Improving the View: 7 Ways to Create Scannable Content

Be honest – when you read an online blog, social media post, newsletter or other digital content, you scan it. Perhaps when you get the gist of it and are intrigued, you will go back and read it more carefully, word for word. But online readers are scanners and are in a hurry, whether reading on a mobile phone, a tablet or desktop computer.

Question: Is your digital content written and formatted for scanners?

You want to grab your readers and interest them enough so that they click through to your website to learn more about your practice. Here are our top 7 tips on creating scannable content:

1. Make it relevant. Always keep your audience in mind, whether parents of teenagers, the elderly, pet owners, clients with limited means or those who are disabled. Your goal should always be educating your readers and providing them with something of value.
2. Make it concise. Don’t bog down your piece with too many statistics – but it’s smart to include one or two relevant figures. Make sure each paragraph discusses a single topic and avoid redundancy. Review your content with a critical eye and delete any excess words and phrases.
3. Make it active. Using an active instead of a passive voice (for example, “We can eliminate your foot pain” vs. “Your foot pain can be eliminated by our treatments”) clearly shows who is doing what.
4. Make it readable. Avoid “legalese” and technical medical terms. Remember that you are writing for your clients and patients, not for your peers.
5. Make it eye-friendly. Use headings and subheadings so the scanning reader can quickly grasp what you are trying to say. Organize your content with bullets or numbered lists for easy reading. Add bolded text to highlight important points and draw the eye.
6. Make it attractive. Add images such as photos, graphs, videos, charts and screenshots to break up long sections of text and catch the eye.
7. Make it a jumping-off point. Add meaningful links to content on your website as well as other reliable and associated sites. BONUS: Good links can help improve search engine optimization (SEO).

Ask Us About Our Comprehensive Digital Marketing Strategy

Blue Orchid Marketing offers custom-written marketing elements designed to increase your bottom line.  We also focus on external marketing by placing your practice on more than 70 local online directories and writing weekly custom blogs and social media posts to ensure your practice is found on internet searches.  That’s more than 40 posts a month … it’s a service you need to stay competitive!

Need a website?  Live chat?  Adwords?  We have the solution!

To learn how our internal marketing solutions can put money in your pocket and our internet presence solutions and websites can help you to attract new patients and clients, please call us at 203-746-5901 – ask for David – or send an email to DavidB@BlueOrchidMarketing.com. We’ll create a package that’s right for you!