Have you ever wondered how users actually interact with your content? While SEO is all about ranking well in search results, it’s equally important to understand how people consume that content once they arrive on your page.
In this post, lets dive into a fascinating Whiteboard Friday video by Chloe Smith, Strategic SEO Lead at Blue Array. In the video, Chloe will explore the concept of reading patterns and how they can be leveraged to optimize your content for both user engagement and organic search success.
The video highlights three key reading patterns:
- F Pattern: This is the classic reading pattern where users focus on the headline, skim the first few lines of text, and then scan the rest of the content for anything that catches their eye.
- Layer Cake: Think of a cake with distinct layers. In this pattern, users focus primarily on headings and subheadings to quickly grasp the content structure and locate the specific information they need.
- Spotted: Fast and focused, this pattern involves users skimming the content for a specific keyword or phrase. Imagine someone searching for a chocolate cake recipe; they’ll likely scroll past any introductory text and head straight for the “Here’s the Recipe” section.
Understanding these patterns is crucial for crafting content that caters to different user preferences. Chloe provides actionable tips for optimizing your content for each pattern, including using strategic subheadings, incorporating eye-catching visuals, and strategically placing keywords.
But understanding reading patterns is just one piece of the puzzle. The video also emphasizes the importance of measuring user engagement through tools like Hotjar and Google Analytics 4. By analyzing how users interact with your content, you can identify areas for improvement and continuously refine your optimization strategies.
Ready to learn more? Watch the full Whiteboard Friday video by Chloe Smith to gain a deeper understanding of reading patterns and how to leverage them for SEO success.