Communication
Category
Web Hosts
Web Communication
Home
Links
|
|
|
Intro
Big books can be filled with hints and tips for writing texts for web pages.
But most authors of web texts simply do not have the time to bother reading that much about it.
That's why you find the most important hints and tips in just a few paragraphs on this page.
Brevity
Ironically, their readers - the people who are going to visit the pages they write texts for -
also do not want to take the time to read anything they don't need. So the most important
tip for writers of texts for web pages is: be brief! And do not just keep your sentences brief,
but also try to keep the number of sentences down. It is amazing how many surfers are not
too prepared to scroll down a page to read the rest. So try to limit your texts to the size of one
monitor view. Or if you cannot do that, mention the essentials in the top part of your text. Then
at least you can be reasonably sure that people read the most important information.
Easy
For the same reason it is necessary to keep sentences and terminology easy. Parenthetic or comment clauses
should be avoided, if at all possible. And keep your terminology as easy as possible, especially if your page
is not intended to be read by experienced and specialised professionals only. So if you can avoid
difficult words, do so.
Catchy
But, before you can have someone read your text, he has to decide he actually wants to read it.
The fact that he has somehow found your page does not mean he is going to read what is on it.
If the content or layout of the page somehow is not attractive to him, he will surf on and skip your text.
A good rule of thumb would be: "If my web page were a magazine cover, would people want to buy it?"
If the answer to this question could be "no", it is time you considered making improvements.
Take a good look at your page. Make your heading catchy. If necessary, include a picture.
(But make sure that it is not so big that it takes long to load: web surfers hate waiting!)
Choose one or two that really grab people's attention. Avoid long and complex sentences (see above).
If the subject you are writing about can be broken down into many different sub themes, consider
dividing those over different pages - and provide links.
Serenely
Not only the text counts. Apart from the heading and any pictures you might use, the layout
of the page should be quiet and serene. If you do not take that into account, people are going
to be scared off and will not even read your text!
So do not use more than a few pictures.
Limit the use of colours to just a few that tone in with one another -
or two or three contrasting ones. But avoid making your page look like a fun fair. Especially if your target
audience consists mainly of adults. A pandemonium of colours deters many surfers.
Quietly
The same goes for movement and sound. Sound should usually be avoided. If you do want to use sound, make
sure you have a very good reason to do so. Tastes in music differ so much that it is usually not a good idea to
provide music with your web page. Also, it distracts the surfer and takes his attention from
reading your text. Movement or animation is also something you should be very careful with. Use it
sparingly. Too much movement can make that same fun fair impression. Many people find it exhausting.
And distracting. It may be necessary to include a moving sponsor's logo.
But try to steer clear of other forms of movement as much as possible.
And if you are forced to include a moving element - like an animated .gif picture -
try to put it in a place where it doesn't continually bother the viewers.
Repeatedly
If certain pieces of information are very important, make sure you mention them repeatedly on the different pages of
your site. Readers tend to forget a lot of information from previous pages, so repeat the essentials.
Correctly
Make certain that all the information you present, is accurate. Also check your use of language. It makes a really bad
impression if your text contains typing, spelling, grammar or other avoidable language errors. If you are not a language
expert yourself, use an external one. (See Text Correct on Columnar.com.)
Good luck!
|
|
GET IT RIGHT:
If it gets published, it should be good. And to the point. And have impact.
And be correct. Write better texts with these suggestions.
Relevant read:
Hot Text: Web Writing That Works
|
