Writing for the web

Question:

Isn't writing for the web the same as writing for print?

Answer:

No

writingblockspyramidMany of the principles of good writing apply as much online as they do offline, so what makes writing for the web so different?

People read screens copy differently from the way they read copy on paper. Research shows that most users scan a web page rather than read it from beginning to end.

People read more slowly on the web – the reading rate can drop by 25 per cent according to some tests. This can partly be due to the distracting nature of the medium. Your reader is always a single click away from being somewhere else.

Most people want to make reading from a screen as short an experience as possible. Keeping readers engaged relies on taking account of both the possibilities and constraints of the medium.

One of the key factors in making your site a success will be your ability to create content that is written in a very different style to that used to write most research papers and outputs.

Key points

  • Bulleted lists can be a useful way of summarizing content and creating white space on the screen.
  • Sentences and paragraphs need to be short and simple. Vary the length of your sentences and avoid sub-clauses.
  • Use subheadings so that a reader scanning the page can quickly see the information available.
  • Use bold sparingly to bring the reader's eye to a specific word. Never use bold for whole phrases.
  • On a website, underline means one thing – a hyperlink. Don't confuse your readers – never use underline on text that isn't a link.
  • Avoid italics – they are difficult to read online. Use bold, sparingly, for emphasis.
  • When using numbers, write out numbers one to nine, and hundreds, thousands, millions, billions, unless it's for a unit of measurement or a date. So: $3 million, January 3 (no "rd" also, in most cases, add the year). Use per cent rather than % – readers need to mentally 'translate' symbols like this, and it slows their reading.
  • A hyperlink should tell you where you're going if you click on it, and also persuade you to go there. Hyperlinks should be as short as possible whilst still making sense.