Content for the Web

Reading on the Web

  • Reading online is difficult... for everyone.
  • When confronted with a wall of text, users will leave.
  • Users are goal-oriented. They have a question to get answered, a task to complete.
  • They are busy. They want to grab and go. Content should be “snackable.”

Writing for the Web

  • Not dumbing down
  • Clear, concise, efficient; consider using Hemingway
  • Respects people’s time
  • Mobile-friendly (think mobile first!)
  • Consider how users will use the content
  • Users will read the content that’s easiest to read – scannable text
  • Use headers, links, and lists to enhance browsing/scanning
  • Avoid emphasizing too much; if everything is emphasized, nothing is

View Scannable and Conversational Text.