live your story

Ten Quick Tips for Web Content

Well-written communications — not the run-of-the-mill, but lively, interesting stuff that engages, tells a story and generates desired action — should be the hallmark of any communications coming out of your organization. But the message has to match the media.

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When writing for the Web, use these 10 rules to keep your writing clear, crisp concise — and best of all, effective.

1. Start at the endIn journalism, they call it the inverted pyramid. It means make your point in the first few lines, and then expand upon that point. Slow build-ups lose readers.

2. One idea per paragraphWeb readers really aren’t readers; they’re scanners. So keep your copy content focused, committing to one thought per paragraph.

3. Write relevant contentIf it doesn’t relate, leave it out. Web readers want information that pertains to what they came for, and unless the information is relevant to that pursuit, they won’t care.

4. Use action wordsDon’t be passive, let your readers know in no uncertain terms what to do next.

5. Use lists instead of paragraphsLists are easier to scan than paragraphs, especially if you keep them short.

6. Limit list itemsAs a general rule, people remember no more than 7-10 things at a time. Keeping your list items short gives them a better chance of being remembered.

7. Add keywordsWords and phrases relevant to your industry not only help search engines find you, but also move you up higher in search rankings. Develop a good list and make sure they’re written in to the copy of your Web site.

8. Include internal sub-headingsSub-headings make the text more scannable. Your readers will move to the section of the document that is most useful for them, and internal cues make it easier for them to do this.

9. Make your links part of the copyLinks are another way Web readers scan pages. They stand out from normal text, and provide more cues as to what the page is about.

10. ProofreadErrors in spelling and grammar risk making you look incompetent in general. Carefully proofread everything that’s heading to the Web.