Level: Basic
Eye-tracking research has identified common scanning patterns that reveal how visitors typically move through a page, which should inform where key content is placed.
The F-Pattern Applies to Text-Heavy Pages
On content-dense pages, visitors tend to scan in a pattern resembling the letter F — reading fully across the top, then scanning down the left side with shorter horizontal reads.
The Z-Pattern Applies to Simpler, More Visual Layouts
On pages with less text and clearer visual focal points, attention tends to move in a Z shape — top-left to top-right, diagonally down, then left to right again at the bottom.
Place Your Most Important Content Along These Natural Paths
Understanding which pattern likely applies to a given page helps inform where headlines, key messages, and calls to action should be positioned.
Next step: Use the Website Screenshot Generator to capture your page layout to review whether important content actually sits along the natural scanning path for its content type.