July 21st, 2010 by Susie

Reading a site is not like reading a novel. Novel readers are prepared to be in it for the long haul, whereas users of sites have famously short attention spans. They want access to the information they are seeking and they want it quickly. Wading through long paragraphs of text is more difficult on the screen than on the page. The author W.G. Sebald wrote a book called ‘Austerlitz’ in which paragraph breaks barely featured. His labyrinthine and hypnotic sentences wandered on and on, bewitching the reader. This kind of unorthodox approach would have proven disastrous on the net.

If you want users to enjoy using your site, it is necessary to take into account their special tastes and needs. Using a site to offer goods and/or services is a bit like being a restaurant owner. The number of diners in a restaurant will decline swiftly if the content of the meals is indigestible. High grade content needs to be broken up into digestible portions for SEO purposes.

SEO is about pleasing users and search engines alike. At Searchengineoptimization.co.uk we realise that content will not satisfy users if it is not delivered to them in the right fashion. The sites we perform SEO on benefit from our technique in this area. Breaking up content makes it easier for users to absorb the key points in an argument, for example. The use of a list may be beneficial in this respect. The following list sets out some of the advantages of lists:

• Bullet points draw the eye to important pieces of information
• Lists space out the content and prevent boredom setting in
• Lists make it look as if points have been carefully mulled over
• Research indicates that most users are happy and comfortable with the list format
• The number of points in a list can be used in a blog or article title

The value of space is worthy of further elaboration. If the paragraphs are kept succinct, eye strain is reduced. Similarly, sentences should not be elongated, convoluted and complex things. It is easy for users to become discontented or distracted if there is insufficient space in an article. It is also the case that excessively complicated sentences too often have the same effect.

Content producers have to make compromises in their writing. They have to balance the need to convey complicated information with the need to do so in a way which can be understood. Sometimes the subject matter is such that short sentences and paragraphs cannot cope with the strains imposed by dense content. It is important to appreciate that SEO copywriting is a skill which takes a long time to master. Perfectionism is never the right way to proceed.

No matter how much effort is expended on the use of lists and the manipulation of space, it will be to no avail unless the content is relevant and of interest. Users will not revisit blogs which do not entertain or inform. They will not tolerate inaccurate or out-of-date industry news. So while the space is something to think about, the text is the decider.

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