How To Write for the Web

People do not read on-line; they scan the page.

Reading on-line is about 25% slower than reading on paper and straining on the eyes.

Web users seldom catch more than one idea per paragraph.

People do not like to scroll.

With the above factors in mind, follow the guidelines below when developing material to be placed on your Web site:

Structure
The suggested model for organizing material on a Web site is the inverted pyramid.

As in a newspaper, the title is informative, sometimes followed by a subtitle. The conclusion is stated first, then supported and put in context with background material.

This structure should be implemented on all levels of the Web site:
- Within each paragraph
- Within each page
- Within each subsection.
Style
- There is no substitute for writing well.
- Good copy increases your site's credibility .
- Avoid self-promotion, exaggeration and hyperbole ("Coolest", "Hottest").
Be Succinct
- Write no more than 50% of what you would write for printed material.
- Convey one idea per paragraph.
Write Scannable Text
- Structure Articles with Understandable Titles and Subtitles
- Use Bulleted Lists
- Use Bold Text to Emphasize Important Words
- Use Hypertext Links

Empower Your Reader

Take advantage of the medium with links and interactivity to involve the reader and to stay within the above guidelines.

The Web is a user-activated medium which causes readers to feel that they should keep moving.

Break up the material into concise information.
Use links to develop the inverted pyramid structure while also allowing readers to choose what material they would like to access.

Do not use links to "flip the pages of a book." Rather, split the information into coherent sections. Your site can convey more relevant material than other mediums and empower the reader to create his/her own flow of information without feeling like s/he has spent too much time on one page.

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