Reading Patterns Can Help Us Optimize Content

Reading patterns are a UX (User Experience) and content design concept that help understand how users engage with online content. To use reading patterns for SEO, it's essential to recognize the common patterns such as the F Pattern, Layer Cake, and Spotted, and optimize content accordingly. This involves strategically placing subheadings, images, and keywords to attract attention and encourage user engagement, which is increasingly important as Google emphasizes the value of content for users.

To optimize for the F Pattern, where users typically read the main headline and the first few lines in detail before skimming the rest, you should:

• Use subheadings to attract attention and re-engage users.
• Include images to catch the eye and maintain user interest.
• Ensure that longer content pieces have elements that prevent user drop-off and improve overall engagement.

The Layer Cake pattern reflects users focusing on subheadings and headings to quickly find the information they need, ignoring any preamble. To optimize for this pattern:

• Structure content clearly with jump links at the beginning to allow quick navigation to relevant sections.
• Use F Pattern optimizations such as attractive images to promote further engagement and encourage scrolling.

To optimize for the Spotted pattern, where users skim content looking for specific keywords or phrases:

• Place keywords strategically in headings, subheadings, and anchor text.
• Use anchor text not only for internal linking (a ranking factor) but also to encourage users to spend more time on the site.
• Include elements that catch the eye and promote user engagement, such as bolded text or highlighted quotes.

Tools like Hotjar, which offers heat mapping features, and Google Analytics 4, which allows setting up events for user scrolls, are instrumental in understanding user engagement. They can show where users spend the most time and help identify content areas that facilitate scrolling or require optimization. Comparing user engagement data before and after content optimization can reveal the effectiveness of the changes made.