Good Web writing is a skill

For those of you re-purposing, or producing, news content as well as magazine-style features for the Web, here are a few handy pointers:

• Make it concise – you don’t want your readers scrolling through reams and reams of text. Good writing doesn’t necessarily have to be lengthy.
• Break it up – subheads help the flow of the story/informational article and are also good for those who don’t read everything, i.e. the “scanners”.
• Make it compelling – pull the best quotes, showcase the strongest visuals, write tight.
• Hyperlink – your article is not a standalone piece on the Web. Link it to other meaningful content that readers will appreciate. Be a connector, but don’t overdo it.
• Edit – be your own editor; chop, refine, rewrite. Always proofread everything and double-check hyperlinks.

Understand and respect the medium and always remember to cater to your audience. Web content should be quick, provide pertinent information that’s easy to grasp and be of value. If you put yourself in the readers’ shoes, you won’t go wrong.

Bottomline: Make your Web writing clutter-free, lucid and engaging.

Here are some more tips:
10 Tips for Good Web Writing from About.com

Writing for the Web from Sun.com

Have more tips to share? Add ‘em in the comments.

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Tags: blogging, chop, editing, editor, internet, job, journalism, online, relationships, skills, tips, web, words, write, writer

This entry was posted on June 22, 2009 at 11:42 am and is filed under writing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.