The Six Rules of Web Writing
By: Jared Clark
Re-writing activity based on article of the same name, by Merry Burns.
- Create content for readers.
- Show them the benefits.
- Write to reach them.
- Write more concisely.
- Format for scanning.
- Become interactive.
Perhaps the hardest part about Web content strategies is determining what's important to your readers as opposed to what's important to the organization. Your association's goals and those of your audience are sometimes aligned, but occasionally they may conflict.
Information must be edited for maximum impact so users know why your story is important to them. Share stories of real value gained from happy past participants. Analyze your content as you edit it to go online.
It is important to remember your audience when writing. Online writing generally has a more conversational tone, which will often make a user feel welcome. A conversational tone will help ensure a clear writing style.
Reading a story online is much harder than reading a story in print. It is important to keep writing concise, so information can easily be gathered. It is also important to use larger font and white space in stories will result in better retention and usability.
Most readers scan a story online. It is important to remember this when writing a story. Using bullets, bold formatting, white space to make the page navigable. Subheads and shorter paragraphs will make it easier for a user to find what they are looking for.
The web lets writers communicate with readers in many different ways. Writers can use audio, video, quizzes and polls to communicate with their readers. Communication is the key to webwriting, and the online medium brings this communication to an all new level.