Life is all lessons…ignorance is not a destiny…
It is not my intention to criticize the aesthetics and marketing preferences of my fellow online entrepreneurs. Instead I would like to share my observation to aid your judgment in considering the best approach that will maximize your benefits in your cyber endeavor.
The facts I will elaborate here are plain common sense. In my course of browsing many websites I could not make any sense why most are cluttered with inappropriate marketing campaigns that causes confusion and annoyance to the visiting readers. Yes I understand that monetization is the end objective in pursuing online business, but webmasters should know the basic psychology of catching a reader’s attention.
In the process constructing your website, your design should consider the short attention span of most readers. Oftentimes we make the mistake of relying exclusively on our arbitrary preference of design—inadvertently overlooking the aspects of functionality and appeal: to which readers respond. This error has caused the downfall of many online endeavors.
One way to prevent this common pitfall is to incorporate the principle of simplicity. Yes, make it simple; simple in a way so as to be reader-friendly, with minimal distraction that oftentimes displaces reader’s focus. As a matter of fact, even if the content is gibberish, when cloaked with simplicity, we give our time to explore it. Why? Because the message is clearly presented without the trouble of intricate browsing and irritating premature offers.
When a reader visits your webpage they are searching for an anchor to land their attention to (we all share this same attitude); it will serve as their navigational point to the entirety of your website. Examples of anchors are catchy images, interesting videos or affectively written blogs. Of course, they will not lock on any if your webpage is a mix of everything: like the classified-ads section of a newspaper. By the same token, if your anchor point, by way of analogy, is like the cover page of your favorite magazine, chances are high that your readers will dig through.
As I’ve stated in success in blogging goes beyond strategies, it is imperative to first gain the trust of your readers. Write a good content by sharing your thought and experiences; blend it with simple illustrations—remember, your objective is to catch your reader’s attention. As much as possible, be judicious with your use of pop-ups and gaudy presentation. Always consider your approach in these matters. People don’t like to be sold to, especially unsolicited ones. Aside from adopting simplicity make the over-all appearance harmonious—each contrast should be complemented. Wise preference of a webpage theme would be an important factor to consider.
Before I park my keyboard I want to make clear that the above principle touches the art of attracting readers to your website. But if you are an authority, some principles may not apply. Because being in authority means being a trend-setter, you command attention to your readers and not the other way around. However, authority comes with proving your capacity, from the very beginning, of holding your audience in thrall.
Good presentation beckons the law of attraction.
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I agree with you that a lot of websites have so cluttered interfaces that I won’t even start reading the content, even if it would be good or at least interesting. Sometimes it’s worth it to invest into a good design, if you’re not good at this stuff yourself. I wish more content providers online would!
I think my blog is a bit cluttered and I need to work on that. But what to leave out? Well, maybe I can go over to it now and take out 2 things…
Thanks for the inspiration, Walter!
I agree. I did that with my blog awhile back. I had a 3 column blog with all kinds of widgets. I changed it to two column and got rid of things that really weren’t necessary. Cleaned up very well and looked 10 times better.
That’s true. Competition in the blog world can be arduous. Everyone wants more readers to their blog no matter what level of quality they aspire to.
It is advantageous to catch the reader’s attention through a variety of methods: whether it’s attractive imagery, simplicity, or distinct content.
Nice to share your opinion Tim. Competition is stiff, standing among the rest is the best.
I was browsing through your website and your articles are very helpful. This one stood up to me because I’m working on building up my website and you offered some great advice about making sure the customer’s or reader’s needs are first.
Let’s keep in touch and keep up the good work. I’ll be waiting for your next post.
Thank you very much for appreciating my post.
Hi Walter.
This is a good point about people searching for an anchor when they get to a page. They want something to stick to or focus on at first. If there is nothing there, it is like looking at a page of a dictionary, as far as entertainment value, until something relevant is noticed. There is much help that can be provided by the author in the form of subheadings or pictures. Thanks for the reminder.
Hi, Walter! This is my first time at your site and I like it! I also love what you’ve said here — I spent ten years working in marketing communications, and while many people conceptually understand that less is more, when it comes time to edit out the “more,” they panic and think, ‘But I can’t leave THAT off!’
Some of the best companies in the world (Apple comes immediately to mind) know that when they advertise, they need to keep things clean. Apple stores, even, if you’ve ever been in one, are designed to be super clean & airy — not a lot of mind clutter to distract us from why we’re there (to buy one of their kickin’ computers).
I actually dropped an ad sponsor earlier this year because the banners they wanted me to run interfered with the cleaner layout I wanted on my blog. I don’t regret that decision one bit.
