How visitors read a homepage: scanning, not reading

Key takeaways

How people read a homepage is simple: they scan it rather than read it. In Nielsen Norman Group's research, 79% of users scanned new pages and only 16% read word by word. Visitors pick out headings, the first words of lines, buttons, numbers and images, so those are the places your message has to live.

• 79% of users scan; 16% read word by word, per Nielsen Norman Group.
• Headings, first words, buttons and numbers carry the message.
• 57% of viewing time is spent above the fold.
• Write so the headings alone tell the story.

How do people read a homepage?

People scan a homepage in short jumps: the headline, an image, a button, the first words of a few lines, a number, a heading further down. They read fully only when something looks relevant. Nielsen Norman Group found that 79% of test users scanned new pages and only 16% read word by word, and scanning remains the dominant pattern.

• Why your homepage is not converting visitors into customers
• The five questions every homepage visitor needs answered

What do visitors actually look at?

Visitors look at large text, faces, contrast and anything that looks clickable. They spend most of their time near the top: Nielsen Norman Group found 57% of page-viewing time above the fold and 74% within the first two screenfuls. Long paragraphs in the middle of the page get the least attention.

• What belongs above the fold on a business website
• Homepage scroll depth: how far visitors really go

How should homepage copy be written for scanners?

Write so a scanner gets the point from the parts they see. Make headings statements, not labels: 'Most boilers fitted in one day' beats 'Our process'. Start lines with the important word. Use numbers in digits. Keep paragraphs to two or three lines, and put the call to action where the eye already is.

• Homepage copywriting: a word budget for each section
• Homepage message hierarchy: one main point, three supports

What does the F-pattern mean for a homepage?

The F-pattern describes how people scan dense text: across the top, a shorter line lower down, then down the left edge. It happens when the page gives no better structure. Good headings, short blocks and clear visual hierarchy break the F-pattern into something more useful: a path from message to proof to action.

• Visual hierarchy: guide the eye to the next step

When do visitors read more carefully?

Visitors read carefully when the stakes are high and they have already decided you are relevant: legal, medical, financial or expensive purchases. Even then, they read the sections that answer their worry. Give careful readers depth on inner pages and keep the homepage scannable.

• Websites for high-ticket services: convert considered buyers

What does this look like in practice?

A pattern we see: a homepage with a careful, well-written 300-word introduction that nobody reads. Turning that paragraph into a headline, a one-line subheadline and three short benefit lines with numbers gives scanners the same message in the places they actually look.

• See client work
• Website Design & Development for UK businesses

Scannable homepage checklist

• Read only the headings: do they tell the story?
• Start each line with the most important word.
• Use digits for numbers.
• Keep paragraphs to two or three lines.
• Put the main action where the eye lands after the headline.
• Move long explanations to inner pages.

• Homepage mistakes that send buyers to competitors
• Homepage hero section: the five parts that convert

Next step

Print your homepage, highlight only the headings, buttons and numbers, and read just the highlighted words. If they do not make the case, rewrite them first.