Writing for the Web is Different

Writing website articles and blogs is not the same as writing for a newspaper or magazine. The difference lies with the reader. It's more difficult to read anything on a monitor. It's getting easier with the more advanced monitors like the flat screen LCDs, but it still is not as easy as reading the words on a printed piece of paper.

Therefore, it's better to shorten our articles for the internet or else we might lose the reader to eye fatigue.

Also, the online reading habits are different from the printed page reading habits. Online, people prefer to scan rather than read everything from top to bottom. They first look for headings, links, keywords, etc. rather than go with the flow of the writing. Therefore, the layout of our articles is important if we are to cater to their scanning.

Keep it Short
Short articles have proven to be more attention getting than longer articles.

Get rid of the unnecessary words when proofreading. Less is more.

Remove those favorite phrases of ours... look for function over form. When in doubt, leave it out.

Keep the reader in mind at all times. It's not about us. The reader only cares about the subject of her search.

Get Right to The Point
Don't start your writing with a wordy introduction. Today's internet reader wants a quick answer to their search engine request. They don't want to know about the holiday trip that introduced you to the subject matter.

Headings Rule!
Give serious time to your headings. Powerful headings, in the active voice, attract the visitor's attention. The internet reader is scanning for a heading that resembles their Google search keywords. Why not provide it? Proofreading Services can be very helpful with this.

Visual is Important
Looks aren't everything, but it sure helps when your web page is appealing to the visitor's eye. Try to set up the page in a simple format that is easy to scan. Bold keywords and a list format can be very effective to attract attention.

Use the Language of the Reader
If it's a financial article you're writing, take a look at a couple of the online financial websites for writing style and the latest financial buzzwords. You can do the same with a cooking article. It makes the readers comfortable if you write in the style they're used to reading.

Final Editing
This is the time we all wish we had the help of the professional proofreading services. It's tough to be completely objective about your own writing. Therefore, it's a good idea to take a break after writing... and before editing.

It's time to change roles. Now, try to approach the work as if you were the reader and not the writer. This is difficult, but effective. The more detached you can get yourself from the writing, the better editing job you will do.

It's important to remember how different internet content is from traditional printed content. If you are still a doubter, just print out an article from one of your favorite websites. It will make you a believer.