First 2 Words Are All That Matters

Željan Topić — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 09:29:15 +0000

Users typically see about first 2 words for most text items on the web; they’ll see a little more if the lead words are short, and only the first word if they’re long.

This rule applies especially for title links so be careful how you write titles for your posts if you want to attract readers attention. It’s also good for SEO as search engines give better relevance to first couple of words and read just 50 characters or so.

Good Links

Use plain language
Use specific terminology
Follow conventions for naming common features
Front-load user- and action-oriented terms
Examples:
- “Gift Cards & E-Gift Certificates “
- “New customers apply online now”
- “First 2 Words Are All That Matters”

Bad Links

Bland, generic words
Made-up words or terms
Starting with blah-blah and deferring the information-carrying text to the end
Examples:
- “Working while you study: paying tax”
- “Introducing Chase Exclusives”
- “Profit Accelerator Overview”

Guide Users to Correct Links

Allow users to confidently predict what they’ll get if they click.
Be clearly differentiated from the other links.
Not be misleading or promise too much.

Nanocontent (first bit of a link) just needs to be good enough that users will sniff the most promising links in full.

Post from: BizzArtic - Blogging Ideas and Tips

First 2 Words Are All That Matters

A First Comment

Željan Topić — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 21:05:54 +0000

Hi there I’ve got my very first comment from Dan Waldron. I wouldn’ write this but Dan wrote a comment on a post only 2min’s old. I’m excited to see how other folks will respond to my blog and the whole idea about it.

Visit comment here.

Post from: BizzArtic - Blogging Ideas and Tips

A First Comment