Users are likely to skim through web pages in search of relevant information. You should make this as easy as possible.
Relevant techniques include the use of subheadings and highlighted words. Breaking up the text into many paragraphs (discussed previously) also helps.
Subheadings
Including frequent subheadings in your text - up to one per paragraph - can make it very easy to skim documents.
The subheading for each subsection (group of paragraphs) should indicate clearly what the paragraphs are about. It can be a useful feature even for those who read the entire text, because it sets their thoughts in the context of what's about to be discussed.
Highlighted words
Some sites highlight particular words so that the information can be directly accessed that way - users can skim the page looking at highlighted words and jump into a paragraph that contains what they're interested in.
This is particularly useful when there is a regular system so that it's clear what will and won't be highlighted. Users then understand what to look for, and whether they can use that access method to get what they need.
DVD File
[Was http://www.dvdfile.com/news/editorial/; no longer available]
This site is about films released on the DVD video disc format that's currently replacing VHS and laserdisc. The site's main feature is a news column with daily updates.
The column contains a lot of text, but it's been made suitable for skimming using both techniques above. Each paragraph or few paragraphs constituting a news story or topic have their own small subheading. And film titles are always highlighted in bold so that those interested in a particular film will notice right away if there's relevant news.
