How do I write for the web?

Writing for the web is slightly different from writing for print. Reading a book or magazine is more passive. When you’re online, you’re typically looking for specific information.

Subheadings and bold text

Most internet users scan text for what’s relevant and if they don’t find the information they’re after, they go to another site. Millions of other sites are easily accessible, so you’re effectively competing against all of them.

You need to give the reader what they want and you need to make it easy for them to find the information they’re after. The page should be divided using descriptive subheadings, with each section focused on that particular topic. If there’s something tangential you want to mention, either add another subheading or even hyperlink to a new page devoted to that subject.

Within sections, it’s worth putting significant minor words and phrases in bold text. This then helps the reader to scan the content within each section.

Lists

Lists are a particularly good way of presenting information on the web. They’re easy to read and encourage shorter and more direct sentence structure.

To summarise the tactics that you can use to help make your writing more appropriate for the web:

• Use descriptive subheadings
• Keep the section under each subheading focused
• Use bold text for significant words and phrases
• Link to relevant pages
• Use lists

One final piece of advice: keep your writing short. If you’re wordy, verbose, waffly and directionless with your writing, readers won’t stick around long.

Alex Bowden
Writer/editor