Writing for the Web
EDITOR'S NOTE: Before I begin this week's tip, I'd like to thank all our loyal, wonderful readers. Each week, at least one or two of you send me a personal email, telling me how much you enjoy and appreciate our newsletter, and that means the world to me. It's what keeps me going and inspires me to continue producing high-quality content for you all.
With that said (and speaking of high-quality content), I'm going to share with you some tips for writing for the Web and how it's different than writing for other mediums.
Navigation is Unpredictable
For starters, on the Web, you cannot predict how an individual will navigate a web site so you cannot assume that information stated on a previous page will have already been read. Although most people begin with a visit to the home page and work their way out from there, sometimes even the home page is not the page through which a visitor enters your site. That's why some kind of central, reappearing communication theme needs to come into play.
For example, our Web Ad.vantage web site has a standard masthead that appears on every page and on that masthead is the phrase, "Internet marketing strategies & solutions." At least this way, even if you were to enter our site on the Marketing Tip page, you could still quickly understand that we provide Internet marketing strategies and solutions.
Also, because navigation is unpredictable, it's extremely important to have consist navigational tools throughout a site. The more complex and deep the site, the more important navigation is. At the very least, top and bottom navigation bars ought to be implemented.
Transition from Anywhere
Don't rely on logic and navigation tools to communicate information to your visitors. Each page should present information in a thorough and understandable fashion, independent of other pages. Strong page headlines are a must, as they can also help "gel" information, page to page.
A good example of this technique can be seen on the web site for Good Technology.
Write in Bites
You've heard of sound bites, right? Well, on the Web, you ought to think in "information bites." People tend to absorb little chunks of information more easily, and with a great possibility of information overload on the Web, you'll be doing your reader a great service if you make information more "digestible" for them. Then, if they want more, they'll read on or drill down to a deeper page.
Utilizing sub-heads, hyperlink phrases, teaser paragraphs, bulleted information, and lists are good ways to accomplish this. eMarketer.com does a nice job of implementing these techniques.
Converse with Your User
Although debated, it's also generally accepted that using more casual, "conversational" language is ok on the Web. Instead of framing everything from a third person perspective (he/she/it/one/they), it's fine to say "you" or "we." Nielsen/NetRatings has identified Intuit's web site as one of the most usable business-to-consumer web sites, and it definitely uses more casual language.
Kill the Techno-Speak
There's nothing worse than reading a web page and still going, "Huh?!" when you're done. Droning on and on using hi-tech language is a quick way to make a smart visitor feel dumb...and to turn them away from your site. Write for the "everyman," making your site easily understood by all.
Don't Forget Calls-to-Action
Just because you've got great content doesn't mean that people are still going to do what you want them to. Obvious reminders along the way like "Click Here," "Buy Now," or "Contact Us" can be the difference between a site visitor and a site customer.
Keep "Must-Knows" Above the Fold
If there's something absolutely essential for a site visitor to know, be sure it's not buried 3/4 of the way down the page, which the reader would miss if he/she didn't scroll downward.
fr.: http://www.webadvantage.net/tip_archive.cfm?tip_id=119&&a=1
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