Website Content Scanning Patterns

Do you know how to utilise content scanning patterns when designing and writing content for your website?

We could start this blog with an anecdote on how our attention spans have taken a hit thanks to endless scrolling and a constant stream of online content at our fingertips, but let’s be real, you’re probably scanning this post already to find the good stuff. So, let’s dive straight in.

What are content scanning patterns?

Content scanning patterns are all about how people visually move through a page. Instead of reading every single word, most of us scan with our eyes darting around to pick up on the most relevant bits. Understanding these patterns lets you be strategic with where you place important info and call-to-actions (CTAs), so you’re guiding your readers rather than hoping they stumble across what matters.

Even though everyone reads a little differently, research shows we tend to scan digital content rather than read it word for word. Why? Because we’re often dealing with information overload. When we’re short on time (or just impatient), we skip, scan, and skim until something catches our eye. It’s not personal, people aren’t ignoring your carefully crafted content, they’re just in “search mode” trying to find what they need, fast. Let’s explore how people read (or scan) on the web and how we can help them find key information quickly and efficiently.

The most common scanning patterns are:

• F-Pattern

• Spotted Pattern

• Z-Pattern

• Layer-Cake Pattern

• Commitment Pattern

Let’s talk about the F-pattern, one of the most common scanning behaviours online

F-Pattern

It gets its name because (points if you guessed it) the eye movement resembles the shape of an ‘F’ (though it’s rarely a perfect F shape).

Here’s how it works: readers typically start by scanning across the top of the content then drop down a bit and scan across again (usually not as far this time). After that, they tend to skim vertically down the left-hand side, only catching the first few words of each new paragraph. This means the first few lines and the first few words on the left get the most attention, while everything else gets progressively less love. Sad right?

So, if you’re wanting to keep readers engaged, here’s a couple of suggestions for the F-pattern to help your content not get buried:

Put your most valuable info right at the start i.e. the first two paragraphs on the page.
Use headings and subheadings with words carrying the most information to help people get the jist of the following section.
Use clear, concise language to quickly capture attention and guide readers through content.
Ensure any links include information-bearing words (instead of “click here” or “more”)

Have you ever looked at a page and only stopped when something stood out? That’s the spotted pattern in action.

Spotted Pattern

It’s less about following a “set path” and more about jumping from one visual cue to another. Our eyes are searching for a specific word or clusters or words, bold headings, images, icons, or anything that looks different from the rest of the content.

Readers following this pattern are essentially hunting for relevance. They're skipping over blocks of text and only pausing when something visually or contextually interesting grabs their attention i.e. digits for a phone number, a button to book, or a photo of a motorhome for a holiday type. This is where design and content go hand-in-hand, strong visuals paired with concise, clear messaging can really shine here.

Our key takeaways for optimising your content for the Spotted scanning pattern are:

Highlight important keywords (such as boldening or underlining).
Use descriptive headings and hyperlinks
Consider a summary or highlights section for quick, digestible info.
Divide and group content into sections.
Utilise bullet or numbered lists.
Use relevant images to support your content subject matter.

Now, this one’s more structured. The Z-pattern is often found on pages with minimal text and prominent visuals (like landing pages or basic homepages).

Z-Pattern

Readers start at the top left, scan across to the top right (think logo to nav menu), then diagonally down to the bottom left, and finally across to the bottom right. That movement forms a rough “Z” shape.

It's a helpful pattern to lean into if you’re designing for clarity and quick impact by guiding the reader through key points and capturing their attention as they scan through the page.

Our top tip for utilising this scanning pattern is to structure your content to align with the reader’s scanning path. Remember to lead with value, support with visuals, and finish with a clear action.

Point 1: Is a good place to put your logo or items you want people to see first.
Point 2: Position key items along the top, guiding the eye to a standout CTA.
Middle/Diagonal: Use this area to maintain interest without distraction i.e. a hero image can guide the eye along and separate top and bottom sections.
Point 3: Build context and highlight benefits, guiding readers towards the final CTA.
Point 4: This is the finish line, make sure to include the primary CTA here such as completing a form, or a booking button.

We love cake, especially if the cake is a layer-cake pattern on a webpage

Layer Cake Pattern

The emphasis in this pattern is on scanning headings and subheadings throughout your content (similar to what we’ve done within this blog for you to ‘skip’ to the sections that interest you most). It’s super common for blog posts, long-form articles, or any kind of content that’s broken up into sections.

It’s important remember that people don’t always read to top bottom, they jump around, focusing on what interests them most. Here, your headings are doing the heavy lifting. Treat them as chapter titles, they should be giving away just enough to make someone want to read more. If they’re informative and scannable, readers will stick around and maybe dive deeper into the details. If not? They’ll leave.

How can you encourage the Layer Cake pattern?
Organise content into small sections with clear headings and visual cues.

Where should I put keywords?
Use your keywords in front of the heading and at the beginning of paragraphs to grab attention.

What other things are helpful?
Use things like a table of contents, anchor links, or a stick nav bar to help users easily jump between sections when scanning for content.

Finally, the commitment pattern is what happens when a reader is genuinely interested and will read almost (if not everything) on the page

Commitment Pattern

They start at the top and…they actually read your content. Line by line. Word for word. Like wonderful human beings. We secretly hope most people will read this way (like how we hope you’re reading this!) but if the text isn’t engaging or relevant to them, they will switch off. (Psst, are you still here!?).

This pattern is more likely to happen when the content is valuable, the layout is clean, or the reader is invested/motivated to thoroughly absorb your content. An example that springs to mind is following detailed instructions for a refund. It’s a trust thing, and once you’ve got it, don’t waste it!

Reward that commitment with high-quality content, a thoughtful structure, and clear next steps. And remember, just because someone might read everything doesn’t mean we should hit them with a big wall of text of everything!

Even committed readers benefit when content is broken into chunks, with clear subheadings, so don’t forget all the tips and techniques from the other scanning patterns.

In conclusion

So what did we learn? People don’t read online content the way we might hope, they scan, skip and hunt for what matters to them. And honestly, that’s not a bad thing. When you understand the different ways information is digested, you can shape your content in a way that meets the readers where they are, not where you wish them to be.

Whilst these scanning patterns are important to consider, we’re not saying these need to be strictly implemented as rigid templates, think of them as a guide.

The key takeaways (for anyone who may have skipped to this point, no judgement!)

Prioritise key information first. The top and left side of your page are prime real estate. Use it wisely.
Use clear headings and subheadings. Make them helpful and engaging for the reader to navigate with ease.
Highlight important elements. Visual elements like bold text, colour, lists, white space, and layout cues play a HUGE role in guide attention.
Keep it short and simple. Guide your readers with purpose and structure your content intentionally.
Have scanning content in mind. Not all readers are the same. Some will skim, some will spot, and few will actually read every word.

Knowing how people scan text can influence how you design and write for the web. When you align your content structure to how people naturally read, you’re not only improving readability, but boosting engagement and nudging them closer towards an action. And that’s exactly what good content should do.

Want to put these tips into practice? We’d love to chat. The team at Pitched can discuss applying them to your existing website or help you with the design of your next website, following best practice and standards.