting - a person's eye will tend to follow the highlighting - bold - yellow.

(These two techniques come courtesy of Maria Velosso.)

Kind regards,

John Glube
Toronto, Canada

[BlueSky]

It really depends on how long the copy is. Something that requires a person to scroll down many, many screens will turn people off from even attempting to read it. If you can grab their attention so that it seems interesting, most people don't mind the copy extending over multiple pages. Most prefer scrolling but not when the length is way too long.

[Liane]

Grab Their Attention

Use well chosen words for your headings which are certain to be of interest.

Keep sentences concise, brief and to the point.

Use plenty of white space or photos to break up large blocks of copy.

Use any means available to highlight really important parts of your copy

Use bullets when appropriate.

Keep sentences concise, brief and to the point.

A splash of colour often helps draw the eye :) ;)

Bold text helps and so do "italics" when stressing a point.

The end result is a pleasing page layout which does not appear to be such a challenge ... even for a reader with Attention Deficit Syndrome!

[Liane]

Of course you could say the same thing like this:

Grab Their Attention Use well chosen words for your headings which are certain to be of interest.Keep sentences concise, brief and to the point.Use plenty of white space or photos to break up large blocks of copy. Use any means available to highlight really important parts of your copy Use bullets when appropriate. Keep sentences concise, brief and to the point. A splash of colour often helps draw the eye Bold text helps and so do "italics" when stressing a point.

The end result is a pleasing page layout which does not appear to be such a challenge ... even for a reader with Attention Deficit Syndrome! Somehow, this way doesn't seem as interesting!

[Hawkgirl]

Liane, what did that second post say? I have ADD and couldn't read it.

;)

Fabulous example. Really great.