Writing For The Web Part 1

Writing For The Web
Part 1
The Basics

More people taking advantage of their ISP's offering of server space for personal Web sites and publishing their own home pages. But, writing for the Web is so much different than writing for other media. How you present yourself to the world can leave a lasting impression on those who visit your site. Make sure that impression is a favorable one by following this writing guide.

By Wendy Boulding

When you're writing for the Internet, pretend you're giving your readers a Twinkie -- keep your offering short and sweet, and symmetric.

"There are people who will gauge your intelligence by your script and we wouldn't want to mislead them, would we?" someone named Andrew once pointed out within a scathing e-mail sent to me after he had found a spelling mistake and a typo on one of my web pages.

Andrew is right. When people come to your web site they will decide instantly just how seriously they should take you. They will make this decision almost completely based on your writing skills and how you choose to present your content. Let your thoughts and ideas be as unique as you are, but make sure your writing capabilities meticulous.

Give them something pleasing to the mind and pleasing to the eye.

I Want To Tell You Something...

Your words may reach millions of people. Chances are each one of them will appreciate being addressed as though what they are reading has been written especially for them. Write in the same way you would speak to a good friend. Be casual. Be direct. Be captivating.

Try and be as descriptive as possible. Paint a clear picture
upfront for your readers so they know immediately what you are presenting to them.
Refer directly to your readers. For example, "You've seen the headlines. You know what's going on." is much more attention-grabbing and personable than "Recent headlines have shown that society should be more aware of the problem."
Get to the point. Impatience seems to be heightened while on the Internet. Your reader does not want to scroll through screen after screen to get the important information they are expecting. Know what you have to say and don't let it get buried under useless detail.

Hors D'oeuvres Anyone???

Haven't you noticed that you spend more time skimming than reading while you are on the Web? Your readers are no different. Offer your words in bite-sized morsels that will haunt your readers even after they leave your site.

The shorter the better. I recommend trying to keep sentences less than 25 words when possible. Keep paragraphs short as well. Nothing longer than six-eight sentences should sustain your readers attention. When you're taking a knife to text, don't change your original message, but do use the least amount of words possible.
Organize well. After you've done the writing do some creative rearranging. Divide your information into logical clusters with each grouping of notes focusing on one specific topic. Be kind to your readers and let them decide what they want to read and what they want to skip over.
Give the ending away first. Put the most important data at the beginning of your writing. Follow that by the details that clarify your original point. Take advantage of knowing that your reader will concentrate on the first three sentences of your writing. Make an impact right off the top.

Headlines

Readers may come to your site looking for something specific. They will glance over the text looking for keywords, sentences, and paragraphs they are most interested in. They may also ignore the other messages you have are presenting.

Headlines are beneficial to everyone. With a headline you can direct a reader to the information they are looking for. While at the same time, you can use creative headlines to draw them into passages of information they may have otherwise passed by.

Use keywords. Keywords will not only lure the reader to the text, they will also give a definite insight into what is about to follow. Keywords can also be riveting words that will make your reader stop. Isn't "Explosive New Software Package Will Change Your Life" more powerful than "New Software Package Is Great"?
Be imaginative. Being clever and witty is just as effective as being precise. Pique your reader's curiosity by teasing them and gently convincing them to spend more time reading your words.

Finishing Touches

You've written your text. You've arranged the information in order of importance. You've come up with amazing headlines to catch your reader's eye. Now, before you put it into HTML format, you have to check, check, and re-check for mistakes.

You don't have to be a Nobel-prize winning author. You do have to be aware. Do a spell check first. Then do a read through for any grammar mistakes or use the grammar-helper function within your word processor. I recommend putting your writing aside for awhile then go back and do another read-through. This time be on the look out for any grammar mistakes missed and any typos you didn't see before. Spell check won't point out when "us" is really supposed to be "is".

Helpful Web Resources

If you need any help with writing or editing visit these sites:

In Part Two I will give you some tips on presenting your text in ways your readers will appreciate. Between now and then, check out Word. Learn by their example and get some excellent ideas on how you can make text more visually exciting.

Part 2

For the past eight years, Wendy Boulding has been a freelance journalist. Her efforts have included everything from how-to articles on writing for the Web, to country superstar Shania Twain, to alleged unfair labor practices by Nike, and everything in between. She recently created a column called Invasion that details the people behind thought-provoking and engaging Web sites. Wendy currently publishes MIND-MAGIC, an e-mail newsletter with over two thousand subscribers. Feel free to check out her Web site at: