Most communications pieces start out life as being intended for print. Unfortunately, what works for print doesn’t always work for the Web.
The reason so many Web magazines have failed, and that so many print publications about computers and the Internet have sprung up, is that the Web is simply an inefficient medium for reading (see http://www.useit.com/papers/webwriting/ for studies on why this is so).
Some Simple Rules
The key rules for good Web content are:
- keep text short and to the point, and provide the basic information you’re trying to convey
- keep paragraphs short and ‘chunk’ information by headings
- link to background information for those that want to view it
- use images only if they enhance the meaning of the text
- keep images relatively small in terms of pixel size and file size, to minimize download times
- ensure text is consistent within both itself and (at least ideally) the larger Web site: spelling, grammar, writing style, layout, etc.
This last point, consistency, can make the difference between a well-designed Web page or site, and one that looks like it’s simply been cobbled together at the last moment. If your organization doesn’t have a style guide for its Web site (indeed, for all its communications pieces), it’s highly recommended that you develop one.
Repurposing Information
Whenever possible, always try and write so that the information can more easily be repurposed for multiple media. Typically, information may go out:
- as printed material, e.g. Word documents and brochures
- on the Web
- in an e-mail
All three require different writing considerations, but if you keep in mind that it may end up being needed for various formats, your editing and upkeep of a single piece of information across three (or more) mediums will hopefully be kept to a minimum.
Additional Resources
There are many “writing for the Web” resources available on-line; see Useful Web Development Links for a list of related sites.
