writing for the web

Are you struggling to write highly effective content for your website? Go easy on blaming yourself. Writing for the web is very different than writing for print.

Web writing has to be different because we don’t read web pages in the same way we read a book or magazine. The light given off by a computer screen can be harsh on our eyes. We may struggle with glare and inaequate contrast between the letters and the background. We may also have trouble adjusting our screens and chairs for comfort.

Plus reading on a computer reminds us of looking at a TV, another box that emits light. And a mouse seems like a television remote, also a device for controlling a light-emitting box. So most of us treat web pages with the same short attention span we bring to TV programs. It’s click, click, click away.

The typical web reader will quickly click off your website if the page seems boring or complicated. She scans text, avoiding areas of densely written content and can easily miss information. To slow down the clicking:

Get to the point fast. Think like you’re writing an ad.
Use short sentences and paragraphs.
Include informative subheads.
Put information in lists with bullets or numbers.
Put key information in bold.

Mara Braverman
Braverman Marketing & Communications, LLC

Writing for a website requires a different style than you may be used to when writing for “print” materials. Website visitors have notoriously short attention spans so you must provide information to them in an easy to read “scannable” format.

Additionally, each page of a website needs to be able to stand on it’s own as site visitors do not always enter the website from the home page nor does they view the pages in a specific order.

The following format is a good way to increase the reader’s scannability of a page and with a little keyword research it can be a good start to optimizing for search engines too.

Heading (include keyword phrases for SEO)

Introduction also known as the “deck” (1-2 sentences defining what you’re going to talk about using keyword phrases for SEO). Your introduction should simply define one concept which you will futher define using a bulleted list. Any sub-concepts should be in a similiar format so people can easily drill down to the info they seek.

Bullets supporting concept defined in heading and “deck”

(list of elements supporting the introduction – again using keyword phrases)

Repeat format with next concept or sub-concept.

This method makes it easy for users to scan a page quickly and know if they have an interest. Certainly you can deviate from this concept when the content warrants. For example, you may want to add more narrative and you might not always be able to use bullets (however in most cases you can). But in general using the heading, deck, bullets format is a good way to get your material across to an online audience.

Remember as you prepare your website content that usability and searchability are not exclusive from each other. A well-written website that provides information to your site visitors in a clear, easy-to-scan format is likely to be easily indexed by search engines too.

More about SEO (it’s not a magic bullet) coming soon…

Avoid the Click, Click, Clicks

Writing for the web: A format that optimizes content for scannability and searchability

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