Successful Web-Writing
Regardless of the audience, subject matter, or purpose, writing for the Web should take on a different style than writing for a paper document. The Good Documents website gives several tips for how to successfully accomplish this different style. Some of these tips are summarized below.Keep your goal in mind
It is important to remember that the goal of successful writing for the web is not to see how many "hits" your site can generate. It is usually wise to limit the amount of flashy effects used on your site and focus solely on the necessary information your specific audience is seeking.
Seeking information shouldn't be time-consuming
Keep in mind when writing for your webpage that quality is much more important than quantity. When it comes to the amount of text on your site, less is generally more. People don't want to have to scroll for several minutes just to find the one small piece of information they are looking for.
Make navigation easy
It is important when including links on your site to provide a brief description of where the link will lead the person who clicks on it. Don't make your audience navigate your site blindly; give them some direction before they attempt to wade through the potentially endless information you have to offer.
Use headings and font effects
Readers want to find what they're looking for quickly and easily. Using headlines and bolding important information will help draw attention directly to the specific information your readers seek.
Note the similarities to newspapers
Web readers tend to scan a website much in the same way as a newspaper. Make sure that your most important information is viewable when the site is first opened, without scrolling. This will help the reader decide whether or not to read any further. Newspapers use this technique as well, keeping the important headlines "above the fold" to catch readers' interest.