Most people don't read a web page from top to bottom. They scan it, looking for the bit that answers their question, and they decide in seconds whether to keep going.

In a 2006 eye-tracking study, the Nielsen Norman Group recorded where people looked while reading web pages. On text-heavy pages a clear shape kept appearing: a horizontal sweep across the top, a shorter sweep a little further down, then a quick scan down the left-hand side. Drawn on the page, it looks like the letter F.

The pattern shows up most on pages that are a wall of text. Good structure gives people a better path to follow.

• Put the most important information in the first two paragraphs
• Start headings and paragraphs with the words that carry the meaning
• Use clear subheadings so people can jump to the part they need
• Break long text into short paragraphs and lists
• Make key facts, like prices or contact details, easy to spot

Corporate sites, like the one we designed for a logistics and customs company, often have a lot to explain: services, regulations, processes. Structuring those pages around what people scan first helps visitors reach the right service without reading everything.

Read only the headings and the first few words of each paragraph on your homepage. Do they still tell the whole story?