Writing for the Web Part 1
Although writing web content may seem like an easy task, it is actually somewhat of an art form. Anyone who has visited more than a couple of web sites has encountered poor content. Poor writing makes a site difficult to read and hard to understand. Visitors quickly leave a poorly written site, and site owners have no chance to profit from the visit. Writing web content is different from writing articles for syndication, and writing press releases.
Formatting
There are several formatting techniques writers can employ when writing for the web to help create content that works.
- Be concise. Keep sentences and paragraphs short. Web content is not an essay, and visitors to a site are not looking for flowery descriptions. They want to get to the main message quickly.
- Emphasize correctly. While italics are acceptable, bullets are more likely to draw the reader’s attention. Never underline for emphasis because underlines indicate hyperlinks.
- Simple structure. Try to keep pages short. If a long page is required, use subheadings and bookmarks to allow site visitors to easily navigate the page. Subheadings also help to break up the text, making it seem as though there is less to read.
- Small tables. Only use tables to present data. Try to keep tables small enough to be completely visible without scrolling. Your data table becomes ineffective when users need to scroll constantly to view columns or rows.
- Short lists. Keep lists short. Items should be in a logical order and should be related. Use headings or an introductory sentence to describe the list so visitors know why there is a list.
- Self-explanatory links. Visitors should be able to look at link text and know what they are going to find when they click. Links that open a file should state the file type and size.
Content
In addition to formatting, the actual content of a web site should follow a few basic guidelines.
- Content should be timely. Remove all outdated content. Include dates rather than expressions like “now” or “soon.”
- Content should be unique. When writing for the web, remember to make content different than on other sites. Search engines remove duplicate pages from results. Be sure to keep content within the site unique, also. Instead of duplicating content from one page to the next, link to the content.
- Content should include keywords. Keywords in web content are words that internet users would use in a search. When writing for the web, it is important to use keywords so the page shows up in searches that are relevant to the page.
- Content should be divided. Instructions or procedures should be separated from other types of content. Headings and subheadings help divide the content into useful chunks of information, making it easier for visitors to read and understand.
Writing for the web is not the most difficult part of designing a website, but it does require thought and planning. Writers need to pay attention to the length of the writing, as well as the format and style. The idea behind writing for the web is to create documents that draw visitors in and leads them to making a decision.
