Things to Avoid
Overlong Sentences
It’s easy to get carried away with what you’re writing, and think a comma here and there will suffice. It won’t. The average article will include sentences no longer than 30 words – and usually a lot less than that. Following a sentence with more than 30 words in it is fairly difficult! Don’t use words you don’t need. Something doesn’t need to be “incredibly historic” or “massively improved”. Adjectives are great for creative writing and for setting a scene, but they often have little place in the short and sharp world of writing for the web.
Apple.com showcases a perfect example of clear, effective and concise copy. The image above shows their homepage as it stands in the month of the launch of their newest product, the iPad. Three simple words and a high-quality picture are all they need to get the message across. This is, of course, an extreme example but it illustrates the point; less is more.
Humour
This is such a contentious topic among writers, especially those who write web copy. Some believe that using humour in copywriting adds personality and enables the reader to connect to the writing. Others believe it (unnecessarily) leaves the writing open to interpretation. It’s worth remembering that humour is highly subjective. What you find funny, others may not, and it may go so far as to put them off your writing. There are of course always exceptions to the rule, but if you are ever in doubt, keep it simple and “humourless”. There are other ways of injecting personality into your copy – writing flair and imagery are examples of this.
Acronyms and Caps Lock
Assume ignorance on your readers part when it comes to acronyms. The first time you want to write an acronym, always write the full version of it. So BBC would become British Broadcasting Company. By all means, put the acronym in brackets afterwards, eg British Broadcasting Company (BBC), but assume that your readers will not understand the acronym from the off.
If you want to put emphasis on a word, caps lock is not a good idea. Use italics (though not in abundance) or bold the word/s.
Tips and Hints
Think about “House Style”. While writing for the web is an international concept, take a quick look at the other content on the site and take note of the following things; do they use American or British spellings of words like colour/color, recognise/recognize? Is their style light and informal or professional and stoic? How is other content on the site structured?
Things like this may take a while to get right, and more often than not there will be an editor or proofreader on hand to help you out, but it’s always best to try and get it right first time. It casts you in a better light and saves valuable time.
Use descriptive and concise headings/sub-headings. Get straight to the point with them and make them stand out from the rest of the text. So much of web content is skim-read, and only concentrated on when the reader sees something they deem to be worth reading. Make sure it’s your snappy sub-heading that draws them in! For an informative look at how headings affect sales, have a look in this study.
If you are writing an article for an organisation, the chances are you will be writing as the voice of that company or organisation. Your opinion will not necessarily be that of your employer, and it is therefore best to try to keep your writing factual and impartial.
Lastly – if you want to use link text, make sure it is as part of your sentence and not as a standalone “click on this”. Make sure it is context and worth clicking on. Don’t spam your unwitting reader unnecessarily.
In short – the most effective way to write copy for the web, and great copy at that, is to be smart and to the point. Don’t waffle, engage your readers, sell the product or idea and keep on topic. Sometimes it can be difficult to master all these things at once but once you have, the difference you’ll see in your writing will be well worth the time spent getting it right.
