Completed So Far:

Keywords have been chosen and analyzed so that I now have a list of powerful keywords. I am using these keywords to create useful and unique content that will draw visitors to my site, and, hopefully, keep them coming back.
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New Developments:

Reading materials that has been posted on the Internet is very different from the way we read material that has been published in other media.

Jakob Neilson's "F-Pattern" for scanning websites*

When we read a novel, for example, we generally start at the beginning of the novel and then read word for word until we reach the end. We don’t want to miss a nuisance or a description, or a twist in the plot, or any of the action. But most people don’t read a lot of novels, choosing instead to read magazines, Internet websites and blogs. When we read these media, particularly when we read anything on the internet, we tend to scan the material rather than actually read it.

Guidelines for Scannable Web Content

The following guidelines will help you create easily scannable materials for your website or blog:

1. use lots of headings and subheadings – use headings and subheadings to present an idea of the content that follows. Use keywords in headings and subheadings, draw attention to headings and subheadings by using bold, italics, underlines, CAPITAL LETTERS, or a different color.
2. use lots of white space – readers often feel overwhelmed when confronted with solid block of text. White space makes even long articles easier to read.
   
3. use graphics, pictures and videos – use the media capabilities of the Internet to make you web pages attractive and entertaining
   
4. people scan in an ‘F’ shape – important information should be placed down the left side, across the top, and in the middle (provide extra highlighting by leaving extra white space around this information, or framing the material)
5. use short sentences and short paragraphs – these are easier to read and scan through
6. break long articles or posts into chunks – small chunks are easier to read and focus on.
   
7. use links – use hyperlinks to connect sections of longer articles, to connect articles or posts to other material on your site, to connects your articles or posts to materials on other sites.
8. create lists – lists are easy to read and pack a lot of information into a small space.
   
9. don’t bury your points - the lead sentence of your paragraphs should be the most important point you are making in your paragraph. The remaining sentences of the paragraph generally support or explain this first sentence. You might even try using the journalist’s ‘inverted pyramid’ format – place the most important information at the beginning of your post, with progressively less important information making up the remainder of the post or article.
10. highlight important words and phrases throughout your post – using bold, italics, underlines, CAPITAL LETTERS, or a different color draws the reader’s attention to the important information. Try not to have too much information highlighted through your content as that only confuses readers and makes the content hard to scan.

Incorporating some, or all, of these guidelines into your content helps create an attractive, easy to read website that not only attracts readers, but helps keep them coming back to read more.

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Next Step:

One of the most important search engine optimization techniques is the use of links. Wednesday’s post will look at internal links – connecting posts to pages, pages to posts and posts to posts in your website/blog.

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If you liked this post, you can read this series on Search Engine Optimizing Your Blog from the beginning by going to the Introduction post.

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* Jakob Neilsen’s article F-Shaped Pattern for Reading Web Content can be found at: http://www.useit.com/alertbox/reading_pattern.html

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