Writing for the Web: An Introduction The web is an information medium, therefore its principal purpose is to effectively convey information. As users find it uncomfortable to read too much text on screens reading about 25% – slower than on paper there are certain things you can do to make your web text more – readable. Below you will find a few guidelines to getting the most out of writing content for the web, or reviewing existing content. The last page of these guidelines is a concise list of Dos and Don’ts and it is suggested that content writers keep the list (if not the whole of this document) to hand for easy reference. Introduction A typical web user arrives at a web page for key information - not mission statements, or self-promotion. They skim the page, picking out keywords, sentences, and paragraphs of interest and skipping over the parts they find less interesting. Web authors must acknowledge these facts and write accordingly. You should use about half the word count on screen as you would for print materials. Front-load your copy Web users are known to be impatient and critical. This means they want to visit your site and find the information they need as quickly as possible. If you don't give them the information quickly - they'll go to another website that does. Make the key message / piece of information the first thing your user sees. Presenting the information they need up front will allow users to identify quickly what each page is about, and decide whether they want to read further or scroll to find the information they want. The first few words of the intro must not echo the headline. We know that web users do not often read every single word on a page. We know they do not read from top to bottom, from the first word to the last. Provide obvious signposts to the key messages and chunks of content on your pages to increase their usability and effectiveness. Pick out keywords and phrases in bold do not use underline as see these – as links and try to click on them Use headings to tell readers what larger chunks of text are about Use graphics as visual clues to what your content is about Use bullet lists to summarise your page's content
Writing for the Web: An Introduction The web is an information medium, therefore its principal purpose is to effectively convey information. As users find it uncomfortable to read too much text on screens – reading about 25% slower than on paper – there are certain things you can do to make your web text more readable. Below you will find a few guidelines to getting the most out of writing content for the web, or reviewing existing content. The last page of these guidelines is a concise list of Dos and Don’ts and it is suggested that content writers keep the list (if not the whole of this document) to hand for easy reference. Introduction A typical web user arrives at a web page for key information - not mission statements, or self-promotion. They skim the page, picking out keywords, sentences, and paragraphs of interest and skipping over the parts they find less interesting. Web authors must acknowledge these facts and write accordingly. You should use about half the word count on screen as you would for print materials. Front-load your copy Web users are known to be impatient and critical. This means they want to visit your site and find the information they need as quickly as possible. If you don't give them the information quickly - they'll go to another website that does. Make the key message / piece of information the first thing your user sees. Presenting the information they need up front will allow users to identify quickly what each page is about, and decide whether they want to read further or scroll to find the information they want. The first few words of the intro must not echo the headline. We know that web users do not often read every single word on a page. We know they do not read from top to bottom, from the first word to the last. Provide obvious signposts to the key messages and chunks of content on your pages to increase their usability and effectiveness. Pick out keywords and phrases in bold – do not use underline as see these as links and try to click on them Use headings to tell readers what larger chunks of text are about Use graphics as visual clues to what your content is about Use bullet lists to summarise your page's content
Writing_Style_Guide_for_Web.docx