Research suggests that only 16% of people read webpages word-for-word. Most people scan. People often spend only a few seconds exploring a site before determining whether to stay or leave. This means writing for the web looks very different than writing for print. Check out our chapter overview video to see an example of how to transform a traditional print paragraph into text that is easy to read on a website.
The way you organize and format a website is the first thing visitors will notice. It’s essential to design your website to be easy on the eyes. If viewers are overwhelmed and can’t figure out what to focus on, how to find information, or where to go on the site, they will make an immediate exit. We will cover how to use language in a way that appeals to your audience. Finally, we will showcase tips for writing subject specific content to engage learners.
White space is the unfilled space on your website. Keeping some space free of images or text helps to break up your page to make it less cluttered. In the example below, the Lings Cars site fails to utilize white space as a means of breaking up the content. In contrast, the Pisaccochronicle site uses a lot of white space, which makes it easy to quickly scan.
Your website can include paragraphs of text. Using bullet points with short sentences: Makes it easy to scan. Creates white space. Take a step back and look at this paragraph again...what captures your attention? The New York Times or Dallas News are known for producing long articles of text, and you’ll see that most often paragraphs are 2-3 sentences with white space or visuals in between.
The bullet points stand out because they create a break in the text and are easy to quickly scan. If you use bullet points, make sure to put a period at the end of each point. This allows screen readers to know that the sentence has ended. Italics can be used to capture attention, but not in the dominant way of bolding. Take a step back and look at this paragraph - what is the first word to capture your attention? Likely one of the bolded words since those stand out in contrast to the rest of the words.
Use bold to draw attention to the most important words and phrases and italics to make any additional information standout. Changing the font color will also draw attention, but be wary of using color only to highlight key information as that may leave out individuals who are colorblind or visually impaired. The more you change style and size, the more overwhelming the text becomes to read. Using the “inverted pyramid” concept is another technique to captivate and capture the attention of website visitors. Readers often scan pages for information, so by putting the big takeaways early on, you will increase the chances the readers learn the information they need.
Subheadings give the reader a roadmap of your website. Using subheadings helps chunk, or compartmentalize, ideas and concepts. For example, if you have a website heading for “atoms,” and subheadments for ‘protons,’ ‘neutrons,�’ and ‘electrons, the subheads reinforce that they are the parts of an atom.
It’s important to consider the size of font when making headings. The most important thing to remember is that writing for the web is different than academic or print writing. Certain web design platforms (such as Wix, Weebly and Google Sites) automatically set the page title to Heading 1, but you will want to check the settings to confirm this. These platforms often also set the size and style of the headings, so all you need to do is use them!
You should be using “half the word count (or less) than conventional writing’ According to the University of Maryland Baltimore Website Manual, 80 percent will skim the page for keywords they already have in mind. It’s important to understand your audience and anticipate what content and keywords they’re trying to find. Are you creating a website for your students? Parents? Colleagues? Administrators? Which words or phrases appeals to each of these groups?
What type of tone and language do you use when communicating with each of these groups? You will want to keep this in mind when selecting the word choice and writing style for your website. Use language that appeals to your audience . For example, if you are designing a website for your students, consider what language you use to capture their attention or give directions, and use this same style of language when creating your website content. Use a readability checker to ensure your content is written at a level that is accessible by your audience. Writing content that is too advanced or takes too long to understand will discourage visitors from exploring your site.
Using plain language that is simple, concise, and concrete “removes barriers between you and your readers” (Loranger, 2017, para. 4). While academic literature is made of long complex sentences and highly specialized vocabulary, studies show that professionals today value content that is “clear and concise”
Keep your vocabulary simple and make your points as plainly as possible. Prioritize nouns and verbs - use adjectives and adverbs only when necessary. Get rid of unnecessary words (once you have written your content, read it again and see how many words you can delete, then repeat this process). Sentences should be short and to the point. Avoid complex sentences.
Make sure your writing is comprehensive, correct, and current. Write in an active voice and maintain a uniform verb tense throughout your work. Use a spell checker ! When readers find spelling or grammatical errors on a website, they’re less likely to trust the content.
Connect your content to the rest of the internet using links, multimedia, and other resources. Cite all of your sources - this is not only essential for legal reasons, it’s also an important technique to role model for students. Avoid acronyms. Avoid passive voice. Aim for a 8th-9th grade reading level. Include relative pronouns (whom, who, which). Not use different words for the same subject.
Limit the amount of information on your website so that your students don’t feel overwhelmed when they visit. Chunk information and resources for sub-topics into separate sub-pages rather trying to feature everything the student needs to learn about a topic on a single page. Keep Your Content Up To Date : Have you ever scrolled to the bottom of a website to see its copyright date (e.g., Copyright 2013) and then question the credibility of the information on the site since it hasn't been updated in many years? Your students will do the same thing! Make sure you spend time at least once every few months modifying your site by revising information, adding or removing resources, and featuring related news.
By presenting new content for your subject area, you can hook students in and have them stay on your site longer. By incorporating interesting new content that appeals to your students, you will be increasing student motivation and engagement. Heath and Heath (2007) developed a set of guiding principles, called the Made to Stick principles, that can be used to create content that is “sticky,” (i.e., hard to forget)
Keep your website simple - use white space and plain language. Use typographical emphasis (e.g., bold, italics, font size/color) to draw readers’ attention to specific words or phrases. Storytelling is one of the most powerful techniques for communicating information since people who are reading or listening to a story mentally put themselves in the story, thus making it more memorable. If you follow the tips from this chapter, you will be able to fill your website with content that your readers will find engaging, interactive, and memorable.
Put the most important information at the top of the page (inverted pyramid) Use subheadings and sub-pages to chunk and organize information. Use language that appeals to your audience. Ensure your content is current, credible, and accurate. Keep your content up-to-date. Employ the Made to Stick principles to engage your website readers.