When writing for the web, your challenge isn't simply compelling grammar. Good web writing is easy to skim and contains semantic markup that computers can also understand. Semantic markup helps screen-readers, which is good for both accessibility, and that elusive golden-nugget, search engine optimization.
Words written for web consumption must compete with a lot of additional sensory-inputs. Often, your reader is:
Tip 3: Keep paragraphs short and friendly
Web paragraphs shouldn?t be longer than 2-3 sentences. The more white-space, the easier to read (um... skim).
The writing should be clear and and friendly. The reader shouldn?t need a law degree to interpret meaning.
- google's search algorithm trying to figure out if your text is more relevant than someone else's to a specific search query
- distracted by other online services that beep or blink with notifications, such as Facebook or Skype
- taking a quick glance at what you wrote while carrying on a conversation with a co-worker or friend
- (unfortunately) driving, and looking for directions or your phone number while in the car
- doing any number of other things that, perhaps, they shouldn't be doing
"Get rid of 1/2 of the words on the page. Then get rid of 1/2 of what is left."The bottom line: people skim web pages for the link or content they want, and then choose the first thing they find that seems to be a good option. The best writing for the web makes it easy for people to get what they want without changing their behavior. You will get most of the rest of the way by using semantic markup.
What is Semantic Markup?
Wikipedia answers this question best:"Semantic HTML is the use of HTML markup to reinforce the semantics, or meaning, of the information in webpages rather than merely to define its presentation or look."For more information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semantic_HTML Frequently, a CMS (such as Drupal) will have been configured in such a way to enable you to use what we call a WYSIWYG (whizz-y-wig: what-you-see-is[sometimes]-what-you-get, or a visual editor) to format your content. This WYSIWYG will have options for Header 2, Header 3, Blockquote, Lists, etc. These are the tools you will use to ensure that your content has correct and useful semantic markup. They are the tools that will enable you to use these five tips:
Tip 1: Use header tags
Headers are like Titles in a Table of Contents. The page title is always Header Level One, which is why you usually will not find it as an option in a well-configured WYSIWYG. Nest headers level 2-6 in a logical hierarchy, and be generous with headers. Don?t go more than 2-3 paragraphs without another header. Example of properly nested hierarchy: Header Level 1 Header Level 2 Header Level 3 Header Level 3 Header Level 4 Header Level 3 Header Level 2 Header Level 2 Header Level 3Tip 2: Use lists whenever possible
Why use lists? They are:- easy to skim
- require fewer words to get a lot of information across
- provide a lot of white space, making your page more friendly
- appear to require less of a time-commitment from the reader
- have semantic meaning that gives them different weight than regular chunks of text when crawled by search engines, and gives a screenreader information that makes the experience of hearing a page more logical/accessible (and pleasant) for the individual relying on it