It is sometimes hard to convey to others that the act of writing for the web is different than writing for print media. People read differently while online – it’s a fact. When viewing a page online, people have a tendency to scan and not read. Making sure you address this behavior on your website is key to delivering successful copy to your audience.

A reader’s natural tendency will be to first look at the headlines and subheads, followed by scanning for links, numbers, and keywords. Readers will jump around on the screen and will be quick to use the back button. As we know – web users tend to be impatient.

There are many techniques and strategies you can use to combat a fickle reader. As a writer, you should consider using quick hits of information, shorter sentences, and fewer and simpler words. Bulleted lists and highlighted text are great ways to allow the reader to scan the page and find the points you WANT them to find, quickly.

Some interesting facts about readers on the web:

• Reading from a computer screen tires the eyes, and people read 25% more slowly on the web than they read print material. That’s why web content should be 50% shorter than print.
• According to a study by usability expert Jakob Nielson , 79% of readers on the web tend to scan or skim text rather than read word for word.
• Also from Nielson, Only 16% read a page word for word (cite from above).
• Readers on the web are in a hurry to get the information they want, and move on. They don’t have the patience for obscure and complex text. They don’t enjoy scrolling through masses of text either.
• In an average workday, people suffer from information overload. They are bombarded with blogs, news, email and more - they don’t want to spend time delving deeper into content they may not find useful.

Rise to the challenge
The challenge for writing copy for the web is to keep things as brief as possible. It’s easier to write 1,000 words than to write 250 words on a given subject, so curb your enthusiasm – Combat impatience with brevity.

eaders are usually looking for information, they can find easily. If it’s hard to find and the information is buried in the second or even third paragraph, the reader will probably not read your article.

Since research helps prove this point, a compelling heading and keywords will help readers quickly decide if they want to continue.

One tool you can use when writing for the web the inverted pyramid style. The inverted pyramid puts the essential points first, followed by further detail. This quick hit of information allows the reader get the point instantly, allowing the reader to decide quickly whether to read on for more details.

Headline News
When writing for the web, your headline dictates success. A good headline makes it easier for readers to find your article and much more likely they will read it. A bad headline will pretty much assure you that your story will not be read at all. Remember, headlines should be short and to the point and should use keywords whenever possible. It is more important for a headline to be catchy and make sense than be stuffed with an awkward keyword phrase.

Another tool that will get your reader to move deeper into your article is the judicious use of subheadings. These snippets of text can alert the reader that something enthralling and worthwhile could be in the next paragraph – and entice them to read on.

Consider utilizing the one idea per paragraph method for more effective writing. This will help the user scan through paragraphs more easily and pick the exact idea of that particular paragraph.
Here are a few guidelines that one should think about when writing for the web:

• When considering a particular subject, take into account the audience
• Consider what information a reader might want to know instead of what you want to tell them
  
• Clearly explain the purpose of the content and communicate in 10 words or less
• Answer the reader’s possible questions as quickly as possible
• Divide the content into a clear hierarchy
• Use simple sentences with 10-12 words

The most important thing to remember when writing for the web is that the content should come together in a way that is easy for people of all ages, ranging from teenagers to senior citizens, to read.

writing picture from desi.italy
spotlight picture from sunshinecity

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