Writing content
Writing tips
- Cut the fluff - write for your target audience not for yourself (or anyone else who is not your target reader). Usually, web content should have half the word count of its printed equivalent
- Put the most important content at the top of the web page. Explanations and ‘preamble’ (if needed at all) can come after
- Use headings and subheadings. Put keywords as close to the start of a heading as possible (remember: users tend to scan down the left side of the content)
- Use lists
- Use clear and simple language:
- address your reader as 'you' and refer to your organisation as 'we';
- keep sentences short;
- write in the active form, eg 'We did the research so that...' instead of 'The research was done by us so that...';
- avoid slang or jargon.
- Keep paragraphs short, with just one idea per paragraph
- Check the spelling, grammar and consistency of your web pages.
Things to avoid
- Exclamation marks!!!!!
- Adjectives that express opinion (eg 'this fantastic discovery,' 'a brilliant team'), unless they’re part of a quoted remark
- CAPITAL LETTERS, unless automatically capitalised as part of the template, or writing an acronym
Try using the Hemingway App to make your writing clearer and bolder.
