Reader View-Friendly Website Content
Many browsers provide what is called "reader view".
When a web page is loaded, you tap the reader view icon and the article is available to read without the distractions of ads, menus, and animations. The content is rendered like it might appear in an ebook reader.
The Reader View in Browsers article in the Willmaster Library describes the icon.
The Chrome browser does not have a reader view icon. I don't know about Edge, as I don't have a PC to test with.
I mention the reader view option for one very important reason: It is prudent to see how your pages appear when the reader view is used.
Yes, people do and will use their browser's reader view feature to view your pages. Ads, especially for desktop and laptop browsers, are so prolific that, without the reader view, some pages would be too distractive for comfortable reading.
Using reader view is a quick way to get rid of the distractions on the page.
When a site visitor is familiar with the reader view icon, they tend to use it a lot. It provides comfortable reading. Weird backgrounds, for example, are tamed. Also, unfamiliar type faces and colors are rendered clearly readable.
Even if you use Chrome, other people do not. Find another browser to check the reader view of your pages. It is good to know what people see when they look at your website in that way.
(This content first appeared in Possibilities newsletter.)
Will Bontrager
