When People Look at Your Blog What Do They See?

When visitors finally find your blog what do they see? After all they like you are bombarded all day with a million different images calling for their attention.  The end result is that they must make split second decisions about what to absorb and pay attention to and what to ignore.  I am sure that much of what people are exposed to is filtered out subconsciously and there fore ignored. So how do you make sure that visitors see what you want them to see?

Place Your Content in the Power Zones.

Back when I was in Advertising School at Michigan State University I learned during one of my classes, that when presented with text and images, the readers eyes follow a predictable pattern. In Western cultures where people read from left to right and from top to bottom, readers have learned to follow a “Z” pattern. Here is that pattern:

Let us take a look at what that “Z” pattern on the Not John Chow dot Com home page.

And here I have added the four zones where the readers will pause while changing directions.

Taking a close look at these “power zones” you can learn from your own blog where to put the text and images that you want your audience to look.

Not yet convinced?  Open up any magazine and evaluate the full page advertisements. Look at the “Z” pattern and tell me what did they put in the “power zones?” The most power place on your blog is the upper left corner and the lower right corner. Looking back at your magazine ads you should find the tag line in the lower right corner.  Is it there? Now I now that the online media and the off line media are different but, how different are they?

Of course this applies to western cultures. Other cultures read and view text and images in different patterns and should be arranged differently.

What do you think? Does this ring true for you?

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3 Comments so far

1. Actual post here July 1, 2009 8:13 pm

   Hey I read something very similar to this post on shoemoney. Apparently as your name suggests you imitate other more popular blogs. However, I must say your post was much better than the one I seen as I can more readily apply it to my blog instead of implementing it via a small 125×125 ad.

   - Thanks.
   Actual post here´s last blog ..Game 41 – A daily cash challenge

2. Not John Chow June 30, 2009 10:26 pm

   If you to see John tell him I said hello. He really is a great guy. People call him the black hat of MMO but, I think that is just for show. I have been reading his stuff for some time and I have found that he is as generous as he is prosperous.

3. yanjiaren June 30, 2009 10:14 pm

   Lol I like the title of your blog. I bet the search engines love you lol. I really enjoyed reading your post too. I am thinking of going to one of John Chow’s Dot Com Pho’s as I just came to Canada and got married here. I met him a few weeks ago riding his bike as his house was two roads away from where I am staying. Now he has apparently sold that one in Richmond and moved up one to Vancouver. I am gonna subscribe to your blog this week.
   yanjiaren´s last blog ..JUNE PAYMENT PROOFS AND OTHER NEWS….