How To Write For The Web (And Not Lose Readers)

According to usability expert Jakob Neilsen, we are lazy “informavores” (we hunt for facts) when reading on the internet. He says readers tend to “pick the low hanging fruit” – if we don’t see what we’re looking for right away, we’re gone. Or, if the page isn’t written in a way to convey clues that readers are on the right trail, they’ll more than likely click out. Slate explores Neilsen’s rules of the information design game and gives tips for engaging writing on the internet.

Neilsen’s key suggestions for snagging and keeping readers’ attention:

• Bulleted lists
• Occasional use of bold to prevent skimming
• Short sentence fragments
• One topic per paragraph
• Plentiful (but relevant) hyperlinks
• Explanatory subheads
• No puns
• Did I mention lists?

Slate Magazine: “How We Read Online”