How to Write for the Web-Part 1

Mary Bowling | 26 January 2008 |

If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to our RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

Studies show that when someone lands on a web page, it has less than one second to grab their attention or they’re gone. So, no matter how educated, experienced or successful you may be writing for other media, you must develop a web-friendly style to excel at writing for the internet.

Write each page about one specific topic. If you begin to stray off-topic, create another page on that subject and link to it from the first page. This supports the Search Engine Optimization of your site, as well, by allowing you to concentrate on one keyword phrase - and the terms that support it - for each page.
Use a compelling headline to capture attention quickly. Your headlines should be bolded and in larger font than the body of the text. The best web page headlines promise to answer to a question, offer the solution to a problem or describe a clear benefit to the reader. These tactics are even more effective when combined with a call to action.
Use keywords in your headlines. It makes your landing pages more effective when readers see the phrase they searched for in bold at the top of the page.
Use no more than 6-8 words in your headlines, so that people can grasp the message in one glance. Long, complex headlines require more attention.
Put the most important information first. As with a newspaper, you want present the most engaging content first. Then, allow visitors to continue gathering more information as they read down the page.

See How To Write for the Web-Part 2 for more tips.