Writing For the Web - Four Points to Remember

Writing is writing, isn't it?

Well... yes and no. It is important that we target our writing for our audience, so when writing for the web you need to approach things slightly differently than conventional printed writing. Here's a quick guide as to what you need to bear in mind when writing text for your site.

Use Headings

Internet users tend to scan their text so using headings to section information is very important (this is also good SEO practice).

Get To The Point - Concise Writing

You also need to be much more concise in your writing - get to the point! Your visitors want to know and they want to know straight away - if you don't give them that information they will click off.

Readability

KISS - Keep It Simple, Stupid! Generally, if you are writing like you did for your PHD then you are going to lose your visitors. Most people are not educated to PHD level so if you keep your content aimed at secondary school level - you will be accessible to more visitors. Steer clear of jargon or explain it in a pleasant way. Try to remember that you need to write in a way which is understood quickly and easily - keep in mind why the internet was created in the first place... to share information quickly and easily.

Tone

The tone of your writing is also important. Friendly, engaging content is far more readable than stiff formal language. If you have the ability to engage your visitors you can convey your message much more easily and thereby increase your return on investment.

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Posted by Dan at 17/08/2010 12:11:00