Writing for the Web
Hans Põldoja

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94105, USA.

How people read on
the web?

How people read on the web
• Reading from computer screens is slower than
reading on paper
• Skim and scan
• Pick out key words, phrases and fragments
• Pay attention to only some parts of the page
• Are guided by headings, links and bullet points
• Are action oriented

F-shaped reading pattern
(Nielsen, 2006)

Implications of the F Pattern
• Users won't read your text thoroughly
• The first two paragraphs must state the most
important information
• Start subheads, paragraphs, and bullet points with
information-carrying words

How people find
content?

How people find content
• Most users get to web pages from search engines,
links on other websites, or links within a website
• Every page should be written as if the user hasn’t
seen the rest of the site
• Some of them may not even know where they are

Tips for writing

Voice and tone
• Active
• Personal
• Friendly
• Informal without being too casual

Varying your voice
• Corporate websites: efficient, informative, but
approachable
• Intranet: less formal, community-focused (us not
you), inclusive
• Blogs: informal, conversational, inviting responses (if
work related, they still have to be professional and
make some grammatical sense)

Active voice
The active voice is more direct and uses fewer
words
• Passive: The lecture was enjoyed by the IMKE
students
• Active: IMKE students enjoyed the lecture

Personal voice
• Impersonal: Web users may subscribe to the free
email newsletter below
• Personal: Sign up for your free email newsletter here!

Traditional academic writing
Pyramid style
• Lays the foundation with lots of supporting
research
• Builds to a logical conclusion
• Takes a lot of reading to get to the point

Inverted pyramid
• Catch your readers’ attention in the first few
words
• Start with the conclusion, follow with the details
• Focus on key facts: who, what, where, when, why
and how
• Only one idea per paragraph
• Use half the word count of traditional writing

Language
• As simple as possible
• Never use a long word when a short one will do
• Beware of acronyms (PLE? LMS? LO?, OER?, ...)

Layout and formatting
• Small chunks
• Subheadings
• Use bullet points whenever possible
• Use bold intelligently and sparingly
• Avoid italics
• Write numbers as numerals (5 instead of five)

Writing headlines
• Short, specific, tells the story
• Include keywords
• Include place names
• Don’t use metaphors and wordplay
• Needs to make sense on its own

Writing links
• Links should be self-explanatory
• Don’t waste words writing click here or follow this
link
• Web addresses shouldn’t be used as the text for
links: You can book online
• If the link takes users to a different section or
website, make that clear

Keep it short
• Headlines: 8 words or less
• Sentences: 15 to 20 words
• Paragraphs: 40 to 70 words
• Break long articles / documents into several pages

Writing for search
engines

HTML header
<title>Imke Lass | Photography</title>
<META NAME="Description" CONTENT="Imke Lass, a Savannah,
Georgia based editorial photographer specializing in
documentary, travel and portrait photography. ">
<META NAME="Keywords" CONTENT="Imke Lass, Imka Lass,
photography, southeast, photographer, editorial
photographer, documentary, photojournalism, travel
photography, portraits, portrait photography, Savannah,
landscape">

An example

Promotional writing
Nebraska is filled with internationally recognized
attractions that draw large crowds of people every
year, without fail. In 1996, some of the most
popular places were Fort Robinson State Park
(355,000 visitors), Scotts Bluff National
Monument (132,166), Arbor Lodge State
Historical Park & Museum (100,000), Carhenge
(86,598), Stuhr Museum of the Prairie Pioneer
(60,002), and Buffalo Bill Ranch State Historical
Park (28,446).
(Nielsen, 1997)

Concise text
In 1996, six of the best-attended attractions in
Nebraska were Fort Robinson State Park, Scotts
Bluff National Monument, Arbor Lodge State
Historical Park & Museum, Carhenge, Stuhr
Museum of the Prairie Pioneer, and Buffalo Bill
Ranch State Historical Park.

Scannable layout
Nebraska is filled with internationally recognized
attractions that draw large crowds of people every
year, without fail. In 1996, some of the most
popular places were:
• Fort Robinson State Park (355,000 visitors)
• Scotts Bluff National Monument (132,166)
• Arbor Lodge State Historical Park & Museum
(100,000)
• Carhenge (86,598)
• Stuhr Museum of the Prairie Pioneer (60,002)
• Buffalo Bill Ranch State Historical Park
(28,446).

Objective language
Nebraska has several attractions. In 1996, some
of the most-visited places were Fort Robinson
State Park (355,000 visitors), Scotts Bluff
National Monument (132,166), Arbor Lodge State
Historical Park & Museum (100,000), Carhenge
(86,598), Stuhr Museum of the Prairie Pioneer
(60,002), and Buffalo Bill Ranch State Historical
Park (28,446).

Combined version
In 1996, six of the most-visited places in
Nebraska were:
• Fort Robinson State Park
• Scotts Bluff National Monument
• Arbor Lodge State Historical Park & Museum
• Carhenge
• Stuhr Museum of the Prairie Pioneer
• Buffalo Bill Ranch State Historical Park

Usability improvement
Promotional writing (control condition) 0%
Concise text 58%
Scannable layout 47%
Objective language 27%
Combined version 124%

Useful resources

http://www.useit.com/papers/webwriting/

http://crofsblogs.typepad.com

http://www.plainlanguage.gov

Group task

Group task
• Find a poorly written text from some Estonian
governmental website
• How this text can be improved?
• Rewrite one paragraph

References
• Bennett, J.T. (2009). Writing for the Web. http://www.slideshare.net/
stetsonhatter/writing-for-the-web-1306005
• Costigan, P., Gardiner, K. (2008). Writing for the web. http://www.slideshare.net/
kmjgardiner/writing-for-the-web-presentation-725277
• Hibberd, G. (2009). Writing For The Web. http://www.slideshare.net/ghibberd/
writing-for-the-web-1493491
• Nielsen, J. (1997). How Users Read on the Web. http://www.useit.com/alertbox/
9710a.html
• Nielsen, J. (2006). F-Shaped Pattern For Reading Web Content. http://
www.useit.com/alertbox/reading_pattern.html
• Starr, J. (2009). Writing For The Web. http://www.slideshare.net/starrjulie/writing-
for-the-web-with-notes-on-slides

Photos
• Ethan R, http://www.flickr.com/photos/etharooni/2648639630/

Thank you!
• hans.poldoja@tlu.ee
• http://www.slideshare.net/hanspoldoja