What’s So Different About Writing For The Web?
The difference is that when someone reads a newspaper, they’re
holding the page in their hands, know what they want to read (which is
why they bought the paper) and read the sections that appeal to them the
most.
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Whereas on the web, people find you by accident, through a search
engine, or a link in twitter.
Then they decide: Will I read or go back?
If they read on, they don’t read word by word.
Instead they scan. They scan the page and look at the:
- Headlines
- Bolded text
- Images (and supporting text)
- Snippets
- Bullet lists
And other fragments that place the article in context.
If they really like it they go back to the top and read in more depth.
Readers scan.
This means when you write your content, develop it so that these ‘flags’
help draw the reader into the site.
One way is to use the inverted pyramid?
Huh?
This means that you write the article in the form of a pyramid:
At the top, introduce the main points in a short summary.
Next, introduce the key points and place things in context
Then, give more, more detailed information.
This style of writing is very common with journalists and reporters.
If you plan to write for the web, and want to increase the amount of
time readers spend on the site, look at how stories are written for
newspapers.
See how the article:
- Draws you in quickly
- Gives the critical points up front
- Removes all fluff and verbose terms
- Uses short sentences
- Short paragraphs
and closes by inviting you into the conversation.
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