Paragraphs, Sentences and Words

Rick Henkin

How you format your paragraphs, sentences and words will help determine whether or not they get read. Visitors want to find the information they're looking for with as little effort as possible. They won't read dense blocks of text no matter how carefully you've chosen your words.

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Aside from headings, subheadings and bullets, the best way to make your information scannable is to reduce the number of words. The prevailing wisdom on the web is "Cut your words in half and then cut them in half again."

Remember, we go online looking for information. We want to find it as quickly as possible, with the least amount of effort on our part. There are 1000s, maybe millions of websites that might have the information we need.

So we scan a few, trying to find the best solution. Remember, back before the Internet, if you wanted to purchase a new TV or new dishwasher at the best price? You didn't drive around to every single store in your city that stocked them, you probably chose 3 or 4 stores for comparison and then made your decision.

There's a word for that, coined by Herbert Simon, a Nobel Prize winning social scientist, in 1957. The word is "satisfice." a combination of satisfy and suffice.

According to the Penguin Dictionary of Psychology, it means, "To accept a choice or judgment that is good enough, one that satisfies. The tendency to satisfice shows up in many cognitive tasks such as playing games, solving problems, and making financial decisions where people typically do not or cannot search for the optimal solutions."

That's exactly what we do the web. The easier you can make it for your visitors to see what you have to offer, the better for you and them.

How to cut down your paragraphs, sentences and words

The most important point on your page should be in the first 2 sentences

Paragraphs should be 5 sentences or less. A one sentence paragraph is OK

Paragraphs should contain one main idea and one topic sentence

Start your paragraph with your conclusions, and then add supporting facts

Choose short sentences over long sentences

Choose short words over long words

Keep related information on the same page

Don't break up long documents up with a "continue" link at the bottom of the page. The link should describe what comes next

Highlight key words or phrases with bold or colored text, but don't highlight entire sentences or long phrases

Don't waste words on welcome messages

Benefit of cutting words

You make the important content stand out

Your pages are shorter

Your visitor doesn't have to scroll

It's easier to see what you offer

Your visitor knows you care

Believe it or not, it leaves your visitor with a good feeling. He or she knows that yours is a website that cares about its visitors and customers and is considerate of their needs. And you can't go wrong with that.

Watch the video and learn more:

ARTICLE DATE: 2008-10-31
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· Colors, Backgrounds and Text
· Headings, Subheadings, Bullets and Scannability
· Serifs, Fonts and Font Size

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