Top ways to make people read your Web Pages

As with most marketing materials, your website is next to worthless to you if nobody reads the content.

So here are our top ways to make people read your website.

It’s hardly surprising that the key lies in . . . engaging your readers.

When was the last time that you viewed a website or read an email or magazine that was just one huge block of text?

Probably not that long ago – I see them all too frequently.

The death nell to readership is huge wall blocks of continuous text.

We have already discussed this elsewhere in this blog, but let’s go into more detail here about how to engage your readers.

Visual content is the key

It’s hardly surprising that adding pictures, illustrations, graphs and videos to your website pages dramatically increases the engagement of your readers.

So, let’s check out our top ways to make people read your website.

1. Screen Grabs

You can talk ’til you are blue in the face about something appearing on a website, but you can express all those words in one simple picture.
You can even add notations to the screen grab to help the reader to understand your point.

The image above is a screen grab of an advert that appeared in You-Tube.

Most computers these days have screen grab buttons built-in that are very easy to use. There are also Apps and programs that you can download or buy that will serve this function as well.

Combined with the basic graphic software that comes with your computer, you will be able to make powerful images to add to your webpages.

2. Slideshows

Slideshows are an excellent way of showcasing your products and services.

They are most commonly seen on the homepage of a website, but can also appear on other pages and in posts in the website.

They can be used to showcase product features, and can effectively be interspersed with images that are text headlines.

Your reader’s attention, having been drawn to the slideshow image, will easily grasp the message in the following panel – especially if it is just a few words of text like – “Free Freight (orders over $100)”

3. Video Content

Since the dawn of time, we have preferred to watch TV than read books. I guess that is just basic human laziness at work.

Nothing much has changed over the years as our lives have become busier and more hectic.

So video content on your website can be very powerful.

Check out the video content on the home pages of these two websites:

http://117.120.12.153/~hotpinkwebsitesc

http://www.maverickmentoringforbusiness.com.au/

Not only is it easier for the human brain to process, but video content also tends to be more credible than the printed word.

4. Graphs and Charts

Graphs and charts have been around almost since the dawn of time.

And while they tend to be a bit nerdy, they are a simple and easy to read way of presenting a lot of information in a short space and time.

Reducing the content from thousands of letters and hundreds of words, down to an image with maybe 4-6 key components, makes the message easy to read and understand.

And charts of numbers, used in a suitable context and with not too much content, can simplify the message being delivered.

That’s because the human brain is naturally wired to seek out patterns in the information that is presented to it … because patterns can short cut the arduous process of information gathering.

So, what are you going to do?

These principles apply almost universally, but you should test and measure how different effects work with different target audiences.

When it comes to visual content, there are some basic rules to follow:

Use high quality and good-looking images. Any that makes it harder to understand your message, (like pixelated, irrelevant, distorted or poorly designed images), will not serve you.
To make them make them easier to share and understand, images should not need the context of the page to explain them. You may still give more detail in the text, or just use the image to lure the reader in to what you want to say.
Image file size is paramount – preferably keep it under 100kb in size. Large files affect load times, (deterring readers), and are important for SEO results and bounce rates.
Make sure that your visual content supports the story you are telling in your blog page or post.