In Writing for the Web, Part 1, I talked about how people read on the web and why it’s essential to capture their attention fast if you want to get your message across.
Now, with the help of Jakob Nielsen and countless unnamed (but gratefully acknowledged) others, I offer a few tips on great web writing:
- Keep it brief – 150 to 250 words per page is the ideal. (Really.)
- Avoid marketing hype – It reduces your credibility and annoys the heck out of busy readers.
- Use bulleted / numbered lists – Each list element should fit on one line.
- Write single-topic pages and single-idea paragraphs – They’re easy to digest.
- Include headers – Make them strong and action-oriented and use keywords or phrases.
I hope I’ve piqued your curiosity. Just Google up “writing for the web,” and you’ll find tons of information.
My goal in writing these two posts is not necessarily to send you off to create your own web content, though you certainly can and should if you’ve a mind. What I really want to do is to help you appreciate the skill that it requires to create copy that’s concise, credible, and meaningful. And that’s why you probably want to hire a copywriter.
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