Helpful Hints When Writing For The Web

This article is part of the Joy Gems series which originally appeared in The Joy Gems Newsletter and/or The Home Page Helper Network on ryze.com, a business networking community.

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The web is unlike any other medium. It has users and visitors, while other media have readers and viewers. That might not sound like much, but it's a difference with a significant distinction.

Writing well for the web means writing with an understanding of how search engines work and how people use them.

When I'm writing for the web, I "write in hypertext". While I am creating content, I am mindful of how it will be formatted using the Hyper Text Markup Language. As the copy goes from my head to the keyboard, I'm thinking of links, lists, tables, images, and other XHTML/HTML elements.

Keep these ideas in the foreground when you're writing fresh copy, editing someone else's work, or converting what's on paper to text that's web-ready.

Use Blurbs And Bullets Over Long Passages

People don't read web pages - they scan them. How lucky we are that the XHTML/HTML creators had that in mind when they developed the Hyper Text Markup Language.

To write well for the web use short sentences and paragraphs that get to the point without needless delay or hyperbole. The shortest distance between two points is a straight line. Blurb everything!!

And use list markup when creating lists such as:

1. bulleted items or
2. links as list items

As you write, ask yourself, "Is anyone going to read all of this stuff?" If the answer is no, then get out your red marker.

Avoid Figures Of Speech

Try to keep things simple and straightforward. One way to do that is by keeping copy literal and avoiding figures of speech.

By avoiding figures of speech, you'll be appealing to a wider audience who may not be as familiar with the peculiarities of the English language as you are.

Staying literal is also a search engine friendly practice. It increases your page's "findability" on the web. People generally don't search using cutesy phrases, idiomatic expressions, puns, and other word twists. When people type words and phrases into search boxes, the terms they use are parsed by search algorithms for their literal meaning.

Favor Text

The web is a writer's medium. Use your words!!

Fortunately, and for good reason, most web pages are composed using the Hyper TEXT Markup Language. Wherever possible, refrain from using graphical text (text as part of an image). Use text, which is what you're looking at right now.

Readers find text on web pages easier to read. It is also something that search engines like as well. Text in graphical images can't be catalogued to be used for search purposes.

Besides, for most people, editing text is much easier than editing images which contain text.

"Click Here" Must Die

Recently I encountered The Perfect Web. I fired up my machine, went for my morning surf and, what do you know? No where could I find the despised "click here." It had been permanently banished!!

Yes, it was just a dream.

The web would be a more intelligent place if authors would demonstrate their ability to "write in hypertext" and never use the phrase "click here." Using "click here" is a sloppy practice. It shows that the site lacks imagination and respect for a site's users.

For example:

Instead Of...	Do...
To see our Flowers Catalogue, click here.	Our Flowers Catalogue has over 100 varieties.

Besides, people who don't use a mouse, can't click, They select.

Take A Chance

When you are asking people to do a crazy thing like sitting for hours and reading from a screen, a little humor will go a long way!!

Do something unexpected. Users will stick around and will get to thinking "just who are these people? They sound like Martians. I have to do business with them."

Don't be afraid. Most sites are so serious - c'mon already, this isn't life or death. Lighten up!!