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How the web is different Text is hard to read Typical computer monitors have a resolution of 96 dpi (dots per inch). Compare that with a printout from a laser printer that has a resolution of 600 dpi, or a magazine page that can be upwards of 2400 dpi, and its not hard to figure out why the text on a computer places a strain on the eyes. According to the book Hot Text Web Writing That Works, by Jonathan and Lisa Price, because text is more difficult to read on-screen, people often read slower, comprehend less, recall less, and do less in response. Words can be linked to other pages and sources The closest thing youre going to get to a link in a newspaper is when a story is split into two sections and youre told the story is continued on page 9. But when it comes to the web, words and images can be linked to other web pages, photos, videos, sounds, and a myriad of other things. Being able to link is the primary tool that web writers can take advantage of that print writers dont have at their disposal. How you should write Write less Because of the strain placed on readers when reading on a computer screen, you cant expect them to read a 5,000 word article. Research has shown that most readers tend to scan an article before reading. Articles longer than 1,000 words will likely turn off your audience and result in few people reading your article (and therefore fewer visitors coming back to your site in the future). You should condense your writing to include only the most crucial points and eliminate everything else. Writing successfully for the web forces you to present only the necessary content and leave the rest out. Utilize headings and lists Since people tend to scan web articles as opposed to reading them from the first word to the final word, you should make it easy for them to find what theyre looking for by using headings, bold type, and lists. A great way to turn a print article into a readable web article is to transform it into a top 10 list. Lists make it easy for readers to scan and read only what they are interested in. Use plenty of links and make them obvious Since linking is the primary advantage of a web writer, it should be used early and often. Linking allows you to provide the reader with a roadmap of information. With your article as a starting point, your reader should be able to find more information about any and all topics discussed in the article. Common things to link to include reference pages, news sources, audio and video, forums, and applications that will enhance the reading experience. The best thing about links is that the user can choose which ones to follow and which ones to ignore. That allows you to reference something without citing the entire thing as you would have to in a print article. One of the most important things to remember when linking is to make it visually obvious that a section of text is a link. Five years ago it was common place to use the standard blue underlined text for linking, but as the web has evolved, most designers have abandoned that style for better looking links. Site designers can still make links obvious by consistently using a different color than standard text and by providing a hover effect, such as underlining the link and changing its color, when users place their cursor over the link. This subconsciously tells them that the text is a link. Write with the search engines in mind Since much of the content on the web is found via search, it makes sense to write with the search engines in mind. No, this doesnt mean that you should stuff your articles with keywords to the point where they are barely readable. But it does mean that you should write titles and headings that actually convey what your article discusses. For example, this article could be called Content Evolution or Digital Distribution. If it were a magazine article, those titles or other titles might have been more appealing, but they dont capture the essence of the article, which is Writing for the Web. If someone were to search for an article on writing online, theyd likely use a phrase like how to write for the web or writing practices for the web which would turn up this article, but probably wouldnt turn up an article with one of those other titles. Resource: Price, Jonathan, and Lisa Price. Hot Text - Web Writing That Works. Indiana: New Riders, 2002. |
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