Awesome advice here!
Being clean and comprehensible makes our eyes wonder. Thank you Megan for sharing your thoughts and experience.
You forgot the most important method, a picture. You used it… I did some research about a year ago looking at 1,000 blogs on what gets a reader to read more. The answer was undoubtedly pictures. Killer titles draw people to a site, pictures get them to stay. Smiley faces and animals work wonders.
Thanks Rob for sharing me this valuable information. I’m definitely going to note this.
I’ve been working on these concepts for over two years and I’m just beginning to make it a reality. Writing is not easy and whoever thinks it is, isn’t doing it well.
I enjoyed this post because too many people try to give hacks to solve problems. When really they need to sit down, practice, and study until the magic starts to happen.
You’re right Karl, writing is not that easy. It took me a long time to hone my writing skills. Thank God all my effort pays off.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
Well I must say this is a nicely-written, attention-getting post! I
like the smileys below – I might choose one! Cool! http://www.lionslinger.com/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_cool.gif
Thank you Robin for the kind comment.
Woops! Don’t know what happened there. Cheers Walter – R
Hello Walter,
This article is great and I agree hardily with the “less is more” concept. It can be frustrating sometimes to visit a site and not be able to even locate simple things like the comment button!
Thanks for these ideas Walter!
I’m glad you’ve shared my view Keith. Thank you for sharing your ideas.
On the short attention span, I make use of subheadings a lot, especially for my longer posts.
Thank you Paul for sharing your idea here. I think I will try to use subheadings.
Thanks for commenting on my blog. You are very right about the clutter. I know I started out with almost no clutter on my blog, but over time the sidebars are filling up. It’s hard to know what should be there. We want recent posts, categories, blogroll, but at some point we need to make sure that they make it easier to navigate the blog, not more difficult.
Nice to see you here Tina. Thanks for dropping your comment.
Thanks Karlil for sharing you thoughts on my posts. Simplicity does wonders but an affective writing does more.
Simplicity makes a good blog, besides the content. Reader’s attention should not be swayed too much by these ads or he wont come back
Very well stated. Yes, simplicity and ease of reading, i.e. clean backgrounds, pleasing colors, etc make all of the difference. Busy website design turns me off.
Right you are Mark. Simplicity, coupled with quality content is catching.
Hi Walter,
Simplicity is the accepted wisdom, but I don’t know if I agree. I’ve gone against the accepted wisdom at times and succeeded. One of my favorite blogs, Mommy Wants Vodka, is extremelly cluttered (a bit less so lately), and that’s part of its charm. It’s unique and funny, like the blogger is. I think you can also draw attention by being different — NOT being simple.
Just my two cents,
Dot
Thanks Dot for sharing you wisdom on my post. I’m glad to hear you have proved your uniqueness and that’s an important attitude.
Don’t let yourself be limited by mental barriers. It can be dissolved with daily positive visualization. Visualize your self as fearless, confident and think of yourself without limitations. Do this each day for 30 days and you will be a no limit person.
Your message is encouraging Jonathan. I visualize myself everyday as a success and I know that I already am. Thank you for sharing you positive views.
Thanks for the tips! Sometimes it’s hard to achieve the balance between simplicity and including everything you wish to share to your audience, but I will keep this in mind
Time and time again it seems simplicity and ease of reading are two of the three most important factors in a blog.
I wholly agree to that Tyler. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
I agree. I visit many blogs each day. Many of them just have a very “cluttered” look and feel. Some make me scroll down an entire page just to get to the content. Flashy sidebar widgets distract my attention.
I believe in simplicity because you want to distract your reader as little as possible while they’re reading.
Sometimes, less is more.
What you share said is right Paul. Although simplicity may not always be the rule, it’s an important factor to get the readers attention.
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thankyou for posting this information. I love the law of attraction and will come back to see what else you have to say. I have bookmarked your law of attraction post, thanks. I love it and will come back to see the others posts that you have here. The law of attraction is real but making it work is hard.
Glad you have liked this post Allison.
one principle used In architectural design is , less is more,i believe this works for anything design even web designs.
but over simple designs can be boring to look at.the challenge is in the balance and moderation.
I agree with you on this. Balance is everything.
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Interesting solutions you are offering, but I would recommend another one, simply add more videos in your blog it attract readers more. Also use different text colors.
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Thanks Cynthia for the suggestions, in fact I’ve already incorporated videos on some of my blogs.
Great advice, I have just cleaned up my blog and hope it looks much better now
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Hey thanks. I’m glad you’ve appreciated this.