Writing for the web: it's not like print
In many ways, ‘writing for the web’ is just effective writing: brief, well-organised and relevant to the needs of its readers.
However, there are differences too: in this article I'll briefly consider hyperlinks, headings, your audience and a website's scope.
Hyperlinks
Hyperlinks connect one image or piece of text with another part of the same web page, a page somewhere else on the same site, or a file somewhere else on the web. The target of a hyperlink usually appears in the status bar at the bottom of your browser window as you move your mouse over it. Links to other sites create maintenance work as you have no way of knowing when the other site is rebuilt: the domain name could be sold and the content completely replaced, so site maintenance must include a regular program of checking these links.
The wording of a hyperlink should make it quite clear what will happen when it is activated (usually by clicking on it). In general, the result of clicking on a link should not be a surprise: if it will take the reader to a download file, or to a different website, or open a new window, that should be apparent.
Text hyperlinks should rarely be more than five to six words long – button text is generally only one or two words.
Avoid ‘click here’! If it looks like a hyperlink, anyone who has been using the web for more than five minutes knows they will need to click to activate it (unless of course they're using a keyboard to navigate, in which case they'll probably tab to the link and hit ‘Enter’). Ideally, every link should make sense out of context, and should be unique on the page: this means that when someone using a screen reader chooses a list of the links on a page, each of them makes sense.
Consider whether links are better placed within the flow of text or at the end of a document: on the one hand in-text links are immediate and their context is clear; on the other they may break up visitors' ‘flow’. There is no one right answer.
Headings
In almost any well-written document, headings make structure explicit: that is, they show how the information is organised and broken up.
On a website, readers may be able to see only a small section of a page's content at any one time. Headings allow readers to scan a page and get a good idea of what it's about: in some browsers and screen readers, visitors can also skip from heading to heading.
Clear headings which include relevant key words also help search engines to understand what your page is about. If the term 'water tanks' is included in a heading, it's reasonable to assume that page will be more relevant to a search for 'water tanks' than a page with the same term somewhere else in the text of the page. Avoid the temptation to use cute or proprietary terms unless you are confident that these are terms your prospective customers are likely to search for.
Audience
A print publication is published in a known market or markets, for a relatively well-known audience. A book is a fixed object: every reader has the same experience.
By contrast, your website can be accessed anywhere in the world. Some people will read it on a computer screen, some on a mobile phone. Some may listen to it using a screen reader, or use a braille reader.
Your content should be written to accomodate all these visitors.
Scope
One of the major differences between a website and a printed publications such as a book is that a book has a defined size: once it has been printed (and indeed well before then) the total size is known and does not change. A website can easily grow from just a few pages to dozens or hundreds: without effective content management, it can turn into a maze in which readers wander in vain, searching for information which is relevant to their needs.
Contact me to learn how to keep your customers on the path to the information they seek.
Contact me: by email or GPO Box 729, Hobart, TAS 7001
ABN: 62 074 259 030
About this site © Elizabeth Spiegel, 2005–2012