The Rules of Writing for the Web
Understand Reader Behavior

We already know people typically only read 20% of the page. But how do they read it? Understanding readers is the first step to becoming a better web writer yourself. 

This is what research shows in common reader behaviour online:

  • Read page title and a few words of the intro
  • Scroll down, scroll down
  • Scan for a few key sentences
  • Scroll all the way down to see how long the article is
  • Maybe go back to the top and read more thoroughly

This means important information has to come fast.

 Think of text Visually

Let’s try to make a text as easy to digest and efficient as possible. This is done through:

Bulleted lists: such as this one. They help break down the information on the page into digestible chunks.
Headers: give a clear structure to your text (and also help with SEO).
Go bold: helps highlight the important information for skimmers.
Look at the negative space: or whitespace on the page. This helps avoid huge walls of text and long sentences. Break it down into smaller sections whenever possible.
Fonts matter: You want the text to be legible and pleasant to look at. On all devices and screen sizes!
Extra media: add images, graphics, and even videos to break down the text.

Quotes, infographics, nice paragraph separators. Anything goes as long as your page is beautiful to look at. It helps if you have a good understanding of visual design, but even if you don’t, try to scroll up and down your content: does it look dense with words and intimidating, or does it feel airy and digestible?

 Use Text Analysis Tools

Robots are going to take our jobs. It’s only fair to use them before they start using us. Aside from the regular spell check and word count tools, there are a few third-party services such as:

  • Grammarly: the free writing assistant is everywhere these days, and their grammar-improving AI is pretty good.
  • Copyscape: search engines frown upon plagiarism, so you might want to check whether the content you have not written yourself is 100% unique.

  • There are several rules you should follow when communicating online - whether on blogs, social networks, private conversations or even online classrooms.

Why Should I Avoid Capital Letters When Writing Online?

Do not use ALL capital letters to emphasize or highlight your message. This is considered to be rude and can be interpreted as shouting at someone in terms of email etiquette. Use diplomatic language.

Should I Put My Nickname On My Email Signature:

As a standard rule, all users must have their first and last name appear at the top of their email signature without exception. The name should always be their proper name, not a nickname. If a user so wishes, a middle name or initial can also be included.
Using Emoticons Online:

In a simple but revealing new study from Ben-Gurion University, researchers discovered that adding a smiley face to a work email is generally a bad idea if you want the recipient to view you as competent; it can actually detract from the recipient's perception of you and inspire less information sharing in response.

Because of their rich emotional meanings, emoji are often used to express emotions in online communication. In general, users tend to use emojis in positive messages and to use them less in sad or angry messages 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_emoticons

Be kind and professional

Online communication comes with a level of anonymity that doesn’t exist when you’re talking to someone face-to-face. Sometimes this leads people to behave rudely when they disagree with one another. Make a point to be kind and respectful in your comments—even if you disagree with someone.

writting for the web bad and good example

Bad and good examples of writing for the web

https://www.tooltester.com/en/blog/writing-for-the-web/

Laatste wijziging: zaterdag, 19 februari 2022, 20:48