Compelling Marketing Communications

Writing for the Web

Effective web design includes not only ensuring that the graphic elements are well-designed and that the technical aspects are working correctly, but also that the content is written with the web in mind. Writing for the web is not the same as writing for print in a number of ways. Remember that content is the heart of the web site - it's what all the flash animation and graphic design and fancy web tools are there to deliver and support. If the content ignores the difference between web writing and print writing, you will lose your site visitors to another web site.

These are some guidelines for web writing:

• Keep it short. Even though the virtual page is unlimited in size, research has shown that most web users do not like reading text that requires them to scroll the page vertically, and simply will not scroll horizontally at all. It's best if the content fits within a standard 1024x768 screen, remembering that the browser bar, page graphics, etc. will reduce the usable real estate.

• Know your audience. Writing has to address your site visitor's needs, so make sure you know what they need. This means not merely the raw demographics of the audience such as age, income, education, etc. but also includes knowing why they are coming to your site in the first place.

• Give the people what they want. If they want information about product features, make that simple and easy to find. If they are looking for order status updates, that should be obvious and clear. Don't make them hunt for what they want.

• Make your content distinct. You are not trying to win creative writing contests here, but your web site content is part of what differentiates you from your competitors. Use the content to help brand yourself. Are you the provider with the most expertise in your field? Then your site should be a wealth of expert information. Are you a fun place to do business with? Then why use the same stodgy "professional" tone every other web site uses?

• Write in chunks. The human eye is drawn to white space, not to walls of text. Short paragraphs or bullet lists are easier to read, especially online, than long, dense paragraphs. This is why online news sites often limit paragraphs to one sentence or two.

• Don't flaunt the conventions of the media. For example, on a web page, underlined text always means a hyperlink, so don't underline other text for emphasis. Italics are more difficult to read online, so emphasis is usually supplied by bolding.

• Separate content from content presentation. HTML and related standards like Cascading Style Sheets are powerful in that they allow you to write without worrying about how the content appears to the viewer. Take advantage of this by not embedding presentation (e.g., font type, font sizing, spacing, etc.) in the content but leaving that to the presentation tools.

These guidelines are some basics of web writing. The Big Dogs of Marketing have experts in writing ready for a wide variety of web site possibilities. We will be discussing some further aspects for effective web site design in our next newsletter, which comes out the third Tuesday of every month. We'll see you on July 20th.

(860) 604-5573 | Bill@CompellingMarketingCommunications.com

164 East Center Street, Suite 8 , Manchester, CT 06040