WRITING AND EDITING FOR THE WEB

Write for your audience, not yourself

How do people read on the web?

Minimally.

How do people read on the web?

Ruthlessly.

How do people read on the web?

Unevenly.

F-Scan Pattern

Source: http://www.nngroup.com/articles/f-shaped-pattern-reading-web-content/

How do people read on the web?

Quickly.

How do people read on the web?

Skeptically.

How people read How our writing should be

• Minimally.• Ruthlessly.• Unevenly.• Quickly.• Skeptically.

• Concise.• Focused.• Front-loaded.• Plain and scannable.• Objective.

To be concise:• Cut the fat.

To be focused:• Eliminate anything redundant, irrelevant, or trivial.• Have a clear purpose and objective for every page.

To front load the content: • Practice BLUF (bottom line up front).

To write plainly:• Active voice.• Simple words.• Simple sentences.• Avoid jargon.

To make it scannable:• Make an intro.• Chunk it.• Add headers.• Use bullets.• Use descriptive links.

To be objective:• Avoid promotional language.

The most effective web writing is:• Concise• Scannable• Objective