9 Tips: How-To Write Online Articles
Every medium has corresponding best practices for writing. Get-up-to-speed on how to write for today’s web content.
On average, around 25% of a website’s content is read. This means that most of what is written is skimmed at best, but more likely scrolled past. For those of us who write for the web, this statistic could lead us to feelings of futility in our efforts and defeat in our work. Or, it could spark a sense of challenge and vigor to ensure our content beats this statistic and leads to high levels of engagement.
Writing for web is unlike writing for anything else. Each medium has its own form and function to accommodate the reader and present them with the information in the way they expect. In this article, I'll discuss nine best practices to help you write more effectively for the web.
1. First things first
Let’s begin by remembering why people go online in the first place: to find useful and interesting content. A user might have a great first impression with a site if it’s beautifully designed, but the UI can’t hold a user's attention very long if the content isn’t what they want or need. It all comes down to content, so it should all start with content.
Therefore, write first and allow the content to inform the design. If you start with design, you'll end up adding unnecessary content or cutting crucial content to appease the wireframes. This approach will ultimately sabotage the greatest asset your website offers, the content. It might be more challenging to start with open-ended content, but it will pay off in dividends at the end.
2. Who’s there?
Think back to a time when you received a gift from someone you didn't know very well. Maybe it was a co-worker in a gift exchange or a family member who was simply following holiday protocol. Either way, the gift was most likely discarded because it didn't add value to your life and fulfill a personal need. On the contrary, good gifts from people who know you cause you to feel understood and like you belong around them. Web content should cause the same feelings.
If you don’t know who you’re writing to, the gift of your content will fall flat and could cause negative feelings. Don’t make the mistake of creating content that doesn’t target or speak to anyone specifically. There is a certain person who, when visiting your site, should immediately relate and feel like the website was written explicitly for them. Know your audience, and let your messaging, tone and voice align with who your ideal and intended reader.
3. Keep it chunky
In cognitive psychology, there is a concept called "chunking." This is the process by which individual pieces of information are divided and grouped in a meaningful whole. When we interact with any type of content, we use this mental shortcut to help us organize, categorize, and retain large amounts of information. Know this to be true about how we consume information, we need to apply it to our web writing.
Books are chunked by chapters, newspapers by sections, and magazines by features. From the entire site to each page, web content needs to be chunked into portions as well. As you're planning and writing your copy, think through a logical structure of the main ideas of the content and separate it into sections. Use titles, headers, and lists to help your users naturally understand the bigger picture, navigate more easily, and better remember your content.
4. Show & tell (in that order)
Consider for a moment the evolution of social media. Here's the trend:
In the 90's we had blogs, like Blogger and LiveJournal, giving us long-form text-based content.
In the 2000s, Facebook and Twitter came on the scene giving us shorter-form, mainly text-based content sharing platforms.
In the 2010s, Pinterest and Instagram were founded on an image-based approach.
Now, YouTube, Twitch, and TikTok are dominating the social media industry with video-based content (and the preferred video length is becoming shorter by the year)
Our main method of creating and consuming content has become less and less text-heavy. This trend reveals that we have increasing desired a more visual approach when engaging with content.
Though video and photography aren't writing, all these mediums should work together for effective communication. When you're writing for web, ask yourself how a visual like an image, video, or animations can help your message. If you can lean on visuals to break the monotony of text, do it.
5. Short & Sweet
A few years ago, Microsoft conducted a study that showed an average human attention span of 8 seconds, whereas it was 12 seconds in 2000. (For humility, compare this to a goldfish that comes in at 9 seconds.) Our attention span is decreasing, and we need to create content accordingly. When writing your content, make sure to organize your content in such a way as to allow the user to opt into the level of content they're interested in (see #3). Once they opt into content, keep it short and simple. Unless you're writing a blog or using a narrative-driven method—like this post—only share the information needed. If you only have 8 seconds to win over your user, don't risk it with long and lengthy text. Heeding my own advice and moving on!
6. Location, Location, Location
They say location is the most important factor when buying real estate. The best building in the worst location is a terrible investment. The same is true for search results; you could have the best website in the world, but if it doesn't show up on the first page or two of Google's results, it practically worthless. The same goes for website content.
A web writer needs to prioritize and organize content in the right location on a webpage. Here are a couple of practices to consider:
The Inverted Pyramid approach calls for shorter, essential information to be presented at the top and longer, more detailed content at the bottom of the page.
The Design/Information relation suggests being design-focused and content minimal at the top of a page, and content-focused/design minimal at the bottom of the page.
The F-Shaped Pattern findings show users prioritizing the top left of the screen and moving their eyes down the left side when searching for what they need.
So, front-load your big-picture information at the top with design and UI taking the lead, and slowly transition into a detailed content-focused structure as the user scrolls toward the bottom of the page.
7. Smart, but not too smart...
According to the Literacy Project Foundation, the average American reading level is equivalent to a 7th/8th grader. This means, on average, you can expect your reader to be similar to a 12 to 14 years old. Even if you're intending for your average user to be highly educated, it's a good idea to write on the level of a middle schooler. There are a few ways to achieve this standard:
Keep your words simple by reducing syllable, using plain language, and omitting needless words.
Write minimal sentences by presenting one idea per sentence and avoiding excessive punctuation.
Make paragraphs manageable by keeping them short, using headers, and making lists.
Use the active voice
8. Keep It Moving
There is a dangerous myth floating around about the number of clicks a user makes before leaving a site. Many believe a user will become frustrated and leave after 3 clicks if they don't find what they need. Research concerning how long a user will persevere on a website shows a different set of behaviors. In short, it all comes down to information scent.
As long as a user is presented with helpful information (even if it's not what they were looking for), know where they came from, and have clear direction on where to go next, they will gladly spend up to 20 clicks on your site before leaving. The trail of content should be obvious and logical. Here are a couple of ways to help keep the information scent strong:
Keep the navigation present and easy to find
Use breadcrumbs to show users where they came from
Use links to move your users around your site
Include your site's main call-to-action at the end of every page if a next step isn't already included
9. Find the Right Voice
At the end of the day, you want your content to be an engaging story that draws your reader into the site. To do this, you need to posture your writing to be compelling and persuasive. Web copy could have the most amazing information, but if it isn't in the right voice it will lose its potency. A subtle change in how your sentences are written dramatically pivot your story-telling.
When you're writing for web, always write in the active voice. Here is an example:
Active: Anthony wrote a blog.
Passive: The blog was written by Anthony.
An active voice keeps the focus on the subject and creates an action-based story. The passive voice centers around the object and reads more like a report. The active voice is more direct, exciting, and authoritative. It is also easier to reach and helps keep the readability score lower.
Parting Thought
Just like any form of writing, the web has it's own best practices. Unlike other forms of writing, many of the disciplines and skills extend beyond grammar and linguistics. With the sheer number of websites competing for your user's attention, it's fundamentally important to learning these disciplines and put them into practice in every project.
