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

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

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

Metadata is Essential Web Writing Skill: Part 1

Metadata is one of the most misunderstood aspects of content management and website design. Editors and writers tend to look at it as a technical issue. Technical people look for a software solution. Both are wrong. Metadata is a fundamental skill that web writers and editors must acquire.

McGovern, Gerry. New Thinking (2003). Articles>Web Design>Writing>Metadata

Metadata is Essential Web Writing Skill: Part 2

Creating great metadata for your content begins with understanding who your reader is. What is the metadata they look for when they read a page of your content? What are the type of words they use when they search for your content? When scanning your classification, what are the "trigger words" that will make them want to go deeper into your website?

McGovern, Gerry. New Thinking (2003). Articles>Web Design>Writing>Metadata

Writing for the Web: Part 2

Writing for the Web requires careful planning. Your content needs to fit well within the context of your website. When a reader finds your content, they need to be able to scan it quickly. That's what metadata is about. In order for your website to be found, you need to write for how people search.

McGovern, Gerry. New Thinking (2003). Articles>Web Design>Writing

About Us Information on Websites

We found a 9% improvement in the usability of About Us information on websites over the past 5 years. But companies and organizations still can't explain what they do in one paragraph.

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

Time To Change

The landscape of web writing has changed. The value of well-edited and reviewed content is giving way to faster, less-refined posts on blogs, comments and services like Twitter. It is clear from the dwindling number of article pitches that many prefer to draw traffic to their own sites.

Finck, Nick. Digital Web Magazine (2008). Articles>Web Design>Publishing>Writing

Why Text Remains King of the Web

I am starting to believe that despite all the hype around online video, text remains King of the Web. Why text? There are at least five reasons.

Micro Persuasion (2009). Articles>Web Design>Multimedia>Writing

Sub-Headers Are Navigation

Using good sub-headers will help your users find the information they are looking for. It’s like navigation but without the clicking and the cool roll-over effects.

Hamill, David. Good Usability (2009). Articles>Web Design>Information Design>Writing

Short and Simple Sentences

When you’re writing for the web, try to keep your sentences under 20 words in length. Your content will be easier to read this way. This is because it’s easier to read a few short sentences than it is to read one big one.

Hamill, David. Good Usability (2009). Articles>Web Design>Writing>Minimalism

Seven Top Web Writing Principles For Technical Writers

Web writing is one of those assignments that technical writers do well due to their organized approach to technical information. But web writing differs from regular user guide and procedural writing in some important respects. The Web is a fast place. People usually don’t have the time to go through long essays.

Technical Communication Center (2009). Articles>Web Design>Writing>Technical Writing

Designing Websites

The parallels between the theories of technical communications and those of web design are very similar, the key aim is to keep the audience in mind at all times. The way you structure and present the information is also important, as is a sense of usability of the content itself.

McLean, Gordon. One Man Writes (2009). Articles>Web Design>Technical Writing>User Centered Design

Editing and Publishing

Once the main text has been written, you edit it. Editing means breaking text into sub-documents; pointing out connections to other texts; making sure the document as a whole is in good shape; adding indices and outlines. Editing doesn't necessarily happen after the first text has been written - I mix those stages all the time - but it deserves to be thought of as an independent discipline, because the problems it deals with are different. Most of what people do on the World Wide Web is really editing, not writing.

Technische Universität Berlin. Articles>Web Design>Editing>Writing

World's Best Headlines: BBC News

Precise communication in a handful of words? The editors at BBC News achieve it every day, offering remarkable headline usability.

Nielsen, Jakob. Alertbox (2009). Articles>Web Design>Writing>Case Studies

First Two Words: A Signal for the Scanning Eye

Testing how well people understand a link's first 11 characters shows whether sites write for users, who typically scan rather than read lists of items.

Nielsen, Jakob. Alertbox (2009). Articles>Web Design>Writing>Usability

Is Self-Centered Web Copy Hurting Your Websites?

Web developers frequently launch websites with self-absorbed web copy, which turns off visitors and kills conversions. Who’s to blame? Self-absorbed copywriters and business owners. To engage prospects and turn them into customers, web copy needs to appeal to the visitor’s self-interest.

Webdesigner Depot (2009). Articles>Web Design>Writing>User Centered Design