Writing for the Web


Use these helpful tips to write effectively and make your content friendly for all website users.  


Writing for the Web

Do:

  • Be concise. Know your audience and tailor the text for them. 
  • Chunk content so it is easy-to-read. Users can consume information much easier if it is grouped together and clear for the reader to understand.            
  • Use bullets to help users scan the content on a webpage to quickly find information.
  • Write in the active voice.
  • Help readers find the right topics by using headers of five to eight words and subheaders with no more than 10 words. 
  • Place properly-sized images for the web so they add value to the webpage. If an image is too large, it will take longer to load on the page and may cause the user to close the browser window. 

 

Don’t:    

  • Use too much bold or italic text. 
  • Place too much content on a webpage. The more text, the less likely people will read it. Break text up on multiple pages if you cannot reduce it. 
  • Fill your content with technical jargon or acronyms that website users may not understand. 
  • Link to .pdf files that are not accessible.