Here are a few tips on writing for the web. All you have to do is read through the tips and find yourself a web master to start writing for. The tips are in no particular order as they are all as relevant as the other.
Write for idiots
This is because web masters will not accept anything that looks remotely above high school level. They assume that the general public are drooling idiots, and if the TV show “The Planet's Funniest Animals” and “America's Funniest Home Videos,” etc. Keep your text blisteringly simple.
The truth is only relative to how readable it is
Over 90% of what you read online is either plain false, misrepresented or a plausible lie. The fact is that you cannot trust what you read online if you are looking for hard facts, which also frees you from being correct. Write what your audience wants to hear. If people want to ignore empirical evidence and claim that vaccinations are dangerous then tell them they are.
Write in short paragraphs
This is mostly a white space issue. To read comfortably from a digital screen/ LCD screen you need to have around 70% white space. It is already awkward and uncomfortable enough reading from screens so it is only better to make it a little easier on people if you want. Short paragraphs help to maintain your white space amounts, as do adding headers such as you see with this text.
Write what your web master wants
Sure, you should think about the target audience, but the truth is that you are writing for the web master who hired you. So, think about what he or she wants. If you are not sure, then all you have to do is look at his or her other website and/or blog entries. People like the things they know, so many times all you have to do is mirror what is already written on there already (with sufficient changes of course).
Make your introduction short and snappy
People seem to like this on the Internet for some reason. A short and snappy introduction is all most people will read. They start skim reading if your introduction is long. People are supposed to skim read, but starting so soon is not a good idea. At the very least they should read the introduction.
The font should be easy to read
This means keeping it to at least a size of 12, and it means staying away from italics and script writing fonts. Also, stay away from typewriter fonts because they are too boring and make reading more difficult as a result.
A title sells your article
It has to be enticing but descriptive too. If it is too wordy and descriptive then people won’t bother reading it in full. If it is unclear and is not descriptive enough then people won’t even waste their time on it.
Try to cut down the fluff
Adding words just for the sake of word count makes your text very annoying to read, and it is something that is done on purpose. Cut down on it or get rid of it as a priority.
Set a tone
Just make sure it has the right tone for the people who are going to read your article. Better still; add a tone that the web master is going to like, as he/she is the one that is supposed to accept your article.
Headers help
This article has headers because it makes the text easier to read. It also means you do not have to introduce each paragraph because the reader already has an idea what the paragraph is already about. It also means that the first few words do not count as much as they would otherwise. It means you do not have to make a big impact with the first half of your first sentence, and even means you can trail off a little at the beginning and then bring the paragraph to a conclusion without causing confusion.
2 or 3 line paragraphs are not enough
There are some web pages that take the white space rules too far and start creating two line or three line paragraphs throughout the text. It looks as if someone has printed the text on a shirt and then stretched the shirt. It makes the flow too awkward to read. Alter your line counts to make the text easier to read. As you can see by this article, there are some paragraphs of just over two lines, and some of just over six lines.
Write for idiots
This is because web masters will not accept anything that looks remotely above high school level. They assume that the general public are drooling idiots, and if the TV show “The Planet's Funniest Animals” and “America's Funniest Home Videos,” etc. Keep your text blisteringly simple.
The truth is only relative to how readable it is
Over 90% of what you read online is either plain false, misrepresented or a plausible lie. The fact is that you cannot trust what you read online if you are looking for hard facts, which also frees you from being correct. Write what your audience wants to hear. If people want to ignore empirical evidence and claim that vaccinations are dangerous then tell them they are.
Write in short paragraphs
This is mostly a white space issue. To read comfortably from a digital screen/ LCD screen you need to have around 70% white space. It is already awkward and uncomfortable enough reading from screens so it is only better to make it a little easier on people if you want. Short paragraphs help to maintain your white space amounts, as do adding headers such as you see with this text.
Write what your web master wants
Sure, you should think about the target audience, but the truth is that you are writing for the web master who hired you. So, think about what he or she wants. If you are not sure, then all you have to do is look at his or her other website and/or blog entries. People like the things they know, so many times all you have to do is mirror what is already written on there already (with sufficient changes of course).
Make your introduction short and snappy
People seem to like this on the Internet for some reason. A short and snappy introduction is all most people will read. They start skim reading if your introduction is long. People are supposed to skim read, but starting so soon is not a good idea. At the very least they should read the introduction.
The font should be easy to read
This means keeping it to at least a size of 12, and it means staying away from italics and script writing fonts. Also, stay away from typewriter fonts because they are too boring and make reading more difficult as a result.
A title sells your article
It has to be enticing but descriptive too. If it is too wordy and descriptive then people won’t bother reading it in full. If it is unclear and is not descriptive enough then people won’t even waste their time on it.
Try to cut down the fluff
Adding words just for the sake of word count makes your text very annoying to read, and it is something that is done on purpose. Cut down on it or get rid of it as a priority.
Set a tone
Just make sure it has the right tone for the people who are going to read your article. Better still; add a tone that the web master is going to like, as he/she is the one that is supposed to accept your article.
Headers help
This article has headers because it makes the text easier to read. It also means you do not have to introduce each paragraph because the reader already has an idea what the paragraph is already about. It also means that the first few words do not count as much as they would otherwise. It means you do not have to make a big impact with the first half of your first sentence, and even means you can trail off a little at the beginning and then bring the paragraph to a conclusion without causing confusion.
2 or 3 line paragraphs are not enough
There are some web pages that take the white space rules too far and start creating two line or three line paragraphs throughout the text. It looks as if someone has printed the text on a shirt and then stretched the shirt. It makes the flow too awkward to read. Alter your line counts to make the text easier to read. As you can see by this article, there are some paragraphs of just over two lines, and some of just over six lines.
About Guest BloggerKate Funk is a writer, blogger and social media expert. When she isn’t providing quality content, she works on her improving essay writing skills
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