Writing
How to Write for the Web
Write less. Write simply. Write scannably.
Users don’t read web pages, they scan them.
So, make your pages scannable with
- tiny paragraphs
- few words (less than half of what you'd write in print)
- short, simple sentences
- the inverted pyramid style, starting with the most important information
- straight facts, not marketing language
- plain talk
- highlighted keywords
- meaningful headings (“How to Budget Your Finances”, not “Carving Up the Bacon”)
- bulleted lists
- simple tables
- lots of white space
- clear chunks of information, so readers can easily find what they’re looking for
- redundancy
- links to related pages
- specific and useful content (cut out filler and fluff)
- pullquotes
- clear benefit to the reader
- few puns or metaphors
- easy ways to contact you
- few graphics and ads
- emphasis on why your page is different than other pages
- captions for tables and images
- active verbs
- few jargon words
Don’t be clever or pretty or complete. Be useful. Quickly.