Jakob Nielsen holds a Ph.D. in human-computer interaction from the Technical University of Denmark in Copenhagen. He has written many papers on how we read the web. Here are a few of Nielsen’s findings:

• Keywords are critical
• One-idea paragraphs
• Conclusion first
• Half the word count of regular writing (more concise text)
• Language on most websites is objective
• Readers don’t read thoroughly–they scan
• Studies of readers’ scanning behaviour show that readers look at webpages in an “F” pattern.
• Web is an active medium (people want to get things done)
• Hyperlinks must be inviting enough for web users to want to click
• Short sentences are read more often than long sentences on the web
• Bulleted information is ideal form of writing for the web
• Interactive features are critical
• Large fonts
• Active voice
• Web readers read the first two words of each paragraph
• Numbers are better understood as numerals in paragraphs
• Format matters because of different devices (e.g. how will this look on a phone?)
• External credible links enhance a websites credibility
• Clear headings are critical