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Keep it Short and Simple: Reading
on electronic screens is really not as easy as
we would like it to be and research has shown
that people are much slower when they read on
the web as compared to reading normal print. Therefore,
if you want your readers to get the whole message,
better make your message short, crisp and concise,
because if your web content is long and rambling,
then your target audience might very well move
on to another web site. Cut out superfluous sentences
and flowery language to create write ups that
are at least 40% to 50% shorter than what they
would be if they were written for hard copy. Research
has shown that the most read web articles range
in size between 400 and 500 words, so if you are
writing about a general topic, remember that 500
words are more than enough.
Break
Content Down Into Meaningful Units: Almost
80% web content readers have a tendency to scan
text for required information instead of reading
through whole bodies of text. As a web content
writer, make it a point to present your information
point wise, preferably broken down into bullet
points or falling under appropriate titles and
subtitles. This would make your reader locate
what he wants easily and help you in getting your
message across faster. Say a complete no no to
large bodies of novel like text because your readers
will also say no to them.
Use
The Inverted Pyramid Method: Online readers
are generally in a hurry to find out what they
want and are always ready to skip to another web
page if they cannot locate it on yours. Therefore,
in order to hold reader attention, put the most
relevant and important information on the top
of your write up. This will help in holding reader
attention and persuade them to go on reading.
Be
Crisp, Clear And Concise: Online readers generally
suffer from information overload which is easily
explained by the millions of web sites that pop
up on search pages for a single search term. Make
your content reader friendly by using short sentences
and paragraphs. Do not use complicated terms and
jargon and try to make your web content as simple
as possible without making it look mundane or
meaningless. Use highlights and headlines to make
the reader locate what he or she wants. Apart
from avoiding superfluous words, also avoid superlatives
like exceptional, great and out of this world
etcetera that make your web content look like
a bogus ad instead of being a source of information.
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