It usually takes 10 seconds for a reader to decide whether or not to read the writer’s blog or article for the web. The reader is usually a busy person who doesn’t like to slow down to take his or her time to decide whether or not to read the writer’s blog or article. 10 seconds is all the reader will waste on his or her decision making. The reader wants information he or she wants to obtain given to reader quickly.
Tricks of the Trade
There are tricks of the trade to help the writer keep the reader’s attention for 10 seconds and beyond. The title and first paragraph of the blog or article is the first things that the reader will view. The most crucial parts of the whole blog or article are the title and first paragraph because during the 10 seconds the reader has to decide whether or not to read the whole blog or article, the title and first paragraph is what is viewed.
Title
The title of the blog or article is the first thing that the reader will see. The reader has a choice of rather or not to look further into the blog or article after reading the title. If the title of the blog or article has grammatical errors in it, the reader will probably move on to another article from another writer. If the title of the blog or article is lengthy, the reader will probably lose interest and not want to pursue the blog or article any further. The blog or article needs to be grammatically correct and short in length, but still be able to convey what the subject of the blog or article is about.
First Paragraph
The first paragraph of the blog or article is the second thing that the reader will view. The first part or the entire first sentence will usually appear in the search engine description under the title of the writer’s blog or article. If the first sentence does not relate to the title of the blog or article, the reader will probably move on to another blog or article from another writer. If the first paragraph is too colorful with indirect wording, the reader will probably lose interest with the blog or article and move on to something else.
Straight to the Point
Making sure that the title and first paragraph of the blog or article is straight to the point will help in keeping the reader’s attention. By keeping the title and first paragraph of the blog or article straight to the point, the reader will most-likely want to read more of the blog or article. Using direct word usage with no grammatical errors in the title and first paragraph will keep the reader’s attention.
