Last weekend, I came across this interesting post from Roger Dooley about research showing how simple fonts do a better job of compelling people to action. Check out the post as Dooley provides an image that helps explain the data pulled from subjects reading two different types of fonts.

The results seem intuitive. In today’s world, we’re all soaking up massive amounts of online content. With this shift, comes a lack of overall long-term engagement. It’s the reality we have to face.

We see a good article, email or post and we click. We read and may continue to read but if we come across an interesting link within, we click. From there, the process is repeated and we bounce around. A 2008 study summarizes that the average Web user is likely only consuming about 20% of a page’s content. Correct, 20%.

What does this mean for marketers? Details count more than ever to effectively connect with your target audience.

Aside from general layout, your font, photos, videos and additional graphics all convey a specific tone and immediate message about your brand. Are you a nonprofit working to prompt action out of advocates? Are you trying to drill into the subconscious mind of business leaders to sell a specific product? Are you a tech startup trying to simplify the utility around a complex social media tool?

All factors come in to play but the crucial point is that everything circles back to first defining your target audience. If you’re not providing content, messaging and an overall vibe that will gel with your audience, be prepared to start seeing some very low “time on site” analytics. Spending additional time with your designers, programmers and creatives to properly map and anticipate future user patterns will pay dividends in the end for working towards your online goals.

I recently talked about a few additional tips to improve your site as a “home base” resource online that you can check out below.

-Scott