Have you ever wondered where website visitors first look when they visit your site? In a recent study performed by Eyetrack III, researchers discovered that . . .
1. Website visitors will often explore the upper left portion of the page before moving from left to right across the page and then eventually making their way down the page.
What does this mean for your website?
If your website viewer’s attention is drawn to the left first, you might want to consider placing your logo or other brand image detail in this portion of your website. If you place something aesthetically pleasing in this area, you might have a better chance of keeping a website visitor more engaged in your site and encourage them to continue exploring the site.
2. “Smaller type encourages focused viewing behavior (that is, reading the words), while larger type promotes lighter scanning.”
What does this mean for your website?
Think about your target audience before deciding on a font face and size. If your target audience is constantly on the go and can barely find time to access a computer, you might want to consider using larger font so that your readers can scan quickly for essential information. And bolding certain keywords and phrases with larger font also helps facilitate reading speed.
If your target audience spends a great deal of their day researching online and searching for valuable information, you might want to consider using smaller font so that they remain on your page longer and can take in all of the information you have to offer.
But, no matter what type of font or font size you use, always make sure to eliminate any unnecessary phrases and words from your web copy. This ensures that every word your visitors read is written with purpose and that they’re not wasting their time by reading every word.
3. Navigation features located at the top of a web page receive more attention than if they are located somewhere else on the page.
What does this mean for your website?
Navigation is one of the biggest reasons why website visitors get frustrated and leave a website. With proper, easy-to-use navigation, you reduce your chances of having website visitors leave due to frustration. Make your navigation bar as obvious and user-friendly as possible to ensure that website visitors can find what they’re looking for quickly and easily.
4. “When people look at blurbs under headlines on news homepages, they often only look at the left one-third of the blurb. In other words, most people just look at the first couple of words—and only read on if they are engaged by those words.”
What does this mean for your website?
All headlines and subheadlines on your web pages should be captivating in the first few words if you want to ensure your readers continue down the page.
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