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Writing web pages is about being brief and to the point.
People don't read web pages like they read printed pages,
they scan them. You have to write your content to suit the
way people read.
Effective writing is ...
... according to a study on How
Users read on the Web by Jakob Nielsen:
- objective - no biased statements as they reduce credibility
- concise - cut
out unecessary words
- scannable - constructed in chunks and lists so the eye
moves easily
Start with a conclusion
He also recommends an inverted
pyramid style of writing, where you start with the main
conclusion, and then broaden out to develop the story. This
runs counter-intuitive to the way many of us have learned
to write - the tendency is to start by explaining the context
and assumptions, before opening up the area of study and analysing
the material(s), before (at last!) pronouncing a conclusion.
Unfortunately, on the web peple will never get to your main
point, so put it at the top.
A journalistic tip
Journalists often learn to include the six Ws in the
first couple of lines of a story:
What
When
Where
Who
Why
hoW
Try it yourself - it encourages brief writing that gets straight
to the point.
Active writing
Try to use an active style of writing rather than passive:
Jane was aked by Peter Peter asked
Jane
It cuts out words and the meaning flows in the same order
as the words making it easier for users to digest your message.
Headings are important
Headings need to attract attention and clearly label the subject
of the paragraph or section. Ambiguous headines might make
for interesting writing, but are less suitable for the web
than for a paper-based article.
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