They say that a facial expression is worth a thousand words. This is especially true when writing for the web, as we never see each other face to face. The intended tone of any site content is, in itself, a writing skill - more so than in novels, as the content writer is trying to convey a definite message directly to a worldwide audience, without the help of facial expressions, tone of voice or body language.
Have you ever wondered why some websites pull people in better than others? Or why some websites have better bounce rates that others? Is it due to the style of writing, or simply the interesting content?
How often have you read online content, then had to read it over in order to fully understand what the writer is saying? I'm not including tutorials or online lessons or courses that don't require too many words - it goes without saying that website content have to be clear and concise to guide the reader.
7 Writing Tips to Improve Your Web Writing
You don't need to be an English major to write for the web. As long as you know how to write, you are halfway there.
Do - Short and Less, Win the Race
Avoid writing a sentence that is longer than a line. Use bullet points if necessary to list something or add an attractive graphic to replace a long sentence. You can break up that boring mass of black type by using lists, block quotes and other handy HTML formatting tricks.
You can also have a mixture of bold and italic styles to add emphasis to the words. The other thing that you should take note of is the punctuation. Excessive use of punctuation can make the sentence harder to comprehend and could put a reader off. A sentence should be short, sweet with as little punctuation as possible.
Do - Use Killer Headlines and Avoid Flamboyant Vocabulary
If you write a great headline, you will have a higher chance of getting noticed by your readers. As the headline is the first sentence to reach your audience, it's essential to have a killer headline. Killer headlines also work really well with social media sites to get more buzz. Write a great headline, which is striking yet descriptive, but make sure it's not too long. Having a good headline, (9-12 words) with appropriate keywords will also help you rank better in search engines.
Refrain from boring your readers by using limited vocabulary, you do not need to use grandiloquent vocabulary in every single sentence you write, but some occasional use of different vocabulary will make your site more enjoyable.
The purpose of writing is to communicate, not demonstrate your intelligence. The best way to communicate is to use short, clear words that are part of everyone's vocabulary. That's why most newspapers are written to a fifth or sixth grade reading level. Using a word such as "grandiloquent" does not make you appear smarter. It makes you appear pretentious and harms your ability to communicate.
Do - Utilize Headlines and Breaks
A site page or blog post should read similarly to this article, with a main heading, followed by an introduction paragraph or two. Ideally, it should be followed by a sub-heading and break down to further smaller headlines. Headlines act as important signboards for the reader to determine if they want to read the content below the headline, so the headline should describe as accurately as possible the subject matter of the paragraphs. It's also hard to read a large chunk of text without a break.
Give those sentences a break and segregate them into small paragraphs as frequently as possible. It will make them more readable and give readers a chance to catch their breath before continuing to the next paragraph.
Do - Use Suitable Images Sparingly
I know that humans are visual creatures and like almost all things that are beautiful. However, you need to select your images carefully in order to suit your content and the intended meaning. Don't use an image just for the sake of using it. If you can't find any suitable images to describe what you want, don't use one.
Adding suitable images not only brings an extra dimension to your webpage but can also reduce many unnecessary words yet assist your readers to better understand your website. The adage of a picture can paint a thousand words definitely works here.
Don't - Obscure References, Jargon or Jokes
Your readers won't be laughing if they don't get what you mean. I am guilty of this more than anyone. Worse still, if it offends them. Writing for the web basically means that you will get many readers from everywhere around the world. The differences in culture, background and religion may sometimes mean that you have to be very careful with your selection of your jokes or references.
Replace any obscure words with other similar examples that are more generally acceptable and known by the majority of people. You might also want to take note of the type and topic of the web page you are writing about. Refrain from using industry jargon unless you are absolutely sure that your intended readers will know it. You can introduce the jargon and spell out each abbreviated phrase before using it.
Do - Test Your Readability
Web writing is all about readability. Make sure that your type is in an appropriate size, color, and font. Do not use a fancy color or overly small or handwriting fonts. When you insert links to other areas in your web page, remember to keep them relevant and don't overuse them. Quoting and attributing from other sources is nice and brings you credibility, because readers know that you've got nothing to hide if they want to check you out. However, a webpage full of links will appear spammy to readers.
Try to link those URLs to the relevant proper names, keywords and phrases, rather than having the URLs themselves written out, or worse, the over-used "click here." The trick here is to use a standard web safe font, color and size. Do your comparisons between popular websites and blogs and experiment on what is the best for your site.
Do - Write For the Human Reader
As all good web writers will tell you, write for the human reader rather than for the search engines, so avoid using repeated emphasis keywords in your content. Spell checking your content is not enough. You have to read it yourself again to make sure it flows smoothly. You may want to engage a proofreader to maintain the quality of your writing and handle the grammatical and punctuation issues.
A web page, blog or article full of grammatical errors will affect your credibility and reputation. Don't overly rely on the proofreader to edit all your work though, you must start to learn from your mistakes in order to write better content in the long run.
Contact Ingenux today at 877-484-9025 to learn how to grow your business online.
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