B2B Web Strategy Blog – eMagine

Writing for the Web – a refresher course

July 30th, 2009 Posted by: Bill Gadless

Though a bit of a dust-off from the files, Anne Stuart’s piece for Inc. on this evergreen subject has some timeless advice, well worth another read.  Starting with the well-worn research that Web “readers” actually scan in a headlong rush, looking for specific items of interest, Anne encapsulates her recommended approach in “the three S’s”:

Make it scannable.  Place the most important information at the top of each document.  Precede longer documents with brief executive summaries.  Make liberal use of headlines, subheads, bullet points, “Q&A” format, bolding and color for emphasis.  But avoid mixing too many fonts, or using underlining for anything except links.

Keep it short.  Use non-complex sentences (general guideline: 20 to 25 words max);  break up long paragraphs (rule of thumb: 3-5 sentences max).  Write less:  usability research indicates that the most effective Web documents are 50% shorter than their print counterparts.

Segment your content.  Use a “drill-down” approach:  split long material into smaller chunks, linking them to the top-level document and to each other.  Consider presenting some information as checklists, pulled quotes, sidebars, primers, glossaries, “at a glance” boxes, charts or graphs, FAQ documents.

Anne’s bottom line:  “Write Web content you’d like to read yourself, and present it the way you’d like to read it. Chances are your Web readers will view it the same way.”  A final great feature of her article is the concluding “Resources” list, including books, Web documents and discussion groups;  it’s worth the click over just for that.

Entry Filed under: B2B Web Strategy,Engaging Visitors,Web Design