Social Media Strategy | Online PR | Proactive Report | Sally Falkow

The Proactive Reports is a blog about social media strategy, shifts in media consumption and online PR trends

Sally Falkow - Social Media Strategist
  • About Sally Falkow
  • Online PR Tips
  • Meritus Media
  • Contact Us
  • Work with Me

How We View Web Content

September 20, 2004 by Sally Falkow

Eye tracking can improve your content strategy

What do people see when they view a website or multimedia feature? Is it what the site’s designers expect? … Perhaps not.

The Eyetrack III study literally looked through the eyes of 46 people to learn how they see online news.

Your home page is a vital piece of real estate – yet most websites lose 60% of their visitors right off the  home page.  Knowing where your visitors look can help you improve your web content strategy.

The study found that our left-to-right reading behavior in Western culture greatly influences visitor responses – but there were some surprises too. 

"In Eyetrack III, we observed that the upper left corner of a page seems to be the preferred starting point for most online news users.

However, the location of key elements — such as headlines — also seem to be powerful forces in determining reader attention."

Paying attention to what your readers do pays off in results. Just one example – a non -profit hoping to get donations online put their ‘donate now’ button in the upper right corner. 

This section is most often completely overlooked by visitors to a site.

If you want ROI from your web content strategy, find out what your visitors do.  Track their reading habits and their path through your site.

 An effective website is all about them –  not all about you.

Filed Under: Social Media Strategy Tagged With: eye track, poynter, web content strategy

Recent Entries

  • 5 PR Trends for 2025: The Evolving Communication Landscape
  • Search Box Optimization: Supercharge Your SEO Results
  • Beyond the Press: Navigating the Diverse Landscape of News Channels and Platforms
  • 5 Smart PR & Marketing Trends for 2024
  • Artificial Intelligence and the Practice of PR

Recent Comments

  • Top PR Influencers: Meet The 25 You Need To Follow on About Sally Falkow
  • 5 apps for editing and enhancing your visuals - The Social Olive on 5 Image Editor Apps for Visual Content
  • Reputation Management | Website Design and SEO in MalaysiaWebsite Design and SEO in Malaysia on Crisis & Reputation Management Top Financial Services Concerns

Copyright © 2025 · Magazine Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

Thanks for signing up!

Join 10,000 PR and marketing professionals.
Get the latest Digital PR and content marketing tips in your inbox every week