TOP 10 web-writing tips

Comments and additions welcome.

During the last 18 months I have reviewed around 100 web sites for companies across the UK (as part of around 20 training courses I have delivered in ‘Writing for the Web’ for 4 different clients).

Here’s what I think are the most common mistakes – otherwise known as ‘My pet hates.’ They cover issues such as structure and style, language and layout.

1. Get to the point quick

Keep the text on your home page short. People don’t want to read a great long introduction; they can read all that stuff on your ‘About Us’ page. Welcome them, of course, but then direct them quickly onto the pages they are looking for.

2. Tell us about YOU

Take time to prepare your ‘About Us pages. Convey your organisation, and its character, and do it in an interesting way – maybe with a timeline, some personal names, or key dates. I am amazed by how many organisations have boring, poorly written or uninformative text - which is a complete turn off.

3. ‘Mind the gap’

‘Any old Joe’ can put up a faceless web site, so try and bridge the gap between you and the reader. Use ‘We’ and ‘You’ etc. rather than referring to your company name all the time. Imagine you are speaking to a customer face-to-face, not writing corporate babble.

4. Make reading easy

Reading text on a computer screen is ten times harder than in print because of the fewer pixels and backlit screen. So make it easy. Use short sentences and paragraphs, narrow columns, and bullet points – the latter are excellent for slowing readers down and emphasising key points.

5. Who do I contact?

As a journalist, there is nothing more annoying than finding a press release on a website with no specified name or phone number to contact. So I have to ring the switchboard, listen to Elgar for several minutes, till finally I am put through to the right person. Why can’t their details be on the company news/media page? Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

Read nos 6-10 on my web site.

www.robertbullard.com/blog