Writing for the Web
Writing for the Web is very different from writing for print:
- 79% of users scan the page instead of reading word-for-word
- Reading from computer screens is 25% slower than from paper
- Web content should have 50% of the word count of its paper equivalent
Write for Scanning of the content by the user
- Seventy-nine percent of Web users scan pages; they do not read word-by-word. Design your web document to be scannable:
- To make keywords stand out, use highlighting liberally: Highlight about three times as many words as you would when writing for print.
- Colored text or colored backgrounds can also be used for highlighting, but don't use blue for words. That color is reserved for hyperlinks.
- The hyperlinks also stand out by virtue of being colored, so they should be written to do double duty as highlighted keywords.
- Highlight only key information-carrying words. Avoid highlighting entire sentences or long phrases since a scanning eye can only pick up two (or at most three) words at a time.
- Highlight words that differentiate your page from other pages and words that symbolize what a given paragraph is about (for example, do not highlight the word "enflexion" when writing for the enflexion Web site since all the pages are about enflexion.)
- Bulleted and numbered lists slow down the scanning eye and can draw attention to important points.
- Each paragraph should contain one main idea; use a second paragraph for a second idea, since users tend to skip any second point as they scan over the paragraph.
- Start the page with the conclusion as well as a short summary of the remaining contents ("inverted pyramid" style).
