Writing Content for the Web

Craig Borysowich (Chief Technology Tactician)

In contrast with written documentation, Web content is non-linear. Rather than reading through material sequentially, the target audience accesses each page on a Web site using hyperlinks. The user chooses a path for navigating the site and may at any time link to another site on the Web.

Guidelines

With this in mind, here are some general guidelines for creating Web content:

· Split the information into coherent chunks that can standalone and connect the information using hyperlinks.

· Be concise. Keep individual chunks (i.e., the pages) short. Aim for the equivalent of one to three printed pages of text for each Web page.

· Use nested headings, i.e., a general heading followed by sub-headings.

· Use meaningful names for the headings and for the title of the Web page. The titles and headings are indicative of the content within.

· Highlight keywords in the text using typeface variations or color for emphasis.

· Use bulleted lists.

· Present just one idea per paragraph of text.

· Avoid writing sentences using "click here" to designate a link. Write the sentence as you normally would and place the hyperlink next to the most relevant word in a sentence.

· Don't overuse hyperlinks. Incorporate the most important and relevant hyperlinks within the main body of the text. Add a section at the bottom of the document for additional links that may be of interest to the reader.