Writing for the Web
Coming at the web from the perspective of a writer, it can be
easy to despair. You might be used to writing for all sorts of
media: newspapers, magazines, books, or even radio, film or
television. The web, though, is different enough to what's come
before that it demands you sit up, pay attention, and adjust
your writing style if you want your writing to work on the web.
Subheadings are Key
Do you see what I'm doing here? I gave you a short introduction,
and then I go straight into a series of subheadings. These
subheadings divide the article up into clear sections, letting
you dart around, scan more easily, read the bits you're
interested in, perhaps go back and read some you didn't think
you were interested in... it's really up to you. Web readers
simply cannot abide being given a big chunk of text and having
to sort through it themselves - they want clear sections in your
writing. Note that your subheadings should be much more
descriptive and less 'creative' than they would be in print.
Make Sensible Paragraphs
When it comes to the web, paragraph splits are, surprisingly
enough, less necessary than they are in print. You will make
your site look odd if you put in a paragraph break after every
sentence, or every two sentences. Instead, split paragraphs when
you start a new idea - note that if you combine two, many
readers won't register the second. In most cases, you shouldn't
go for too many paragraphs before introducing a new subheading.
Your aim at all times is to make your page as easy as possible
for a reader to scan.
Lists are Always Good
If you're about to write out a big list with commas and
semicolons, stop. Semicolons have no place on the web. Instead,
you should be using lists, complete with bullet points, to get
your point across effectively. Treat it less as prose and more
as a presentation. Clear presentation of information lets people
find what they're looking for more quickly.
Of course, you shouldn't go overboard with the lists. If you
have more than one list in a row, or your list goes on for more
than ten items or so, you might want to consider revising the
layout of your writing.
Don't Be Afraid to Link
It might feel strange at first, but link whenever you're talking
about something that isn't included in an article. You're
quoting a dictionary or encyclopaedia definition of something?
Link to it. Are you reviewing a website? For goodness' sake,
link to it! There is absolutely no justification for fear of
linking: it's the way the web works, and if you're not linking
when you could, you're not writing for the web.
Make Everything Independent
On the web, you can't be sure that your text is always going to
be seen together. Maybe your headline will be listed in an index
of headlines. Perhaps your intro will be next to it. You just
can't be sure. In every case, then, you have to resist the
temptation for mystery, and play things straight. Imagine how
your headline and intro would look if they were detached from
the rest of the article. Would you know what the article was
going to be about? Would you click through to read it?
You should pay particular attention to this problem if you're
used to writing short, punchy headlines and explaining yourself
in sub-headlines: realise that the sub-headlines might not
always be there, and adjust your style accordingly.
Listen to the Authority
This has really just been a brief introduction to the kinds of
things you should consider when you're writing for the web:
there's plenty more out there. If you want to read the best
articles on the subject, though, you should read Jakob Nielsen's
articles on writing for the web, at
http://www.useit.com/papers/webwriting/. Although many of them
explain the results from research that was done quite a few
years ago now, they remain as relevant today as they were when
they were written. Spend an hour or two making notes, and watch
your writing improve.