Writing for the Web Versus Writing for Print: Are They Really So Different?    

Writing for the Web is often presented as being fundamentally different from writing for print. However, a review of the literature relating to Web writing and print writing shows that many of the guidelines proposed for the Web have a long history in print. For example, key Web writing guidelines such as 'write for scannability,' 'write for restless readers,' and 'write in coherent chunks' can be found in the literature about print. The guidelines for writing on the Web are extensions of the guidelines for print writing, rather than new ideas. Instead of comparing writing at the level of communication medium by contrasting the Web and print, it may be more helpful for writers to use genre to compare writing styles. This would involve using communication purpose and form as the basis of any comparison, with the communication medium being secondary.

Gregory, Judy. Technical Communication Online (2004). Articles>Web Design>Writing

Writing for the Web: Illustration of the Need

Many on-line web tutorials give practical, useful technical advice on everything from non-clashing color combinations to effective uses of animated GIFs, but barely mention writing at all.  There seems to be an unspoken assumption that the content will be supplied by the marketing and PR people, by the technoweenies, or worse, the pointy-haired bosses (of 'Dilbert' fame).

Jerz, Dennis G. Seton Hill University (1998). Articles>Writing>Web Design

Writing for the Web: Keeping Them Coming Back  

The number of people who visit your Web site is not as critical to its success as the number who return. How do you write and design pages to bring them back?

Yeo, Sarah C. STC Proceedings (1996). Articles>Web Design>Writing

Writing for the Web: What is It All About?  

What is an internet? What is the Web? Why do I care? How will this affect my job in the immediate future? This session is an introduction to the Web for “Newbies” - those who are just starting out, or haven’t started yet. We will discuss the impact of this new technology on our jobs and on our writing.

Yeo, Sarah C. STC Proceedings (1996). Articles>Web Design>Writing

Writing for the Web: Why is the Advice so Scant?

Be careful when you go online searching for advice about writing for the Internet. The literature and composition teachers of the world -- the traditional arbiters of 'good' writing -- have been slow to adapt to the special requirements of electronic text. Turning the pages of a book is still (and will probably always be) the best way to read a novel; after all, the novel was designed for the book -- which was then a 'novel' device. But the Internet has spawned new writing genres (email, instant messages, FAQ pages, annotated lists of links, weblogs, personal home pages) which demand a different writing mode.

Jerz, Dennis G. University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire (2000). Articles>Web Design>Writing

Writing for Your Web Site: What Works, and What Doesn't  

Offers tips for constructing Web sites that cater to users' needs.

Fugate, Alice E. Intercom (2001). Articles>Writing>Web Design

Writing Online In Two Syllables or Less

It's often tempting to write with long, complex words. Perhaps it has to do with how we were taught at school. And sometimes we use long words simply to sound clever.

Usborne, Nick. Excess Voice (2003). Articles>Web Design>Writing

Writing Style for Print vs. Web

Linear vs. non-linear. Author-driven vs. reader-driven. Storytelling vs. ruthless pursuit of actionable content. Anecdotal examples vs. comprehensive data. Sentences vs. fragments.

Nielsen, Jakob. Alertbox (2008). Articles>Web Design>Writing>Usability

Writing the Web: A Step-by-Step Guide, with Resources

This guide is designed for writers who want to design and code Web sites. Originally written for Mike Palmquist's seminar, Writing the Web, offered in Spring 1999, it was last updated in spring 2001.

Palmquist, Mike. Colorado State University (2001). Articles>Web Design>Writing

Writing to Reduce Information  

When creating online and hardcopy information for software, technical writers tend to be prolific. Every piece of information is important, isn't it? And more information means happier users, right? Not every piece of information is necessary, however, and users don't want more information. Instead, they want the right information with easy access to it. This panel discussion describes why you, as a technical writer, need to reduce information and how you can reduce it by incorporating the following techniques and activities into the writing process.

Jensen Miles, Terri. STC Proceedings (1994). Articles>Writing>Information Design>Minimalism

Writing Web Content  

Content is the most important part of a Web site. If the content does not provide the information needed by users, the Web site will provide little value no matter how easy it is to use the site. When preparing prose content for a Web site, use familiar words and avoid the use of jargon. If acronyms and abbreviations must be used, ensure that they are clearly understood by typical users and defined on the page. Minimize the number of words in a sentence and sentences in a paragraph. Make the first sentence (the topic sentence) of each paragraph descriptive of the remainder of the paragraph. Clearly state the temporal sequence of instructions. Also, use upper- and lowercase letters appropriately, write in an affirmative, active voice, and limit prose text on navigation pages.

Usability.gov (2006). Articles>Web Design>Writing

Writing Well for the Web

Writing for the Web is different. Surfers often have short attention spans, so you have to grab their attention with graphics and great text. Stick with the few tried and true writing tips in this article and you'll be on your way to writing well for the Web. We'll also cover the most common mistakes found on web pages.

