Writing for the Web is very different from Writing for Print. Honest. I’m not just saying so ‘cause I want to make some bucks from my Writing for the Web Course at The Writers College. (Well, that would be good too, but this article is a bit more about the why’s and how’s, rather than the smoking new iPad that I want to buy).
Writing for the Web is a matter of survival.
People Read Differently on the Web
The first reason you need to write in a different way for the Web is because people read differently on the web. (And by the Web, I mean the whole World Wide Web – you know websites, blogs, Facebook – everything on the Internet)
According to Web usability guru, Jakob Nielsen, writing for the Web is very different from writing for print:
- 79% of users scan the page instead of reading word-for-word
- Reading from computer screens is 25% slower than from paper
- Web content should have at the least 50% of the word count of its paper equivalent
So, take a guess: where do your eyes go first when you read articles on the Web?
What do you notice, and what do you miss?
The upper left quarter of the screen gets the most attention, according to the Eyetrack III research of The Poynter Institute, the Estlow Center for Journalism & New Media, and Eyetools.
Eyetrack III found some very common behaviour patterns. Reconnaissance comes first. Eyes flick over the entire screen at whatever attracts their attention. The first hot spots include headlines, captions of images, subheadings, links, menu items and the logo of the page.
We Skim Web Pages
We skim web pages. We don’t read them. And once you understand that basic principle, you are able to understand that writing for the web is a whole new discipline that needs to be learned, practised and mastered.
In the course of my business I have had far too many people tell me that they do not need copy written for their website; they can use their annual report or corporate brochures. Not even the badly disguised look of horror on my face and persuasive arguing can convince them that what works in print, really does not work on the Web.
A New Website Needs to be Written as well as Designed
And the teccies who build websites often believe they can do it all (but they can’t). Most of them will not even whisper to a client how essential it is for a website to be written as well as designed.
So, one more fact. The power on the web lies in the hands of the searchers, your audience. They are the ones who type words into search engines that find our articles and websites. We, as the web writers need to know what words they are going to type and match them in our writing. (Knowing your audience is the cornerstone of web writing).
Web Writing and Reading is a Multi-dimensional Experience
OK, to the point – we understand that a reading experience on the Web is multi-dimensional. Hyperlinks throughout Web text have conditioned Internet users to jump pages and topics in the middle of a paragraph. Other options are more readily available than they are in other formats. As a web writer you need to anticipate this, hold your audience and “lead” them where you want within your website.
Some call it SEO writing, or content writing or Web copy writing – there is a degree of difference between all of these – even blogging is Web writing. All of this is a whole different ball game.
About the Author
Karen Lotter’s Writing for the Web Course, as well as the Writing for Social Media Course, are offered at SA Writers’ College, NZ Writers’ College and UK Writers’ College. Suitable for everyone from students to CEOs.
ABOUT THE WRITERS’ COLLEGE
(NZ Writers’ College, SA Writers’ College, UK Writers’ College)
We are an online writing school with three country-specific branches offering over 30 specialist online writing courses run by multi-award-winning authors, journalists, scriptwriters, poets and copywriters. From journalism to creative writing courses to writing for the web, our courses offer one-to-one tuition at an affordable cost.
Our tutors have collectively accumulated more than 40 international writing awards, including many Qantas Awards, several Commonwealth Writers’ Prizes, four Emmy Awards, the Montana New Zealand Book Awards, ATKV Awards, the Caine Prize for African Writing, the Pen/HSBC Awards, the Sir David Beatie Award, the George Foster Peabody Award and the Reed Fiction Award.
We offer no-nonsense, practical, challenging training for writers who are serious about getting published.
Contact us for more information about our courses.
THE WRITERS’ COLLEGE ONLINE WRITING COURSES |
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| Magazine Journalism | Advanced Magazine Journalism | Travel Writing |
| Broadcast Journalism | Basics of Creative Writing | Advanced Creative Writing |
| Short Story Writing for Magazines | Literary Short and Flash Fiction | Write a Novel |
| Advanced Novel Writing | Introduction to Poetry | Scriptwriting |
| Scriptwriting for Games and Online Video | Writing Books for Children | Write Your Memoir |
| Creative Writing for High School Students | Writing Coach Course | Business Writing Toolkit |
| Grammar Skills | Advanced Grammar for Writers | Write Better Newsletters |
| Write Better Letters | Writing for the Web | Writing for Social Media |
| Press Release and Media Writing | Copywriting | Break Through your Writing Barriers |
