Writing for Websites

by Peter A Bell, Pragmatix Communication

In many respects writing for a website is much the same as writing for print. There are significant differences, however, which should be kept in mind when preparing copy for web pages.

THE PURPOSE

Before writing a single word it is essential to have a clear idea of what the website is about and what the text aims to achieve. Is it a commercial site where the text is trying to sell a product or service? Or is it an informative website where the purpose of the text is to convey facts? The constraints on web writing make it necessary to be particularly single-minded about the purpose.

THE MEDIUM

Text presented on a monitor screen is more difficult to read than printed text and tends to be read more slowly. Reading speeds for web text are about 25% slower than for printed text which makes proofreading harder as well as testing the reader's patience. And website visitors are notoriously impatient. Unless the reader is highly motivated to remain, it is all too easy for them to click on a hypertext link and move elsewhere. Easy navigation is a principal element of good web design, but it also presents the writer with the challenge of immediately engaging the audience.

THE AUDIENCE

Knowing the target audience is important whatever the purpose of a piece of writing, or the medium in which it is published. The audience for a printed work will, to a considerable extent, be self-selecting. Readers of a book or report will tend to be those who have a reason for doing so and who have sought out a particular publication, or type of publication, because it relates to their area of interest. By contrast, visitors to a website tend to be more diverse. Writing for a company intranet may be an exception but, generally speaking, it is likely that a web page will be visited by an assortment of people with very different intentions. Website text should try to appeal to the widest possible audience, or a range of different audiences.

GUIDELINES

Knowing what we do about the medium and those who use it, here are a few guidelines which may be helpful.

1. BE CONCISE - A piece written for the web should be about half the length of its printed equivalent. Keep sentences short - 20 words or less. Edit ruthlessly. Stick to the topic.

2. BREAK UP THE TEXT - Avoid solid blocks of text. You can be sure that visitors will! Well-spaced paragraphs of two or three sentences are more accessible. Headings and sub-headings also help break up the text and can be used to highlight important points. Numbered or bulleted lists are another excellent way to present information in bite-sized morsels.

3. LEAD THE READER - Aim to keep the reader on your website. Give the reader clear alternatives and make it easy for them to get to where you want to take them, i.e. additional information or an email link. Highlight text links and provide a description of what the reader will find there.