Writing for Web

Mirjam Schaap Wageningen UR Centre for Development Innovation (CDI)

Knowledge Sharing + Capacity Development training Integrated Seed Sector Development Programme in Ethiopia, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia, July 2012

Web content - it’s about them, not about you

Know your reader and write for them Scannable pages: headings/emphasis Active voice: the subject acts Reverse pyramid

most important / newsworthy info supporting information

background

Front loaded paragraphs (conclusion first) One idea per paragraph

Headings

Most important content you write Used by readers to scan Used by search engines to rank relevance

Strong descriptive headings less than 8 words include the most important keywords Cut out adjectives and prepositions (and, the, a, of) Be clear and precise

Content

Keep content short, get to the point Emphasize important words Write for how people search

Recommended lengths Headings: 8 words or less Summaries: 50 words or less Sentences: 15-20 words Paragraphs: 40-70 words Webpage: 500 words or less

Good Summaries

Objective: to make people want to read on;

Use it for lead listed on overview pages start of your webpage

Punchy + factual who, what, where, when, how less than 50 words

Edit, edit, edit

“So what?“ test: why should reader listen to you? 30-50% of time it took to write content

Is it clear? Is it necessary - “kill your babies”? Is there a shorter way to say this? Is there a simpler way to say this? Grammar + spell check: leave for last

Enjoy your writing !

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