Helpful Hints for Writing on the Web

Over the years I have had the opportunity to teach many classes on different content management systems. While teaching folks about the steps they will use in order to get their content onto a site, I also found that many didn't understand how to write an article for the web. They didn't understand the differences that are needed for the web versus a newspaper. So I have put together a short list of helpful hints to get someone started. It is by no means a complete list but functional enough to make a difference. Please note that the more you think about your audience and the content, you will naturally start to drift towards the User Experience side of the web, there is a lot of natural overlapping.

1. Use Headlines- like a newspaper you want to grab someones attention and get them interested in your article. According to a Google expert, you have 5 seconds to impress. A very short time on the web to make your case, so do it quickly.
2. Use Headings to create natural breaks in the article. Do you have several points to clarify? Use headings to separate each point to make sure it stands out.
3. Use Bulleted lists- they are easiest to read and get your point across quickly.
4. Scannable- Make your article scannable. Make the structure and the points of action clear and easy to read.
5. Keep your audience in Mind - is this information useful? keep it short, direct and to the point.
6. Print it out. Give your audience the option to print it out. Not all folks have the time to read online, nor do they enjoy it. So give them the option to take your article with them.
7. Scrolling- If you can help it, try not to scroll vertically, keeping your readers attention. NEVER allow for horizontal scrolling.
8. Use visuals- Graphs, charts etc are always welcome to help drive your points home.
9. Don't center your text- people don't read that way.
10. Be clear on the actions you want the audience to take. If you want them to read more, then create a clear link for them to do so.

As I said before this is list to get new content writers started. I will be adding more on these topics in the upcoming months.