I spent today at an excellent course ran by the Neilson Norman Group, the web usability experts. Before the course I believed that I wasn't half bad at web copywriting. I don't use UPPER CASE, I don't centre align, I put keywords in bold (sometimes) and I never put a hyperlink from click here (as oppose to meaningful text).
Not that simple.
There are principles to writing content for the web, the most important of which is this:
Keep it short.
Why? Because people don't read the text on websites the same way that they'd read a book or a newspaper. They scan it. Research proves it. People visit websites for the purposes of research, not entertainment. So make it easy for them to find what they want. How?
Short paragraphs, short sentences and short words.
If you're a website owner, here's what to do to make a start today:
1. Get the metrics - find out the most visited page on your website (ask your web agency if you're not sure).
2. Reduce the number of words on that page by 50% - bullet points or a table might help you get your message across more succinctly.
3. Split the content into short 'chunks' with meaningful headings.
Writing for the web is not a chance to show off. It's not about big words, cheeky headlines and artistic licence. Like all things to do with website usability, it is about the audience and giving them what they are looking for. Get that right and you'll find that you've probably ticked a fair few the SEO and accessibility boxes as well.
