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Five Essential Web Writing Guidelines
by Scott T. Smith
"Give me a big enough lever and I can move the world."Archimedes
In the online world, words are your biggest lever. Both behind thescenes in your HTML tt and meta tags, and in the all-important text onyour Web pages, 'words rule!'Here's a look at how to use your all-important words to maximumadvantage.
Use Multiple, Specific Headlines
Headlines and subheadlines create immediate context when a visitor isexploring your site. Make sure they can always see at least one headlineon the screen. Like magazine index headlines, they are summaries of whatis to come.You can make these headlines specific by using your keywords. When youtag headlines in your source tt - such as ,or - they will be used by many search engines to index your site.
Clearly ExplainPeople scan headlines to grasp meaning, and often to summarize an entireblock of text. That's why being enigmatic, cryptic, or ironic iscounterproductive and a waste of time. Be as clear as you can (and youwon't risk irritating your readers)!
Write Your Links as Headlines
Often people scan pages by jumping from one link to another. Have youever lookedat your own site in this way? Linkwords look very much like headlines,or highlighted words, and should deliver your primary message. Be sureto use your keywords here as well.
Use Bullets
Bullets are essential. They break up text copy and serve you asmini-headlines with an entirely different look and feel. The ideallength for a bulleted list is 3-5 items, which is probably all mostreaders scanning can grasp. If your bulleted list is too long, trycombining several bullets into one.
Body Copy
Start every Web page with a summary or value proposition describing thecontent on the rest of the page. This will help you get better searchengine rankings, and it makes your pages easier to scan. Be sure to useyour keywords in this 'opening salvo'.People can only read one screen of information at a time. If you arelooking at a screen shot of text on your Web page that is one continuousparagraph, it's way too long. Short paragraphs of 2-3 sentences apiecewill serve you better, and each can have its own subheadline.Keep it short and simple.Your site visitors want to understand, NOW, exactly what your product orservice can do for them. Don't use long sentences when short ones willwork, and don't use long words when short ones will do. Write forresults, rather than to impress.Site readers are less patient today and their attention shifts fast.This is why short copy blocks will serve you well, highlighted by bulletpoints, keyword-rich links, and subheadlines.
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