Use these suggestions to improve your content for skimmers, provide a better experience, and drive more conversions from your traffic. It's no secret that people skim content when they're online.

According to Chartbeat, 55 percent of people read your post for no more than 15 seconds. You're in the minority if you're still reading this line.

It makes no difference if you rank first for a keyword with 5,000 searches per month if half of your audience leaves after 15 seconds.

Writing is only the first, and far from the last, step. Content must now be more digestible than ever before.

Here's how to make your blog content more appealing to the 55 percent of readers who skim while still delighting the 45 percent who don't.
How to Optimize Your Blog Content for Speed Readers, Skimmers, and Everyone Else
While there are still people who have the time and desire to read for more than one minute, easy-to-skim content will appeal to them as well, not just the quick answer seekers. Whether you like it or not, we live in the age of speed and user experience, so people expect a great experience when they visit your website.

Whatever their reading appetite, that doesn't mean you should force them to squint at every line or that you shouldn't give them the option to skip some of the text and quickly get to what they need. Here's how you do it:

Make Subheadings Relevant by Using Them
This one, for example. As well as the one above it. Use H2, H3, H4, and so on to show the relationships between the subheadings. Most importantly, keep the text under a subheading to no more than 300 words. If you need to explain the point further, you may need to add more headings.

My goal for this article is to condense all of the methods for making your content skimmable into a single subheading.

If you're in a hurry, you can just skim the subheadings to get the gist. You can return later for a more in-depth read if necessary.

Keep paragraphs brief and to the point.
Gabriel Garcia Marquez did not act in this manner. The Autumn of the Patriarch is impossible to skim because it is one long paragraph broken up into chapters at times.

But you aren't Gabriel Garcia Marquez, and a blog post isn't a novel. As a result, keep each of your paragraphs as brief as possible. Five lines may be too much for some readers.

Sometimes one line is all you need, especially if you're trying to make a point.

Keep in mind that some people will be reading your blog on a mobile device.
On a phone, what appears to be a decent paragraph on a desktop appears to be an unapproachable wall of text.

This is especially important if you're writing about a technical topic. Writing cybersecurity content, for example, is typically difficult to comprehend. You will lose the reader for good if you try to cram your knowledge into walls of text.

Understand Your Audience
Instead of assuming what your audience wants to hear, know who they are and what they are looking for before you start writing.
Conduct industry research and competitor analysis to make data-driven decisions. This isn't as difficult as it appears. You can use the following resources to do this: KeywordTool.io: This free tool displays some of the most popular keywords searched for by users in each industry.
Twitter's Advanced Search feature: Enter a keyword and select the "questions" filter to see some questions that people in your industry are asking.
Quora: A useful website for determining the questions that people in your industry are asking.
SEMRush: This is a paid tool, but it's extremely useful for observing what your competitors are doing.

Each Header Has a Summary Graphic
Include eye-catching headers that are directly related to what your audience is looking for. Include H2 and H3 headings on your blog for people who skim. It only takes a few simple words to capture your reader's attention and encourage them to read further.
Although this is beneficial, don't stop there! Include infographics to summarize the main points of the article throughout your blog. When skimmers are looking for quick and easy information, eye-catching visuals will entice them to return to you.

Begin With an Eye-Catching Intro
"Pretend you're holding an orange," you might have thought as soon as you started reading this blog. What does that have to do with content creation?

If you enjoy puns as much as I do, you might have noticed a "creative juices" metaphor creeping in. (I know, low-hanging fruit...)
But, if you've made it this far, that strange opening line has piqued your interest enough to keep reading.

An enticing intro that encourages web visitors to stay can boost time on page and social engagement. This, in turn, improves the ranking and performance of your content. Furthermore, the more time viewers spend consuming your content marketing assets, the more value they get out of them, assisting in the development of your reputation as a trusted industry authority.

Whether you're creating social media captions, web content, or a long-form downloadable resource, consider:

Creating a catchy headline that gives a sneak peek at what's to come.
Begin with an anecdote or metaphor that introduces your topic. Creating a sense of urgency or giving the reader FOMO to demonstrate that they must hear your message.
Begin with a rhetorical question that prompts the reader to reflect and continue reading to find the answer.
Using a compelling data point to pique the reader's interest and hint at future insights they won't want to miss.
Avoid long, meandering sentences at all costs. These are usually too dense with information for your audience to process. Also, avoid platitudes and generalizations that make your content sound like a snoozer.


https://getmoneybes.com/optimizing-blog-content-for-skimmers/