How to Write for the Web

On the Internet people have short attention spans. Visitors scan pages and do not necessarily read every word. Make sure your pages are easy to scan. Use Wetpaint features to break up your page and make it easy to read. You can do this by using graphics, headlines, bullets, tables, video, polls and more.

Writing for the web is different than writing a paper. Keep the following tips in mind when writing for your site.

Readability

All of your content should be neat, clean and easy to read. Make your writing conversational, but not casual. Try to steer clear of slang. Using an active voice is good. Avoid profanity because you can drive visitors away from your site, which defeats the purpose of working on promoting your site.

Also, break your text into short paragraphs by topic. This makes the information easier to process by visitors.

Use Meaningful Headlines

Use of headlines and sub-headlines can break up your text into sections, making it easier to scan your pages.

Use Page Links

Links to other pages stand out because they are colored, so they can do double-duty as highlighted keywords.

Highlight Words

Call attention to important words on a page by highlighting or underlining them. You can also use bold and italics.

Use Lists:

Lists are easy to scan and can draw attention to important points.

Keep in mind that people scan when they read on the Internet, so this is not the time to try out your extensive vocabulary. Use language that is easily understood. Your visitors will thank you.