Writing for the Web...
People typically don't read online the same way they read a
book or a letter. Instead, they tend to scan Web pages to find
the information they are looking for quickly. They start in the
top left corner and briefly run their eyes across the first line
or two and down the left-hand side. If you could follow the
pattern of their eyes, it would resemble the letter "F".
They come to Web sites to find the answer to a question or to
complete a task. Put yourself in your visitors' place. What are
the questions they are asking? What are the tasks they want to
do? Think of your Web site as your side of a conversation with a
very busy person.
Break up your information into small pieces to help them
easily find the answer to their question or the steps to do
their task. Avoid lengthy explanations; use links to point to
more extensive resources. For each topic on your Web site, you
should think about your content from your site visitors' point
of view. If they called instead of going to the Web site, what
would they ask? What would your answer be?
Use headings and lists
Help your visitors find what they are looking for by using
bold headings that match what your site visitors are most likely
seeking. They want only the information that satisfies the need
that brought them to your site.
Page length
The length of your web page is entirely in your hands. It can
be 5 lines of text or 50,000 lines of text. However, keep in
mind that the longer your page, the longer it will take to
download, and the more a visitor will have to scroll. Beware:
people hate to wait and people hate to scroll. And if
they have to do either at your site, they will hate you. One
or two screenloads of information is ideal.
If you have more to say or more to show, consider breaking
the information up into additional pages. Or, put a list of
topics at the top of the page that visitors can click on to drop
further down the page to that topic. You may have seen this
second option used on a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page.
Keep them coming back
It's important to update your content frequently so it looks
like there's something new to explore every time a visitor comes
back to your site. Adding fresh content from month to month will
keep them coming back for more, which will help you with your
search engine rankings. Announce a new service or discount a
product for a limited time.
You don't need to refresh your entire site. A new headline
and fresh introductory copy on your home page may be all that it
takes to give your site an updated look. Rotating images is
another easy way to give your home page a new look with minimal
effort.
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