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Writing for the Web

Reading Web material is different from reading print material.

BECAUSE Web users:

  • don't Read every word on the page
  • they scan the page for individual words and sentences.

IN FACT:

  • 80% of users scan
  • 16 % read every word.

Good Web writing should help users to find useful information as quickly as possible.

SO Web Pages must make content scanning easier.

WITH:

  • highlighted, Bold, Underlined Coloured or different fonts for Keywords
  • meaningful sub-headings, tables of contents and section summaries
  • bulleted lists, additional headings
  • shorter paragraphs with one Idea per paragraph. Topic sentences first
  • an inverted pyramid style with the conclusion first
  • more concise writing-half the word count of conventional writing
  • less scrolling.

Credibility is also important to users and can be improved.

BY USING:

  • good quality graphics
  • good writing
  • links to other external sites
  • objective writing which avoids exaggeration and "marketese".

A 159% improvement in usability was achieved experimentally by improving scannability, conciseness and objectivity.

(From Morkes, and Nielson, 1997)

Alert Box Articles

Here is a selection of articles on Web use by Jacob Nielson.

If you would like to read more of these you can follow the link shown at the bottom of each article.

How to write for the web http://www.useit.com/alertbox/9703b.html

How to write inverted pyramids http://www.useit.com/alertbox/9606.html

How people read on the web http://www.useit.com/alertbox/9710a.html

The increasing conservatism of web users http://www.useit.com/alertbox/980322.html

The difference between print design and web design http://www.useit.com/alertbox/990124.html

Eye-tracking study of web readers http://www.useit.com/alertbox/20000514.html

Avoid .pdf for on-screen reading http://www.useit.com/alertbox/20010610.html