Part 2: Deepening for those already in the know

Some people who read your web texts know more than others. They are experts and interested in exhaustive facts. Maybe they are health professionals reading instructions or passionate sailors since 40 years. They know a lot about their subject.

These readers also need to get theirs to be satisfied. And they are not satisfied until they know what a recommendation is based on, why they should do a certain thing. They want to get to the bottom of things. They are happy to stay for a long time and to dig deep into the information you offer without grumbling. They will be happy to return to your website if they learn to trust it.

Think like this to give those already in the know what they need:

1. Dare to be detailed – don't be afraid of details.
2. Work on structure and emphasise logic.
3. Use simple language, even for the experts.

Dare to be detailed – don't be afraid of details

Dare to write a lot of in-depth information. But not on the front page, and maybe not at the next level either. If you have relevant, detailed information, create pages for it. Those in the know are happy to look further, down the page depth, in the structure. They have the energy to look.

These readers can handle reasoned, problematising information. Imagine that they already know everything about how to cross and dock. They want to read about how best to trim a loose-footed sail in different winds. But that information shouldn't be the first thing a reader sees on the sailing society's homepage.

Once they arrive at a page with in-depth information, it is good to clearly signal that it is just that: in-depth information. For example, use a meta-text: "Here we present all the results and analysis of the survey". You can also acknowledge the reader with a headline that signals that the page contains information for those in the know: "Risk assessment via FRAX".

For the insider reader, it is extremely important that the content is accurate and relevant. Fact-check carefully and link to legislation, reports and research.

Work on structure and emphasise logic

A logical structure is equally important on all web pages. On in-depth pages with a lot of text, you need to divide the information with clear subheadings (as we wrote about in our previous post). But there are also many other things you can do to make those already familiar with the site even more interested.

One example is to clearly highlight what's new in the topic. This is particularly exciting for those who already know the basics. This is where you can really dig in and let your readers revel in the details of new materials, methods or research findings.

You can also take advantage of a multi-level table of contents. This way, the careful reader can see that there is plenty of depth.

Use simple language, even for the experts

Nobody needs complicated language - not even the experts. Even for them, the information may be new, and the language should not get in the way of the content. One example is sentence structure. Being an expert in sailing does not mean being an expert in reading long and complicated sentences.

Don't skimp on connecting words. Readers are interested in learning more - if they have to guess how sentences fit together, they get bored quickly. And the page loses credibility.

On the other hand, you can be sparing with explanations directly in the text. Think especially about the terms, the technical expressions. Your readers already know them. Move the explanations to a glossary instead, so they don't get in the way of the text.

In other words, make even in-depth content easy to read. This benefits both your website and your readers.

Here are three tips on how to create great content for those already in the know. The final part of this blog series is about how to adapt your web pages for those who need easy reading.