Writing for the Web

Tips to help you succeed in your web writing

I’m really not much of a writer. I have the technical part pretty much down, i.e., spelling, grammar, punctuation, etc., but when it comes to being creative — nothing! There is a lot of free stuff out there — and I mean truly free — which is better than having to pay thousands of dollars. If you are like me without a creative writing bone in your body, there are articles written by those that do have them. These can be found on such sites as EzineArticles.com.

Use word processing software

Since this articles is about writing, however, and not publishing another’s work, let me remind you to use that word processor on your PC to its fullest extent. All of the really good ones provide tools to check spelling, grammar and punctuation. If you don’t have one of these good ones, I suggest that you check out OpenOffice.org for their free software suite.

Keep content concise

Many people find it difficult to read from a screen rather than paper. They also seem to have a much shorter attention span. For this reason, keep your articles between 300 and 600 words. If it is longer, break up the article into multiple pages. Use bullets and numbered lists as well as subheadings to make it easier to scan your content. See more in Limiting Your Content.

“Business casual” applies to content, too

Just as dressing in the business world has become more casual — who wears a suit or dress to work anymore — content has moved away from the formal formatting and tone most of us learned in English class. While it is still important to use proper grammar and spelling, write for the web as if you were in the same room as your reader, meeting face-to-face.

Stick to a theme

Strive for consistency throughout your website by using the same fonts for body copy and headings. Make sure that your headings also are consistent in their use of color.

Web writing courses

If you are really struggling with what to write and how to write it, sign up for a web writing course (known as “Copywriting “). Here are a few options:

•   Copywriting 2.0: Your Complete Guide to Writing Web Copy that Convertsby American Writers & Artists Inc. (AWAI) is probably the best course you can take. It is aimed at those who want to make a living writing web copy for others but you can definitely use what you learn for your own website. Besides web copy the course also covers e-mail messages such as those used in auto-responders and sales letters.
• Master Copywriting with Ted Nicholas
  The Legendary Ted Nicholas, Perhaps The Highest Paid Speaker And Copywriter In The World Per Word Reveals How He Sold Over 7 Billion Dollars Of Products And Services For Himself And His Clients.
• Web Copywriting Course
  Power Copywriting For The Internet  – Killer web copywriting course from Bob Serling.
• My Instant Swipe file
  “Write million-dollar copy instantly with the help of the world’s best copywriters.”