5 Simple Ways To Make Your Blog More Skim-Able

May 7, 2012 by Daniel Sharkov|

The following is a guest article. The author presents some simple, yet effective techniques to make your content easier for readers to scan through…

As bloggers, we like to think that people care about everything we have to say. We drone on and on in posts, provide numerous details to explain our thoughts, and give extra thought to our syntax and writing style. We want each word we write to find favor with the most discerning of readers.

These things matter, to be sure. And most blogs have readers that are highly discerning. But the average person reading a blog post does not care tremendously about the details, the syntax, or the structure. Rather, they simply want to understand your point and your reasonings. And, in order to take this away, studies show that most readers have a habit of skimming blog posts – especially if they are visiting a site for the first time. Why are blog readers so prone to skimming? Here are a few of the main explanations:

There is so much content available on the internet that people don’t want to dedicate their entire time reading one site. Blog posts are heavy on big ideas (and take-aways) and light on the “small print.” While someone might need to read carefully when signing a contract or trying to avoid unexpected airline fees, there is no such obligation in the blogosphere. Many bloggers promote skimming by making posts rigidly structured, thus perpetuating the cycle.

So if you want to appeal to a broad audience and attract those first-time visitors, you’re going to want to insure that your posts can be skim-able without sacrificing quality or content. How can this be achieved?

1. Use AP writing style.

The article formatting used by the Associated Press is designed to clearly inform the hurried reader. AP style puts the main idea of a piece in the opening paragraphs, and then it delves back into the issues by examining the details. This is a good approach for bloggers to follow.

2. Keep paragraphs short.

When skimming, people often pay most attention to the first and last sentences of a paragraph. Shorter paragraphs, then, can insure that your audience takes in more of the details.

3. Use eye-catching punctuation.

Bloggers can appeal to people who skim – and can show highlight for them the central portions of a post – by using bolded phrases, italicized words, and even font changes. But this technique is viewed as gimmicky by some bloggers. In this case, using question marks to punctuate big ideas is a worthy substitute since readers will find their eye drawn to those sentences. Not to mention, questions usually signify a major idea in the first place.

4. Title matters.

This one goes without saying, but the title you give your post can determine whether a person decides to read the piece – and, if they do, it can also determine the degree to which they skim. It is thus important to take the time to write engaging and interesting titles.

5. Be provocative.

Skimmers are more likely to care about your details and pay attention to your big picture when you are writing a provocative piece. This could mean taking a contrary position, making readers think about something new, or using conclusive superlatives (i.e. ranking the best small business credit cards) and then giving evidence to back up your claim.

Keeping these tips in mind will hopefully help you keep your blog content skim-able without compromising on quality. While the way we write and the details we provide are important – both to us and to our more loyal readers – it’s good to remember that not everyone approaches written content in the same meticulous way. For this reason it is good to put yourself in the shoes of a first-time visitor and consider your post’s skim-ability when assessing its value.

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