Writing for a website is different from any other kind of writing. You might be an excellent journalist, novelist, or academic writer, but all the rules change when it comes to writing for websites.

 

When you start to read these tips, you might think it sounds like “dumbing down.” That’s not it.

 

There are at least two reasons for making your website writing clear, concise, and simple.

 

·         People who surf the Web are usually trying to find information quickly. They don’t want to spend a lot of time trying to find what they’re looking for, and they won’t spend a lot of time on your website if you don’t get to the point.

 

·         Reading online is about 25% slower than reading from a book. So not only are people scanning your writing to find the information they want – their reading is slower than usual.

 

Knowing this, and using the following fourteen writing tips, you can make your website a lot more visitor friendly.

 

 

 

1.     Pick your keywords before you start.

 

You know what you want to write about, so pick your keywords in advance. The more you focus on two or three keywords in your writing, the higher search engines will rank your website when someone types one of your chosen keywords into the search field. It’s easier to tailor your writing to your keywords if you know what they are before you start. (xxxx is a great site if you want to know more about search engine optimization, or making your writing “search engine friendly.”

 

2.     Put a title on every page.

 

You’ve already been warned that people will scan your web pages to find what they’re looking for. Web surfers always appreciate it if there’s a clear headline on the top of each page of your website. It makes it easier for them to determine if the page contains the information they want.

 

3.     Break up your writing with sub-headlines.

 

Your pages will be easier to scan if you break them up with sub-headlines. If you just present a big block of text, there’s a good chance readers will leave your site for one that’s more reader-friendly.

 

4.     Keep your paragraphs short.

 

Whether you break your writing up with sub-headlines or white space, short paragraphs are easier to read on websites than long ones.

 

5.     Use lots of white space.

 

White space is one way to break up your paragraphs. It’s important to frame your website writing with lots of white space to try to minimize eye fatigue. Reading off a brightly-lit monitor causes eyestrain and fatigue. The more you can do to reduce the problem on your website, the more likely visitors are to read your writing.

 

6.     Keep your sentences short.

 

Short sentences are easier to read. People scanning websites for information want to be able to find it and understand it quickly. If you find it hard to keep your sentences short, here’s something to try:

 

When you want to use a comma in your writing, use a period instead. That will force you to keep your sentences short until it comes naturally to you.

 

7.     Use bullets and numbered lists.

 

Using bulleted lists and similar formatting styles on your website forces you to keep your writing brief and to the point.

 

8.     Use plain language in your writing.

 

Novelists and academics often find it hard to write well for the Web. That’s because they are used to writing long sentences and using large or technical words. When you’re writing for a website, you have to keep your language plain and simple.

 

9.     Keep important information “above the fold.”

 

That means putting key information on the top part of the screen – the writing that is visible to visitors to your website without scrolling.

 

Your website is not the right place to tease your readers with a slow lead-up to the point. They want to know upfront if it’s worth reading your website or not.

 

10.Keep your writing conversational.

 

Again, this will be hard for some writers, but most writing for websites and ezines should come across as though you’re talking to someone. You don’t want to be formal – just get your point across.

 

11.Use contractions.

 

It’s a big no-no in more formal writing, but on websites using contractions is encouraged. It helps to keep your sentences short (see point 6), your language plain (see point 8), and your writing conversational (see point 10).

 

12.Use a clean font like Arial.

 

While it’s easier to read “serifed” fonts (fonts with feet) like Courier or Times on paper, on your website you want your font choice to be simple. Arial or Tahoma or another sans serif font without extra bits at the bottom is easier to read off a screen.

 

13.Proofread – proofread – proofread.

 

Proofread your writing, then get someone else to proofread it, then run your writing through a spellchecker. Typos stand out a hundred times worse on websites than they do on paper. Make sure you’ve done everything you can to make sure that no typos or spelling mistakes work their way into your writing on your website.

 

14.Remove unnecessary words like “that.”

 

Just like using contractions (see point 11) keeps your sentences short (see point 6), dropping the word “that” whenever possible helps to streamline your writing.

 

For example:

 

Do not forget that that guy is going to call.

 

Better:

 

Don’t forget that guy is going to call.

 

Using a contraction and dropping the unnecessary “that” makes the sentence shorter and easier to read.

 

 

The same rules you’ve just read for writing for websites apply to writing for ezines, blogs, etc. Therefore, the sections of this website dedicated to those specific tools will focus more on form, function and content than writing.

 

You now have the basic tools you need to be successful writing for a website. The rest will come through doing it!