How to write for people who skim: put the answer where they look first

Visitors are hunting, not reading

Someone lands on your page with a question in their head. They do not read from the top like a novel. Their eyes jump across headings, first words and anything that looks like an answer. If they find a match, they slow down and read. If they do not, they leave.

That is not laziness. It is a sensible way to use a small screen and a short break. Your job is not to stop people skimming. Your job is to make sure a skimmer finds the right thing in a few seconds.

Put the answer in the first lines

Start with what the reader came for, then explain. The old habit is to warm up with history, a mission statement or a long scene-setting paragraph. A skimmer reads the first words, sees nothing useful and moves on.

A simple test: cover everything except the first two sentences. Could a stranger tell what this page is about and what to do next? If not, move the answer up.

A before and after, in words

Imagine a dental clinic page. The "before" version opens with the story of how the clinic began, followed by one long block listing every treatment, and the phone number sits at the very bottom in grey text.

The "after" version opens with one line: what the clinic treats, when it is open and how to book. Under that, each treatment gets a short heading and two or three lines. The phone number and a booking button appear near the top and again at the end. The facts did not change at all. Only the order and the shape changed.

Short paragraphs and plain words

• Keep paragraphs to two to four lines on a phone. One idea in each.
• Prefer short, common words. Write "use" instead of "utilise" and "help" instead of "facilitate".
• Cut sentences that only warm up, like "It is important to note that".
• Use "you" and active verbs. "We repair your screen" beats "Screens are repaired by our team".
• Spell out any short form the first time you use it.

Headings that tell the story on their own

If someone read only your headings, would they understand the page? Write headings that describe what is below them. "Delivery areas and timings" tells the reader something. "More information" tells them nothing.

Keep headings in a logical order and never use them just to make text bigger.

Lists, bold text and white space

Use a numbered list when the order matters, such as steps. Use bullets when it does not, such as what is included. Bold only the one phrase in a section that a skimmer must not miss. If everything is bold, nothing stands out.

Write link text that says where the link goes, like "see our delivery areas", not "click here". Leave blank space between blocks. White space is not wasted space. It gives the eye somewhere to rest.

Test it on a real phone

AI Marketing Master's website audit checks things like headings and mobile basics. It cannot judge whether your writing is clear, so this test needs your own eyes.

• Open the page on your phone and hold it at arm's length.
• Scroll for ten seconds without reading closely.
• Say out loud what the page offers and what you would do next.
• Hand the phone to a friend and ask the same thing.
• Fix whatever they miss.