Writing for the Web

You may have heard that "nobody reads on the web." Wrong. Everybody reads on the web, and nobody knows this better than you (or you wouldn't be reading this). But admit it, you usually don't read in an in-depth fashion or for very long on any one page.

For the most part, people skim a web page rapidly, looking for the main ideas. This is because people principally use the web to gather information—so writing that conveys information quickly and clearly is good web writing. Cut the fat out, use action words and move your reader quickly to the next piece of information.

What people actually do on the web is click, allowing them to jump to the next page or piece of information. "Next," "Learn more" and the ever-popular "Click here"—these are words people scan for and respond to, because their results are predictable and immediate. These terms help people move deeper into the content of your website so that they can find what they're looking for.

Instructive, active words streamline your site, creating not only a positive web experience but a positive feeling about your content. More than design, more than technology, more than multimedia, words matter.