Tips for Writing for the Web

Six Web copywriting tips for effective online communications

• Keep sentences short; about 8 to 10 words each is preferable
• Use no more than 2 to 3 sentences per paragraph
• Use keywords and keyword phrases in headlines, titles, and text; be concise with your messages
• Use links within sentences that refer the reader to more information about a topic
• Organize your messages to flow from one topic to the next in a logical sequence
• Check your spelling and grammar for accuracy

The shorter the sentence, the better

Information is more easily read and more easily remembered in short bursts. Just as a conversation between two friends is spoken in short sentences and even in sentence fragments rather than long sentences, your Web copywriting will need to be brief.

Observe the effect of reading text on the page in one long paragraph, single-spaced, with run-on sentences that seem to overwhelm the reader. Then observe the effect of reading the same content broken into smaller paragraphs, double-spaced, and with many shorter sentences. The power of white space cannot be over-emphasized with regard to the reader's task.

Make your content, reader-friendly and ensure your messages are remembered. The more readable your Web content is, the more likely it will be retained.

Keep paragraphs short and information concise

There is a story about two contenders for an advanced position at a major corporation. They were assigned to produce reports to submit for evaluation, and the chosen one would be implemented into the production of the company. Both had access to the same information.

One candidate handed in a 100 page dossier of information, charts, graphs, photos and content for profits and losses, breakeven scenarios, and more. The other candidate had essentially the same content but in only 15 pages. No graphs, no photos, no charts, just facts and suggested procedures and contingency plans for expected probabilities.

When leaving the office of the management, the candidate who turned in the large dossier commented to the other candidate that he was sure his dossier would get him the advancement. His counterpart responded that his 15 page report would actually be read and therefore he would be awarded the advancement. The point is to be brief and direct.

Using Keywords

Writing content for the web is writing to be scanned. The vast majority of visitors will scan a page just as a newspaper page is scanned for headlines of topics that interest the reader. Keywords should be in the headings and subheadings to help the visitor easily find the topic being sought. The text must also contain key words and phrases and links to other pages of more information relevant to the keywords. The keywords should, when possible, be at the beginning of the sentence or heading to optimize the page for the search engines, but not to the extent that the message is ineffective.

Use a keyword search tool to find out what relevant words and phrases are being browsed the most and create your content around what people are searching for. Search engines will rank higher the sites with relevant content and popular keywords and links to and from other websites. Update your site's content on a regular basis to ensure your site is current, and also to keep active the attention of search engines.

Effective linking

Links to other web pages or websites are easy to do, but many sites are flawed using phrases such as, contact us to redirect a reader or click here instead of using the SEO tip of linking by keywords or phrases.

Example: Click here for better rates on home mortgage loans. The phrase, "better rates on home mortgage loans," is linked to a page that provides more information on home mortgage loan rates, which is valuable to the reader and probably contains a phrase or keyword or two that the website visitor placed in their browser seeking exactly that information. The search engines would therefore seek out that phrase or keyword and place it in a more predominant position in their search results.

"Contact us" and "click here" are not keywords or phrases that people are seeking in their web browsers.  "Better rates on home mortgage loans" optimizes the search engines' results because it is a link with precise keywords that a person would type into their browser, and gains more notice from the searches performed by the search engines.

Placing links into sentences relevant to the link information will also elevate the page ranking of the webpage containing the link. Using a brand name to link to a website in the context of the brand, such as Coca-Cola when writing about soft drinks, for example, will do more to elevate the rankings of the webpage than to list Coca-Cola as a standalone link, as many sites do with a page listing links of "resources". A resources page with site links listed will perform better for the sites with a small description of something associated with the link. This relevant content is known as organic search engine optimization, in that the search engines seek relevant content to keywords.

Organize your messages to flow

Organizing the flow of your messages is important, just as sequencing scenes in a movie. There is a theme, an image to project in the reader's mind, a call to action, examples of sought after results, and reasons to hold the reader's attention through the various sequences of the messages to evoke an emotion to take action.

Usually visitors to your pages want to scan information and have fairly good ideas of the stages of information they are seeking. Having headings and subheadings to various sections in a logical sequence of thought helps visitors locate information within your website. Think of your website as a manual to help teach someone how to drive, for example. Starting with basic topics with links to separate areas of more information about specific terms and instructions, the reader can follow a logical path and understand the instructions better.

When your information is in the best order, your readers will easily be able to group what is read and will remember it longer.

Spelling and grammar

Nothing exudes unprofessionalism more than reading something that has misspelled words, incorrect or missing punctuation, or poor grammar. Although writing for the web is informal, it should not be sloppy.

Neglecting quality in a presentation is inviting criticism and distracts the audience from information they want. Visitors will likely leave your site once more than one error is noticed, never to return in favor of more professionally written Web content.

Sharpen your business writing skills and create pages with a mindset as you would when writing a business letter to an important prospect or client. Let the reader know you care by double-checking the readability of your content; the sound of the words read aloud should be smooth and comfortable. Avoid run-on sentences. Break long copy down into shorter bursts of information with periods instead of commas. Double-check your spelling; asking someone else to read your content can be helpful.

Double-check for correct word usage such as the word too, meaning also or more than enough, rather than to, which is a common mistake, for example.

There are many business writing tips and business writing skills to learn. If you don't have the desire or the time to learn them, use the services of a freelance writer or journalist. A good writer will ensure your message gets conveyed, and a good Web writer will ensure your site will be found by people looking for your information.