Writing For the Web

A great deal of research has been done on how users interact with web content given various levels of accessibility, device use, age, etc. While no type of interaction is preferred across all age groups, certain fairly universal patterns have emerged and remain true:

  • Users scan, rather than read, web content.
  • Important information should be placed first so it’s seen
  • Small, well-organized “chunks” of content improve clarity & retention
  • Plain language works best

Scanners

Scanners are users who briefly review the headers and whatever other content bits catch their eye before either settling on a specific piece of information — generally the bit that is either most interesting to them or will help them accomplish their task. The “F-pattern” is the dominant eye tracking pattern for web users. This is where the eye travels, very quickly, when a page first loads. Someone reading all of the text on a page is a rarity on the web, so it’s important to structure your page content to be the most useful to your audience.

Inverted Pyramid

Most of us write the way we were trained to write — starting with a foundation and gradually building to a conclusion. Writing for the web is generally unlike writing for academic or print publication in that it’s best practice to start with the conclusion and work your way to lesser details as you work your way through the material. This concept is referred to as the inverted pyramid. Web content should be concise and to the point. If you are typically a long-form writer one rule of thumb is to write your message, cut it in half, and then try to cut it in half again. It may seem extreme, but this exercise in honing the message always yields valuable results.

Chunking

“Chunking” content using headings, concise sentences and paragraphs, and bulleted lists makes it more scannable, and therefore more likely to be understood, retained, and acted upon. The concept of chunking will be familiar to those who build online courses, as the same basic idea is applicable to educational content delivery.

Headings

A note about headings. The use of headings is actually valuable beyond making your content more easily readable, it also improves SEO and aids in accessibility. We’ll get into more detail about headings soon, but suffice it to say the proper use of headings is something that can really make or break web content.

Plain Language

Users come to the site to accomplish a task. Using plain language in web writing increases user understanding and removes unnecessary cognitive barriers to task completion. Avoid jargon, acronyms, and abbreviations wherever possible. If absolutely necessary to the content, be sure to thoroughly explain or define terms and abbreviations on their first use.

"Click Here"

The use of “click here” as link text is a significant accessibility violation.

Search engines put more weight on copy that is linked, so contextual links — meaning links that describe what the user will find when they get to the linked page — have more SEO value than “click here.”

External resources