Writing Basics for Websites

Writing for online media requires a different style than writing for print, so even if your copy is error-free and readable on paper, it may not translate to the screen because of the way that people use the Web to gather information.  For instance, Web copy should be fifty percent shorter than print copy and divided into easy-to-read bites.

According to Web expert Crawford Killian, there are three basic kinds of Web users – those looking for entertainment, information, or reading material.  Entertainment users go online to play games, download files and “read” about Britney Spears.  Information seekers look up recipes, read news, or research various companies.  The last type of user is a reader — someone who is often using the Internet to print off-line reading materials.  Most business Web sites strive to provide interesting/relevant information about the company, and their visitors want answers to their questions, not entertainment or lengthy text to wade through.

When a person looks at a Web site, they don’t read it like one would read a book or magazine.  Instead, they scan it for the information they want.  Web users want to speed up the process of reading from a screen, which is twenty-five percent slower than reading from paper, according to a study done by Sun Microsystems.

Learning how to write specifically for the Internet is vita to your online success.  Here are some ways to make your Web content easier to read:

Break it into chunks or make a list with bullets.
If you are copying and pasting text written for paper onto your Web site, break it into chunks.  No one wants to read long academic paragraphs (except academics, and they have their own Web sites).  Try not to go over a hundred words in a paragraph.  You can put several chunked paragraphs together in a section under a subhead.

Web copy also uses bulleted lists.  Not only are lists a great way to distill information into the smallest amount of words, lists also attract the eye and are simple to scan.

Eliminate endless scrolling.

Just like few people stick around to read long paragraphs, few will scroll all the way down to the bottom of your page.  Don’t worry about individual page loading time if you are selling to businesses – businesses use high-speed Internet connections, and even dial-up connections are much faster than they used to be. Create multiple pages of information with prominent links to relevant sections.

Write like a journalist.

Since most people won’t scroll to the bottom of your page, consider writing like the journalist who knows that readers aren’t going to follow a jump to the next page. Put all of the important information in the introduction.  Write Web copy in inverted pyramid style.  Inverted pyramid style is top heavy with the most important information, and gradually whittles down to less important information.

Also hook your readers with a solid first paragraph – a lead.  Try the occasional question, an unusual statement or a conflict to draw your readers into your Web copy.

Use subheads.
The first thing an eye goes to on a Web site isn’t graphics, it’s text – headlines and subheads.  Web users glance at headlines and subheads to see if they can find the information they want.  Therefore, write meaningful headlines and subheads that summarize what will follow.  Guide readers through the material.

Link with class.
Never use an underline unless it’s a link.  Web surfers are conditioned to click on the underlines, so even if it’s just for emphasis, they’ll click on it and become annoyed.  Try bold text instead.  Also, when linking, don’t describe the link as “click here.”  Most people on the Web know how to follow a link.  Not only is self-referencing not necessary, but if someone were to print it out, “click here” means nothing.  Instead, use the link text to describe what you are linking.

Avoid jargon.

This is a major sin on business Web sites.  Have you ever looked up a company, only to read their “about” page and still have no idea what they do?  Rather than read real language that describes what a business does, the page is full of empty words and phrases joined together to sound impressive.  What if a page dotted with “value-added” “paradigm shift” and “ROI” is translated into another language, since it is the World Wide Web?   Someone in a foreign country could get very interesting ideas about what your business does.

Beware of stale content.
Stale content will get you  black listed from the major search engines and bore your Web site visitors.  It you don’t give them a reason to return to your site, they won’t.  A good rule of thumb, although it varies from one industry to the next, is to add or change something on your company Web site at least once a month, preferably once a week or more. The more often you change your Web site text the better.

For non-technical people on a budget there are several affordable software offerings that make it a snap for you to instantly change your own Web site text without having to pay a technical person every time you want to add a few sentences.  If you do your updates the old fashioned way, many technical firms will put you in the poor house with inflated maintenance contracts and pay-as-you-go services.

By following these easy-to-adopt conventions of online writing, your Web site can become the marketing tool you always imagined it could be.  Your Web copy will better fit its medium, resulting in significantly increased Web traffic and, if you do everything (or most things) right, your extra effort will eventually pay off with increased sales.