How to Keep Visitors

from Reading Your Website’s Content

in 7 Easy Steps

A definitive guide by Sharon Brodin

Of course, you do want

your visitors to

read your content…

…but if your website includes any of the following tips…

(like so many do!)

…you may be repelling your visitors instead of attracting them.

So, here are 7 easy ways to encourage your visitors to give

up and click away.

Keep you type size small

1

The smaller the type, the harder to read.

Since it’s harder on the eye to read on-screen anyway,

this will ensure your visitor will

give up sooner — or better yet, not even try.

This is especially true if you…

Make your sentences and paragraphs

long and drawn-out

2

If you can run that sentence on to take up the whole paragraph, all the better, and the most sure-fire way to prevent your visitor from even starting to read your content is to give them a “sea of gray” to look at, since it will intimidate them from the get-go, making sure they will click away and probably never come back, especially if your type also follows the above point which, if you recall, is to keep your type size as small as possible.

Stay away from subheads

3

Subheads by their nature attract attention.

They help skimmers know what your page is about

without having to read everything.

They also break up the text into bite-sized pieces,

which completely compromises point 2.

If you don’t want visitors reading your content, don’t use subheads.

No bullets either

4

Bullets also attract attention and make for easy skimming.

Is that what you want?

Don’t add space between paragraphs

5

Remember, the more gray, the better (see point 2).

Once you start adding white space in your text, it looks more inviting.

Use light type on a dark background

6

It’s so cool looking – and it’s harder on the eyes than dark text

on a light background.

So, especially if you have a lot to say, be sure and say it all with

white text on black…or orange text on blue,

for example.

After a few pages (or even paragraphs),

your visitor will gladly leave to give his eyes a break.

Here are a couple examples…

The use of light print on a dark background works especially well to repel readers if the type is small too (see point 1). If your sentences and paragraphs are long (point 2), even better. Titles and subheads are a different matter, because they’re short and large. But body copy is what we’re talking about. If you’re entire website is dark and has many pages of small print like this it works great to keep those readers away. Or at least to

get them clicking out to within a few seconds. Even these seven lines of type are tedious to get through using this method. It works every time. Here’s another example…

See what I mean? This is almost impossible to read! What better way to keep those pesky visitors away than by making them work extra hard to read your content?

Even getting through these three lines proves it doesn’t take much.

Use 10-dollar words and lots of technical jargon

7

If your visitor is determined to read your content,

one great way of forcing her to work harder is to throw around long

obscure words.

I suggest words like: petulant, perendinate, objurgate and

supererogatory. !

(even my Keynote spell checker doesn’t recognize “perendinate” — Perfect!)

Along with that, using jargon will ensure no one outside your own circles knows

what you’re talking about.

So there you have it.

There are more, but start with these, and you’re well on your way to having content

on your website no one will want to read.

The advantage of this, of course, is that you won’t have to work so hard to

come up with quality content.

Who’s got time for that?

(On the other hand, if you believe in working hard

and posting great content, then feel free

to do the opposite.)

(When your visitors do take the time to attempt it,

they’ll feel welcome and valued.)

(They’ll be able to easily see what you have to

offer them, and come back for more.)

Thanks for reading! I’m Sharon Brodin. I help small businesses

produce marketing content.

If you’d like more tips (this time to help your marketing efforts and not hinder them) I’d love to send you

my free e-newsletter.

Just click here: www.sharonbrodin.com

(This content was first published on www.sharonbrodin.com) © 2016 Sharon Brodin. All rights reserved.