"How to" Tips:
Writing for the Web
Things to Consider
Some Do's
-
Use short sentences - sentence fragments are
OK
-
Use short paragraphs - no more than 50 words/paragraph
-
Put a space between paragraphs
-
Use sub-heads - where appropriate use action
words, not labels
-
Use bullet points
-
Use simple words ... "walk" not "ambulate"
-
Use consistent terminology - "quarterly
schedule"? "class schedule"?
-
Prompt your reader to take action - "Start
here" "Contact Us"
-
Proof and spell check your content
Some Don'ts
-
Beware of bold or underlined words
and phrases - people might think these are links
-
Do not use ALL CAPS in your text - IT IS VERY
DIFFICULT TO READ IF IT GOES ON TOO LONG ON YOUR PAGE AND YOUR
VISITORS WILL LEAVE RATHER THAN SLOG THROUGH THE CONTENT
- NO MATTER HOW WELL IT IS WRITTEN
-
Don't go overboard with italics, use them for
specific emphasis - Again, too much of this kind of text gets to
be very difficult to read after a few lines so use italics
sparingly.
-
Do not center major portions of your text -
it is difficult to read. (See footer content for an example of
centered text.)
Learn More
Read these
articles
from Jacob Nielsen's
www.useit.com website.
How Users Read on the Web: (October 1997 - and STILL
relevant!)
www.useit.com/alertbox/9710a.html
Why Web Users Scan Instead of Read: www.useit.com/alertbox/whyscanning.html
How Little do Users Read? (May 2008)
www.useit.com/alertbox/percent-text-read.html
Usability of Websites for Teenagers: (January 2005) www.useit.com/alertbox/20050131.html
Last updated:
May 06, 2008
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