Writing
for the web

by Daniel Will-Harris

Now that you've written—and rewritten—you want to design your page so your points are easier to comprehend.

Writing for the web is really not that much different than writing for print. But you have to remember that since it can be more difficult to read on-screen, you have to take special care to make it easier on your readers.

Content and Style

• Provide useful information. Most people use the web to find information that they can actually use. Unless your site is for entertainment purposes, make sure that your readers will find your information useful. This means useful for them instead of just useful for you.
• The more specific, the more useful. General overview information is fine, and can be extremely helpful. But when people want to act on the information you provide don't just give them a hint, give them all the information they require in order to act, right then and there.
• Make sure people know what your site (and each page) will do for them. Yes, this seems obvious, but you can visit thousands of pages and have to search for their purpose. If someone can't figure it out, immediately, chances are they'll go someplace else. It's best to do this at the top of the page, so people can see what they'll get from you without scrolling. People will scroll, but only if they think there's something of interest to them on your page.
• Make it personal. There's a "personal" aspect to web-based content that doesn't apply to printed material. People see this content on the same screen they see their own work, so they tend to feel that content is even more personal and directed just at them.
• Write conversationally. To make it more personal, your tone and writing style should be more casual, more conversational. Not only is this friendlier, but it's also easier to read.

Formatting

• Always start with the headline—everyone reads them. Condense your most important point down to a one- or two-line headline.
• Give 'em the gist of it: Distill longer documents down to their most important facts by creating an "executive summary." In eFuse.com we do this with a summary at the start of each article. This summary has links to the main subheads in an article. This way people can see the article at a glance, or easily jump to any important point.
• Use plenty of subheads. People skim headings looking for specific topics—so use subheads liberally. If you started by creating an outline, your outline headings will automatically become subheads.
• Format headings as separate lines—or as a lead-in sentence to a paragraph.
• Bold text stands out. It's best to use it sparingly, such as for lead-in headings at the start of a paragraph. Bold words scattered inside the text can be confusing.
• Use italics for emphasis. Italics help your reader hear the same emphasis you intended. Italics can help make your text sound more conversational. For example, when you read the previous sentence, you emphasized the word "sound" because it was in italics. That can make a big difference in the meaning of what you write. While they can be overused, in general they help ensure that people read things the way you intended (or the way you intended :)
  Here are the same words, but the italics give them different meanings:
• I said I liked it.
• I said I liked it.
• I said I liked it.
• I said I liked it.
• I said I liked it.
• People read bulleted text. Condense important points to bulleted lists.
• Repeat your most important quotes using pull quotes—quotes set larger and often in a different typeface.

To read more about effective writing, click here.

About the Author

Daniel Will-Harris is a designer and author whose work can be found on his web site. His site features Typofile Magazine and Esperfonto, the web's only typeface selection system. He may be reached via e-mail at daniel@will-harris.com. He is the editor of eFuse.com.

Illustration: heiroglyphics from Robin Jareaus's Global Enterprise at www.artville.com