Article - Writing for the Web
We stumbled over this article recently A Rant (Mostly) About Web Content by Keith Robinson, which bought a wry smile.
In this article we give you an overview of the differences between writing for the web and writing for a print publication. Many people don't realise what a difference this makes to the success of your website, so this is one of the reasons why we have a qualified and dedicated copywriter, editor and journalist on board. We know how important it is!
The three main guidelines for writing for the web are:
Be compact and to the point
Write for scannability
Use hypertext to split up long information into multiple pages
So, how is writing for the web different to writing on paper?
Reading from computer screens is about 25 per cent slower than reading from paper. People don't want to read a lot of text from computer screens, so you should write 50 per cent less text than usual. Users don't like to scroll down endlessly long pages, which is another reason to keep pages short. (This page, obviously, is the exception to that rule. After all, we're trying to help you!)
On the web you will need to split long documents into a number of shorter pages that are linked together. This means your users will not be presented with long pages of information that they don't want to trawl through.
A website is not like a printed publication in that you cannot guarantee where a user will enter your website. You can also not assume that they will move through your site in a lineat order as they would if they were reading, say, a book. They can enter at any page and move between pages as they chose. As such, every page will need to be independent and explain its topic without assuming the user has seen any of the other pages in the website.
Keep in mind that users may not have the necessary knowledge to understand or use a page. Proving a link to background or explanatory information will help.
Always put the most important information at the top of the page, as users do not like to scroll through lots of text in search of your key "point".
Always remember that web users are generally impatient and critical. They have chosen to visit your website because they have something they need to do or find, and they want to find the information quickly. Write in a style to allow users to do this.
Credibility is important on the web. Trust is rapidly lost if you use subjective claims or boastful statements like "best design studio in Brisbane". Avoid "marketese" and use a more objective style.
To increase the credibility of your pages, link to other sites that contain supporting or relevant information.
Compared to many forms of print media, the web is informal and immediate in nature. Users appreciate an informal writing style.
Users will rely on scanning text to determine it's meaning and content. You should avoid using clever headings that have no real meaning, as users may miss important information if they skip past non-informative heading.
Simpler is always better. Long sentences and confusing words are harder to understand online than in print.
The web is a fluid medium. Print is not. Pages should be updated to reflect any relevant changes. Credibility will suffer if articles show incorrect or out of date information.
Don't feel you can crack the perfect web copy on your own? Contact us and let one of our trained writers do it for you. You'll be amazed at what a difference it will make!
Email: hello@hellomedia.com.au
Related Info
Copywriting and Editing
In this article we give you an overview of the differences between writing for the web and writing for a print publication. Many people don't realise what a difference this makes to the success of your website, so this is one of the reasons why we have a qualified and dedicated copywriter, editor and journalist on board. We know how important it is!
The three main guidelines for writing for the web are:
So, how is writing for the web different to writing on paper?
Reading from computer screens is about 25 per cent slower than reading from paper. People don't want to read a lot of text from computer screens, so you should write 50 per cent less text than usual. Users don't like to scroll down endlessly long pages, which is another reason to keep pages short. (This page, obviously, is the exception to that rule. After all, we're trying to help you!)
On the web you will need to split long documents into a number of shorter pages that are linked together. This means your users will not be presented with long pages of information that they don't want to trawl through.
A website is not like a printed publication in that you cannot guarantee where a user will enter your website. You can also not assume that they will move through your site in a lineat order as they would if they were reading, say, a book. They can enter at any page and move between pages as they chose. As such, every page will need to be independent and explain its topic without assuming the user has seen any of the other pages in the website.
Keep in mind that users may not have the necessary knowledge to understand or use a page. Proving a link to background or explanatory information will help.
Always put the most important information at the top of the page, as users do not like to scroll through lots of text in search of your key "point".
Always remember that web users are generally impatient and critical. They have chosen to visit your website because they have something they need to do or find, and they want to find the information quickly. Write in a style to allow users to do this.
Credibility is important on the web. Trust is rapidly lost if you use subjective claims or boastful statements like "best design studio in Brisbane". Avoid "marketese" and use a more objective style.
To increase the credibility of your pages, link to other sites that contain supporting or relevant information.
Compared to many forms of print media, the web is informal and immediate in nature. Users appreciate an informal writing style.
Users will rely on scanning text to determine it's meaning and content. You should avoid using clever headings that have no real meaning, as users may miss important information if they skip past non-informative heading.
Simpler is always better. Long sentences and confusing words are harder to understand online than in print.
The web is a fluid medium. Print is not. Pages should be updated to reflect any relevant changes. Credibility will suffer if articles show incorrect or out of date information.
Don't feel you can crack the perfect web copy on your own? Contact us and let one of our trained writers do it for you. You'll be amazed at what a difference it will make!
Email: hello@hellomedia.com.au
Related Info
Copywriting and Editing
Labels: Articles, Content Writing
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