Titta, Catherine M. Internet.com (2001). Articles>Writing>Web Design

Writing Well Online: Talent Isn't Enough

Somewhere along the way, I fell in love with the web. Before I knew it, I was a web writer.

Henning, Kathy. ClickZ (2000). Articles>Web Design>Writing

The Writing, not the Words

Individual words are simply tools. Similarly, a particular color is a tool to a painter, and a given note to a musician. To write copy while focused on power words is like painting by numbers. You achieve a recognizable outcome with absolutely no creativity or life. No passion, no originality. Copywriting 'by numbers' may be good enough for some people. But if you have aspirations to write great copy, to make your mark -- you need to think beyond that.

Usborne, Nick. ClickZ (2003). Articles>Web Design>Writing>User Centered Design

The Year of the Blog: Weblogs in the Writing Classroom

While blogs (short for 'weblogs') have been around since at least 1993, something in the stars and planets has just now come into alignment, making blogs rise above the horizon of notice.

Computers and Composition (2004). Articles>Web Design>Writing>Blogging

Your Own Content Epiphany

I have learned that nobody believes a word I say about the importance of content and copy on web sites...until their have their own personal epiphany.

Usborne, Nick. Excess Voice (2005). Articles>Web Design>Writing

Potential Position Descriptions for Information Engineering Professionals

This article defines the tasks and responsibilities for up to seven levels of information engineers, plus two levels of management.

Capri, Steve. TechCom Manager (2007). Articles>Management>Information Design>Technical Writing

Use Cases for User Assistance Writers

It’s hard to find anyone who disparages use cases, but those who use them are still a minority. In a previous life as a UX designer, I used use cases and developed a great respect for them. But it wasn’t until recently that I began using them to design user assistance. Why did it take me so long to get back to these reliable work horses of user-centered design?

Hughes, Michael A. UXmatters (2008). Articles>User Centered Design>Writing>Technical Writing

Ten Tips on Writing the Living Web

Some websites change every week; many change every day; a few change every few minutes. Daypop’s Dan Chan calls this the Living Web, the part of the web that is always changing. Every revision requires new writing, new words that become the essence of the site. Living sites are only as good as today’s update. If the words are dull, nobody will read them, and nobody will come back. If the words are wrong, people will be misled, disappointed, infuriated. If the words aren’t there, people will shake their heads and lament your untimely demise. Writing for the Living Web is a tremendous challenge. Here are ten tips that can help.

Bernstein, Mark. List Apart, A (2008). Articles>Web Design>Writing

Web Content Writing Is Not Technical Writing

We’re all taught that online writing has to be hard hitting and quick because readers scan, and will not invest time in reading a meandering piece. My brain so efficiently crunches data and spits it out in list format, complete with headings and summarized with concise sentence structure, that I have a hard time writing anything else.

Designing User Experience (2008). Articles>Web Design>Writing>Technical Writing

SEO (Search Engine Optimization): Why It Works Best With Quality Writing

Attracting the attention of Google and other search engines is crucial for bringing visitors to your website. To achieve this effectively, search engine optimised copy should run parallel with good website construction.

Ward, Merlin. Webcredible (2008). Articles>Web Design>Writing>Search Engine Optimization

Has Anyone Used Your Product

Before you release a product, have some people use it. From these "test users" get solutions to problems, tips and knowledge that would help your real-life Users. Put that information in your User Documentation, and on your product support website.

Great Technical Writing (2008). Articles>Documentation>Technical Writing>User Centered Design

What is Web 2.0 and How Will Technical Writers be Impacted?

Understanding the potential implications of a paradigm shift in how we view writing for the web. For content to reach the types of syndication and distribution imagined by web 2.0 enthusists, content needs to break free of the containers that both bind it and display it. One of the most significant ways that this transition to Web 2.0 can be seen is in the move toward XML, and semantic markup. With this move toward the granulation of content however technical writers need to rethink how to present content.

Diehl, Amy. Content Matters (2006). Articles>Web Design>Writing>Technical Writing

Best Practices: Writing for Accessibility

Most of the time, the primary focus of information about accessibility has to do with making non-text information available as text. Captioning and audio description for video, transcriptions for audio, simple text alternatives for static images. But what about the content itself?

Dolson, Joe. Accessible Web Design (2008). Articles>Accessibility>Web Design>Writing

Determining Readability: Readability and its Implications for Web Content Accessibility

One area of accessibility often overlooked is the readability of the content of your web pages. Not every user may be familiar with terms or terminology being used. Others may not have the same socio-political background, literacy skills or capacity to fully comprehend what it is you are saying. One goal of the content author then is to try and identify their target audience, and then ensures that they are not "writing over their heads".

WATS.ca (2006). Articles>Web Design>Writing>Assessment