Writing for the internet isn't as easy (or hard) as you think!

Here's a number that will get you thinking: 79% of website visitors only scan the pages they come upon, only 16% read word-by-word the entire page. What does that mean? In short, that means writing for the internet must cater to the majority of visitors who won't be reading the all the great copy on your site.

What's the best way to ensure that the topic of your site gets the attention it deserves? It's simple, keep the content on your site in chunks that are easy to scan. Think in terms of a presentation and plan for interaction. Additionally, put your important points in the top two paragraphs because people tend to scan the web in an F pattern and the top paragraphs get the most attention. That doesn't mean to make them long however. Short and to the point makes the best internet content.

Start with the meta-content. This includes headlines, sub headings, and labels. People first approach web pages by searching out key words or phrases that address their specific needs. By putting using the bold fonts that headlines use, you'll be sure to grab their attention. At the same time, don't use these areas for self promotion or hype since those words don't really tell the visitor that you have what they want.

Put your message in the form of an upside-down pyramid. In other words the important information should be at the top (what, how, why) and the lesser important details should be towards the bottom. A good example of this is on the CNN site. at the top of each individual article the main points are bulleted so you can get the whole story in one chunk. Use bullets to make features and benefits easy to spot and break up the paragraphs. Photos are also good for breaking up the monotony of long paragraphs.

Don't try to explain everything on one page. Since visitors most likely will not read the entire text, give them a quick way to read more by linking to additional information on other pages. Use styles to draw attention to the links with bold-face fonts and underlines. When you do write the main "story" be sure to write in terms of the benefits, don't just list features. Be direct, the web is friendly so using "we" and "you" is the more acceptable format to tell the visitor exactly what they will be getting. Writing in this manner will draw your visitor in and help you convert more visitors to customers.

The internet is used by a lot of busy people so planning ahead to give them just what they want to know in clear, easy to scan segments will help them choose you over the other websites because of the perceived "ease of use."

-----------------------

This article written by Teajai Kimsey Stradley, Internet Marketing Strategist, Ideas That Work - January 2008
It may be reproduced and reprinted provided the author's information including web link is kept intact.